To provide convenience for its scholars, the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) has signed an agreement with GCash for the distribution of their Training Support Fund.

TESDA adopted GCash as a move to achieve efficiency during the pandemic as Training Support Fund distribution will be remitted digitally, saving its scholars the trouble of going to field offices to receive allowances.

This also allows for contactless transactions, mitigating the impact of COVID-19 on its scholars amid the ongoing implementation of different quarantine protocols.

TESDA Secretary Isidro Lapeña noted that the agency has been looking for ways of continuing to serve its clients without exposing them to COVID-19.

“At the early stages of the pandemic, I have already instructed our Regional Operations Management Office to find a safe and effective way on how we can distribute Training Support Fund to our scholars this pandemic. Now that we have this partnership with GCash, this can really help our kababayans especially the ones who are in the far-flung areas,” he said.

Meanwhile, GCash President and CEO Martha Sazon shared that they have been actively supporting the government in delivering much needed support to the Filipinos since the onset of the pandemic.

“We understand that Fintech plays a key role in carrying out social assistance programs faster and safer, especially now that we are still figuring out how to transition back to normalcy,” she said.

TESDA scholars need only to download the GCash app on their smartphones through Google Play and Apple Store, and coordinate with authorized TESDA representatives to receive their training support fund which is P160 per training day.

With the General Community Quarantine still in effect in most parts of the country, both private businesses and government entities have been looking for ways to make cash distribution frictionless, and most have relied on mobile money for transactions.