Continuing the shared mission to boost digital payment adoption across the Philippines, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) have rolled out the Paleng-QR Ph plus initiative in the country’s most populous urban center Quezon City, in cooperation with GCash, the country’s number one finance super app.
Under the joint initiative, market vendors and tricycle drivers in
Project 4 Public Market in P. Tuazon can easily transact with their customers
through GCash QR codes.
Leading the launch were BSP deputy director Mynard Bryan Mojica, DILG
undersecretary for barangay affairs Felicito Valmocino, Quezon City mayor Joy
Belmonte-Alimurung, Quezon City chief of Business Permits and Licensing
Department Margie Santos, Committee on Markets councilor Vic Bernardo, QC
Federation of Public Market Vendors presidents Liwayway Forte, and GCash chief
compliance officer atty. Cef Sison.
“The joint Paleng-QR Ph initiative program aims to transition consumers
from cash to digital and educate Filipinos on the benefits of cashless
transactions. This is part of our national strategy for financial inclusion
since 2022. We hope that through the Paleng-QR program, more and more Filipinos
will become financially empowered. As such, with this initiative, we are closer
to our goal of financial inclusion where no Filipino is left behind,” Mojica
said.
During the launch, mayor Belmonte-Alimurung also called for more
vendors, tricycle drivers, as well as micro and small entrepreneurs to
participate in the program, which is now being implemented in eight public
markets in the city.
She said, “the whole world is quickly transitioning to cashless
transactions so it’s about time the Philippines took advantage of this
innovation. I encourage more of our residents to embrace cashless transaction
methods like GCash. It is very convenient, and every transaction can be done in
just a few taps on your phone. The program will also help the LGU to provide
easier, quicker, and more secure disbursement of aid to citizens and more
convenient tax payments for our constituents via the GCash app. We are honored
to have GCash, BSP, and DILG as our partners and we are excited to bring more
game-changing initiatives to achieve financial inclusion.”
Currently, 87% of vendors in the city already accept the GCash QR
payment method, with 65% of them actively transacting. With its continuous
efforts to fast-track digital transformations among its constituents and its
public markets, Quezon City was also one of the top-performing LGUs that were
awarded the Excellence in Digital Empowerment Award at the third annual GCash
Digital Excellence Awards in 2023.
For its part, GCash continues to collaborate with its partners to lead
the initial national rollout of Paleng-QR Ph. It’s also been present at the
launches in key cities across the country including Baguio, Bangkerohan Public
Market in Davao City, Pasig City Mega Market, Antipolo Market Tricycle
Operators and Drivers Association (AMTODA), Lapu-Lapu Public Market in Cebu,
Mandaue Public Market, Tagbilaran, Bohol, Tarlac, Naga, Bacolod, and Cotabato.
“We have a lot more plans at GCash and that includes onboarding more merchants,
market vendors, and TODAs in line with our ‘Finance for All’ vision. We are the
most favored financial payment system and we assure Filipinos that GCash is
safe, secure, and convenient to use. We listen to our customers, and we try our
very best to give the best platform not only in the Philippines but worldwide,”
said GCash Cluster Head of Public Sector and Partnerships Cathlyn Pavia.
For more information, please visit www.gcash.com.
