By Ann Cuisia
I am not anti-Blockchain, I am actually an advocate.
I am protecting blockchain for its merit and I want the “Bill on Transparency” (instead of Bill on
Blockchain) passed so I and others can bid for government projects using Blockchain.
My concern is the timelessness of the law which the Bill may be criticized for and eventually fail.
Blockchain has become a powerful symbol of transparency, auditability, and trust. Since 2017, I
have been among those who actively push for its adoption in the Philippines because I believe it
can help address the long-standing problems of inefficiency and corruption in our governance
systems.
So when a lawmaker proposed to “blockchain the budget,” many celebrated. And I understand
why. Blockchain is a strong contender for ensuring transparency in public finance.
But here is where we must be careful: laws should not prescribe specific technologies. Laws
should be timeless, boundless, and grounded in principles, not tools. If we lock today’s budget
system into blockchain by law, what happens two decades from now when a better technology
emerges? We risk building obsolescence into the very foundation of accountability.
It would be like passing a law that mandated PowerPoint in government presentations, only to
find ourselves trapped when Canva or another tool takes its place.
Why principles matter more than tools
My point is not to weaken blockchain’s case, but to strengthen it. If the policy is anchored on
principles like auditability, tamper-resistance, and transparency, then blockchain can
naturally emerge as the strongest solution today. It will win because of its merits, not because it
was forced into law.
This approach protects blockchain from being politicized or reduced to a legal checkbox. It also
ensures that when newer and better technologies arrive in the future, the law remains relevant
because it is tied to outcomes, not tools.
Blockchain will still shine
Make no mistake: blockchain remains, for now, the leading contender for embedding
transparency into governance. But it must be implemented because it proves itself, not because
it is mandated by law. That is how we protect both innovation and integrity.
The real reform is not in mandating blockchain. The real reform is in mandating transparency
and letting technologies like blockchain show us the way.
What the Philippines needs is legislation that mandates transparency, not blockchain. By
focusing on principles rather than prescriptions, lawmakers can future-proof governance reforms
and foster an environment where technologies, blockchain included, prove their value on merit.
I hope to contribute to the amendment of the bill to be objective based rather than technology
based.