MANILA, PHILIPPINES — The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) have achieved significant milestones in the Paleng-QR Ph Plus Program as more public markets, transport hubs, and various small businesses from the local governments of Antipolo, Bacoor, and General Santos City have been onboarded for cashless payments, in cooperation with GCash, the country’s leading finance super app.
Paleng-QR Ph Plus, a joint initiative between the BSP and DILG, aims to advance the digitalization of transactions across public markets, public utility vehicles (PUVs), and business establishments, providing a secure and efficient payment method.
For its part, GCash will help local governments enhance and create new opportunities for micro, small, and medium enterprises and their customers by providing convenient, safe, and fast services while broadening the financial footprint and enabling the enjoyment of cashless benefits for its citizens.
Joining other cities and towns that have embraced the transformative digital payment initiative is Antipolo City, which is one of the first key partner cities to adopt cashless transactions since 2021. Currently, vendors in the City Mall of Antipolo and tricycle operators now accept GCash QR payments. Antipolo City also hosts thousands of GCash partner outlets, with some of them strategically located within its public market.
Expanding the initiative to the southern region, the joint Paleng-QR Ph campaign was also launched in Bacoor City, where GCash and its public sector partners successfully onboarded market vendors and tricycle drivers for cashless payments.
More recently, GCash and its partners also strengthened their digitization efforts with the roll-out of Paleng-QR Ph in General Santos City. Market vendors and tricycle drivers have actively participated in the Paleng-QR Ph Plus program, with an anticipated increase in involvement following the issuance of an ordinance encouraging all business establishments, including micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and local transportation in the city, to adopt digital payments. Sari-sari stores across the city were also on-boarded as GCash Pera Outlets.
“By continuing our strategic partnership with the public sector, GCash cements its position as one of the key drivers of nation-building, leading to the empowerment of communities nationwide, especially the unbanked, in line with its ‘Finance for All’ pursuit,” said Ren-Ren Reyes, President and CEO of GCash mobile wallet operator G-Xchange, Inc.
In addition, GCash will also continue its financial literacy sessions for public market vendors and tricycle drivers about its services, including GSave, GLoan, GInsure, GGives, and GCredit among others, to further educate locals on how they can grow and manage their finances better.
