Carmona recently became the first municipality in the Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, and Quezon (CALABARZON) region to adopt cashless payments in its public markets using QR codes.
To promote digital transactions in the Philippines, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) rolled out their Paleng-QR PH initiative in Carmona, Cavite, in cooperation with mobile wallet GCash.
Vendors, and sellers in the Carmona Public Market now transact via digital payment platform GCash using QR Codes.
The BSP and the DILG jointly developed the Paleng-QR PH program to build the country's digital payments ecosystem via cashless payments in public markets and local transportation, particularly tricycles.
The goal is to make digital payments acceptabke among market vendors, community shopkeepers, as well as tricycle operators and drivers (TODA) nationwide.
Market purchases and local transportation fares are the basic components of an average Filipino’s typical payment pattern.
Until a market vendor and tricycle driver can accept digital payments, transitioning to cashless transactions would be difficult for the average Filipino.
Hence, to encourage more people to use digital platforms, Carmona Mayor Dahlia Loyola herself used GCash to pay for food items at the Carmona Public market during the Paleng-QR PH launch.
“We are on track to make Carmona digital-ready and financially inclusive,” she remarked.
"This is the way to move forward and make Carmona a ‘digital smart’ city," added vice mayor Cesar Ines Jr.
GCash president and CEO Martha Sazon believes that the PalengQR rollout in Carmona is a significant move as Cavite is part of the largest region in the Philippines.
“The Southern Tagalog can already be considered as an extension of Metro Manila," she explained.
"In just a short span of time, it has become a highly urbanized region and is now home to those working in the capital. This is why GCash extended its digital payment solutions to the CALABARZON region. Our vision of a financially inclusive society starts here in Carmona,” Sazon elaborated.
In addition, more vendors in the Carmona can now be onboarded as a GCash Pera Outlet (PO) partner.
This feature on the app allows small merchants to earn extra income and grow their businesses by offering customers in the community access to various GCash services, such as Cash-in, Cash-out, Pay Bills, and Send Money.
Caviteños can also access the GCash GTreat booths at the Public Market. At present, the Paleng-QR PH initiative has on-boarded thousands of vendors and tricycle drivers in various public markets nationwide including the Baguio City Public Market, Bangkerohan Public Market in Davao City, Dao Public Market in Tagbilaran City, Pasig City Mega Market, Antipolo Market, Tricycle Operators and Drivers Association (AMTODA), Camiling Public Market in Tarlac, Naga Public Market and Lapu-Lapu Public Market.