The City Government of Manila has taken a significant step toward strengthening transparency and fiscal accountability following the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the Qadena Foundation. The partnership introduces a blockchain-powered initiative aimed at improving the visibility, traceability, and integrity of the city’s budget cycle and financial management processes.

Under the agreement, Manila will explore the use of blockchain technology as a trusted public ledger that can record and publish financial and administrative information directly from the city government’s existing core systems. The system is designed to address long-standing challenges in public financial reporting, including delayed disclosures, fragmented documentation, and difficulties in verifying the authenticity of records. By enabling data to be recorded at its original source and anchored onto a tamper-resistant blockchain ledger, the initiative seeks to ensure that financial information remains verifiable, auditable, and resistant to unauthorized modifications.

Unlike traditional centralized systems, the blockchain infrastructure will operate through a hybrid public–private consortium network. The network is open source and allows participation from various stakeholders, including government agencies, civic organizations, and academic institutions that may act as node operators and validators. By distributing validation responsibilities across a broader ecosystem, the initiative aims to strengthen institutional trust and create a collaborative oversight structure for monitoring public financial data.

The Qadena Foundation, which currently brings together 18 consortium partners from across Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, will serve as the coordinating body for technical collaboration and knowledge exchange. The organization will help ensure that participating government entities receive the expertise required to design, implement, and govern blockchain-based systems effectively. The foundation will also facilitate coordination among stakeholders who wish to contribute to the development and validation of the network.

Through this partnership, Manila City is positioning itself as a pilot environment for digital governance innovation in the Philippines. The initiative is expected to produce operational insights that other local government units (LGUs) may study and potentially replicate as part of their own modernization and transparency programs. By testing the system in a real government environment, the project aims to demonstrate how blockchain technology can support better public financial management and accountability.

Manila Mayor Francisco "Isko" Moreno Domagoso emphasized that the project builds on Manila’s earlier digital initiatives and aims to raise the standard of transparency in local governance.

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

The initiative will also serve as a model for implementing blockchain-based transparency systems within local governments. According to Qadena Foundation trustee Ann Cuisia, the project will begin with a specific department before expanding to the rest of the city government.

“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.