DPWH, Blockchain Council launch digital ledger for foreign-assisted projects

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the Blockchain Council of the Philippines (BCP) on Tuesday turned on the Integrity Chain Portal — a blockchain-powered ledger for the agency’s transactions, contracts, and implementation of foreign-assisted infrastructure projects.

At the sidelines of the initiative’s official launch at the DPWH’s headquarters in Manila, Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon said the Integrity Chain Portal “will complement the transparency portal which allows the public to track and monitor our projects.”

Dizon explained that the blockchain-powered digital ledger “allows funders, and groups to validate our projects.”

Blockchain is defined as a digital database or ledger that stores data or records across a network of computers which is transparent and immutable, meaning it cannot be tampered with.

In September last year, the DPWH and BCP inked an agreement to develop the Integrity Chain, which aims to transform infrastructure governance by offering a real-time public dashboard that tracks project spending and progress, enabling citizen feedback and anomaly reporting, and providing tamper-proof records to deter corruption.

BCP chairman Donald Lim said the idea of creating the Integrity Chain portal was born out of the flood control corruption scandal as both the general public and the private sector demand transparency in procurement and implementation of government projects.

“The Integrity Chain is a technology, what it does is… it shows where the budget goes as it records every journey online from construction, payment, progress, and status of implementation,” Lim said. — BAP, GMA Integrated News