The Commission on Elections (COMELEC) has removed blockchain technology components and voter verification systems from its proposed budget for the 2028 general elections, cutting its initial ₱25-billion proposal by approximately ₱6 billion. COMELEC Chairman George Garcia announced yesterday that the decision followed recommendations from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to reduce the poll body’s funding request. The removed features were deemed nonessential for conducting the elections, with Garcia citing budget optimization and data privacy risks as primary factors for the exclusion.
“We removed the ballot verification system and blockchain components because, in our assessment, elections can still be conducted without such feature of the machines,” Garcia said. He noted that while implementing these systems could be considered in the future, the priority is to reallocate the proposed savings to other government agencies.
History of Blockchain Discussions in COMELEC
The agency’s evaluation of decentralized ledger technology follows multiple years of exploratory discussions regarding its application to the country’s Automated Election System (AES).
- 2017–2018: Former electronic voting system provider Smartmatic Philippines first examined blockchain technology to prevent vote-rigging, while tech executives expressed early confidence in local infrastructure readiness.
- 2022: Former COMELEC officials addressed the technology from a regulatory standpoint, warning against the use of cryptocurrencies for illegal activities such as vote-buying.
- 2023: During the National Election Summit, COMELEC hosted dedicated breakout sessions where local web3 industry leaders, including Bayanichain CEO Paul Soliman and then-Binance Philippines General Manager Kenneth Stern, presented frameworks for utilizing non-fungible tokens (NFTs) as immutable voting receipts to improve transparency.
Security Concerns and Procurement Timeline
Aside from financial constraints, Garcia raised concerns regarding the potential data privacy risks associated with integrating these advanced technologies into the voting infrastructure. This stands in contrast to previous industry proposals which argued that blockchain solutions could improve data permanence and eliminate unauthorized data tampering.
Despite the ₱6-billion budget reduction, Garcia stated that preparations for the 2028 national elections remain on schedule. The procurement process for the new automated counting machines is projected to begin by August or September, with the contract awards targeted for early 2027 to allow manufacturers sufficient lead time for equipment delivery.
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