Baguio City Deploys Blockchain Records System Katibayan Covering P275M in Contracts

Baguio City has launched Katibayan, a blockchain-based public records system that secures and archives city documents. The platform uses cryptographic blockchain anchoring to safeguard public information and integrates artificial intelligence to enable officials and residents to audit procurement records and detect spending anomalies.

The city's mayor, Benjamin Magalong, highlighted the benefits of using AI to detect potentially anomalous projects: 'When I was an investigator in the Philippine National Police, most of the time you could only detect an anomaly if someone reported it, if someone spoke up, if someone testified.' Now, with Katibayan, officials can use AI to identify potential issues.

Katibayan operates on Lumen, BYC Ventures' operating system that utilizes Google Gemini AI and Amazon Web Services cloud infrastructure. The platform currently archives city records spanning from 2021 through 2026, with additional municipal documents undergoing archiving.