Carmona’s implementation of cashless payments is a step closer to its aim of becoming a “smart city” that’s financially inclusive. We look into how it can help the community.

The Municipality of Carmona in Cavite has become the 14th local government unit (LGU) to roll out the Paleng-QR PH Plus program in its bid to embrace the age of digitalization. Simply put, vendors in the Carmona Public Market and public transport drivers in the municipality are now accepting cashless payments via QR codes. 

This move towards digitization is also aligned with the municipality’s goal of becoming a “smart city.” Carmona is likewise aiming to become a financially inclusive municipality for its citizens.

What is the Paleng-QR PH Program? 

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) developed the Paleng-QR PH program jointly with the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG). According to the BSP, the program’s aim is to “build the digital payments ecosystem in the country by promoting cashless payments in public markets and local transportation, particularly tricycles.”

The Paleng-QR PH Plus program branding was introduced in November 2022. The “Plus” in its name “aims to capture the broader target market of the program to expand the digital payment acceptance in every city and municipality in the country,” according to the BSP. 

Paleng-QR PH Plus Program in Cavite 

The report notes that the Carmona LGU has been able to roll out the Paleng-QR PH Plus program with the help of the BSP, DILG, and GCash. “We, at the Municipality of Carmona, are open [and] adaptive to change,” Carmona Mayor Dahlia Loyola said during the launch. “We will not hesitate to accept all innovations that will benefit our people.” 

To encourage participation from the municipality’s vendors and public transport drivers, the LGU is giving a PHP 2,000 incentive to registrants who are willing to take part in the pre-orientation on the use of QR codes. The LGU is likewise considering making it a requirement for entrepreneurs who will be renewing their business permits next year. 

How This Can Help the Citizens of Carmona

Municipal Treasurer Edwina Ledesma has noted that there are 3,000 registered businesses in Carmona with 500 of them being micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

The LGU’s move to embrace cashless payments will help vendors and drivers transact safely and more conveniently with customers and passengers. It also allows for financial inclusivity especially as the country moves towards digitization of payments, which the COVID-19 pandemic became a catalyst for.

Although Carmona is not the first of its kind to roll out this new feature—given that Baguio City is the first LGU to implement the program, followed by Davao, Tagbilaran, Lapu-Lapu, Naga, and even Pasig City with its wet markets—this just goes to show that the Philippines is going cashless will soon become a normal occurrence.