Group urges LGUs to look into tech to improve services

AN advocacy group championing consumer rights has called on local governments to encourage their constituents at the grassroots to shift to cashless transactions, saying the benefits of digital technology must be felt by all.

“The use of technology should be extended to market vendors, community shopkeepers, tricycle operators and drivers, farmers, and small merchants,” said lawyer Christopher “Kit” Belmonte, coconvenor of CitizenWatch Philippines.

“Convenience is just one thing. Aside from this, the adoption of cashless payments like GCash would open up to other financial services like loans, savings, investments, and others.”

According to Belmonte, there is a significant amount of economic activity going on in markets, in public transportation, and in the fields.

“These are still mostly cash-based, but we believe they will shift to cashless once they see the benefits and, more importantly, once they are shown how,” he said.

Belmonte is urging local executives to work with the Bangko Sentral and the Department of the Interior and Local Government as it rolls out Paleng-QR Ph Plus, which aims to promote cashless payments in public markets and local transportation particularly tricycles across the country.

Paleng-QR was inspired by student policy competition finalists from the University of the Philippines-Los Baños in 2021.

The program targets to occasion change in markets and public transport, because these are basic components of an average Filipino’s typical payment pattern, said the Bangko Sentral on its website.