Over the past year or so, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) have been working on the Paleng-QR PH program, an initiative that promotes digital payments in public markets and transportation. Now, the program is set to roll out in its designated pilot area: Baguio City.
Mayor Benjamin Magalong said that Baguio was chosen because the city already has the platform and is also the most advanced in terms of digitalization among all the selected LGUs. Magalong emphasized that Paleng-QR PH is not a mere application, but is a program through which the city will strongly advocate and implement digital payments.
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This program will allow palengke vendors and PUV drivers to conduct easier transactions and monitor their financial status. It will also improve safety as both vendors and drivers need not worry about losing cash and carrying it in large amounts. Of course, it will enable contactless payments, too, which is ideal during this COVID-19 pandemic.
Magalong added that Baguio City is now finalizing its discussions with service providers such as GCash and PayMaya, as well as partner banks like UnionBank and Land Bank, so that it may begin implementing the Paleng-QR PH program. So maybe the next time we visit Baguio City, we won’t need to bring cash with us all the time.
What do you guys think of this program? Maybe the Department of Transportation can explore this instead of an entirely new automated fare-collection system...
