Manila, Qadena aim to get transparency right the first time with blockchain-based governance model

The City Government of Manila is taking a first-principles approach to transparency, moving beyond traditional reporting systems by embedding accountability directly at the source of government data.

In a Memorandum of Agreement signed with the Qadena Foundation, Manila is launching a blockchain-based initiative designed to bring real-time visibility, traceability, and integrity into its budget cycle and financial management processes. Unlike conventional transparency portals that publish information after the fact, the system is built to record data at the moment it is created.

The initiative will use a Filipino-built public Layer-1 blockchain under the Qadena ecosystem, designed for government-grade requirements where transparency must coexist with privacy, confidentiality, and regulatory compliance. Financial and administrative records will be anchored directly from the city’s core systems into a tamper-resistant ledger, addressing long-standing issues such as delayed disclosures, fragmented documentation, and limited verifiability.

Rather than treating transparency as a publishing exercise, Manila is attempting to institutionalize it as a system of record.

The blockchain infrastructure will operate on a hybrid public and private consortium model, allowing participation from government agencies, civic organizations, and academic institutions as validators and node operators. By distributing validation across multiple stakeholders, the model shifts trust away from a single controlling entity toward a shared governance framework.

The Qadena Foundation, which brings together 18 consortium partners across Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, will coordinate technical collaboration and knowledge exchange to ensure proper implementation and governance.

For Qadena, the Manila deployment is not just a partnership but a live test case.

Ann Cuisia, chairperson of the Qadena Foundation, said the city will serve as the pilot implementation of its LGU-focused blockchain framework.

“We intend to make them the pilot of the template that we have built for Cadena_LGU, beginning with the Assessor’s Office and then the rest of the LGU departments,” Cuisia said.

Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko” Moreno Domagoso framed the initiative as both a continuation and an evolution of the city’s digital governance efforts.

“From Go Manila App being the template of most LGUs, we would be glad to be the first to embark in a true transparency portal using latest technology and in accordance with Cadena Act,” Domagoso said.

He added that transparency must go beyond efficiency.

“True citizen service should not only be fast and reliable. It must first and foremost be truthful. Technology should help ensure that public resources are managed with honesty, visibility, and accountability for every Filipino,” he said.

That phased rollout reflects a more grounded approach to government technology, starting with a specific office before expanding across the bureaucracy. It also signals a shift away from large-scale announcements toward iterative, operational deployment.

If successful, the Manila–Qadena collaboration could provide a working model for other local government units seeking to modernize financial transparency. More importantly, it reinforces a principle often missed in digital governance efforts.

Transparency works best when it is built into the system from the very beginning, not added later as a layer.