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Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Undersecretary for E-Government David Almirol has clarified his position regarding the government’s blockchain initiative, advocating for a “government consortium” model over the use of public blockchains for national data.
USEC Almirol: “Global and Local IT Community Are Not Stupid”
In a message sent to BitPinas, Almirol addressed the ongoing debate surrounding the government’s blockchain initiatives and the technical approach of tokenizing government documents.
“My stand is very simple: to make sure we’re implementing a real blockchain, not just a concept nor [a] reinvented idea,” Almirol stated.
“The global and local IT community are not stupid, they know very well the issue. They are watching us keenly.”
David Almirol, Undersecretary, DICT
Government-Owned Nodes vs. Public Blockchain
The Undersecretary outlined his preferred architectural framework for the project. He argued that the government should establish a “transactional and historical blockchain” managed through a government consortium rather than relying immediately on public infrastructure.
“We should establish a transactional and historical blockchain via a government consortium using decentralized nodes owned by the government, not [the] public.”
David Almirol, Undersecretary, DICT
He clarified that public blockchain players could eventually participate, but with a specific limitation.
“Later we can invite public blockchain players to connect as validators, not as data contributors,” he said.
Single Source of Truth
A key point of contention for Almirol is the method of data entry and management. He emphasized that data contributors must run and manage their own nodes to maintain integrity, rather than simply transferring data onto a chain.
“Data contributors should be the single source of truth to run and manage their own nodes. Not copy-paste the data from one place to another, that will destroy the very essence of blockchain.”
David Almirol, Undersecretary, DICT
‘That’s Just an NFT’
Almirol also distinguished between document authentication and the full capabilities of blockchain technology, criticizing the current method of simply tokenizing files.
“We should not blockchain the document (that’s just an NFT). Document authentication is different from blockchain, that could not solve traceability and accountability as well.”
David Almirol, Undersecretary, DICT
This aligns with earlier concerns from industry experts who have argued that hashing PDF documents on a public ledger acts more as a digital notary service than a tool for fiscal transparency or fund tracking.
Call for Public Inquiry
Amidst the differing views on how the national blockchain should be architected, Almirol expressed his readiness to discuss the technical merits of the project in a formal setting.
“I am willing to face the public for an overall public inquiry to shed light on the current opposing insights on government blockchain,” Almirol told BitPinas.
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This article is published on BitPinas: EXCLUSIVE: DICT Usec Almirol Calls for ‘Real Blockchain’ Implementation; Willing to Face Public Inquiry on Govt Ledger Project
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