Launches with over 280 market stalls/TODAs in Tagbilaran City
GCash, a leading mobile wallet provider, has joined forces with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), and the Tagbilaran City local government to launch the Paleng-QR Ph program in the Bohol capital. The program, developed jointly by BSP and DILG, aims to promote cashless QR payments in public markets and transportation by building a digital payments ecosystem.
Martha Sazon, CEO of GCash, said during the launch event on January 10, 2023 that “our merchants at the Dao Public Market and the rest of the micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in Tagbilaran City are enjoined to display their GCash QR code at their stores with the statement ‘We accept GCash here’. This way, we are empowering our small vendors to adopt cashless transactions in our efforts to boost digitalization in how they do business.”
The launch of Paleng-QR Ph program brought together key officials from GCash, BSP, DILG, Tagbilaran local government unit (LGU), and market stakeholders. The program which is launched in June 2022, aims to advocate for digital payments acceptance among market vendors, community shopkeepers, and tricycle operators and drivers (TODA) in all cities and municipalities in the country.
Onboarding of vendors, MSMEs
GCash has partnered with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), and Tagbilaran City government to launch the Paleng-QR Ph program in the city. This program is a joint development of BSP and DILG, aimed at promoting cashless QR payments in public markets and transportation by building a digital payments ecosystem.
Martha Sazon, CEO of GCash, reported that they have so far onboarded a total of 5 public markets, 133 market vendors in Dao, and 155 tricycle operators and drivers (TODA) to allow payment through GCash. GCash QR codes have been deployed, and as of January 10, 2023, they are all operational and widely used by locals and tourists. GCash to GCash transactions remain free of charge, ensuring convenience for its users.
Sazon said “We fully support the Paleng-QR initiative of the government because we believe that in order for Filipinos to really adopt cashless transactions, the natural place to introduce this is where they usually spend their money – the wet markets or “palengkes”. We aim to enable more Filipinos to thrive in this digital era.”
Tagbilaran City Mayor Jane Yap welcomed the partnership with GCash and highlighted the importance of this breakthrough in the City’s financial inclusion efforts. GCash users can cash in and cash out at 138 active GCash Pera Outlets. GCash merchants can receive and transfer money securely and conveniently with just a few taps on their smartphone, saving them time and effort. The GCash app is convenient for customers as well as merchants, providing a secure and easy way to pay digitally and cashless.
Currently, GCash has over 71 million users nationwide, giving Filipinos easy access to savings, loans, investments, and insurance.
