The Parañaque City government, in partnership with the League of Municipalities of the Philippines through the Gracia Telecommunications Corp., launched an Intelligent Payment Machine-Express Link Online (IPM-ELO) that will provide digital payment solutions using customized transactions.
According to Mayor Edwin Olivarez, the machine was customized to serve as a billing, loading kiosk depending on the needs of the transacting party.
Olivarez said the IPM-ELO comes with an EMV card where a transacting party can pay his or her billings, online purchases, and other similar transactions.
He also said the EMV will be processed in accordance with the data protection and privacy requirements.
The mayor added that the use of IPMs was also part of the preventive measures being implemented by the city government to reduce any face-to-face transactions.
Olivarez said the IPMs will also provide an alternative method to limit the queuing outside any financial or payment centers as the city government intends to distribute the IPMs to the 16 barangays in the city and visible areas like the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX) and malls around the city for accessible digital payment kiosk.
“We are very fortunate with this new partnership with LMP and Gracia Telecom as we strengthen our collaborative efforts to advance the local government’s initiatives towards eGovernance. This will empower both the customer and local government to maximize the benefits of modern technology,” Olivarez said.
LMP national president, Mayor Luis Chavit Singson, said, “The effort is part of our commitment to help our partners in the local government in this time of pandemic.”
Singson also said that they also wanted to provide an alternative and reliable digital payment solution that will cover any type of transactions in the local government.
For her part, Lawyer Melanie Malaya, chief of the Business Permit and Licensing Office (BPLO), said the partnership is timely and significant as they boost their campaign to digitize the processes and services in the local government.
“For the past months, the local government is serious in its undertaking to fully embrace the new digital normal. We are optimistic that our stakeholders will continue to utilize this new undertaking,” Malaya said.