The Bacolod Sangguniang Panlungsod passed on second reading the proposed ordinance for the Paleng-QR Ph Program in Bacolod City on Wednesday, February 1.
The proposed ordinance authored by Councilor Celia Flor, SP Committee on Markets and Slaughterhouse chair, enjoins all business establishments and local transportation in Bacolod to adopt Quick Response (QR) Digital Payments in line with Paleng-QR Ph.
This ordinance basically urges the market vendors and transport sectors to adopt the digital platform of payments through GCash, Paymaya and other approved mobile applications stated by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), Flor said.
She said the ordinance will also support Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez’s program of promoting the Smart City for Bacolod.
Paleng-QR Ph is a national program that builds on the initiative of promoting financial inclusion and cashless transactions at public markets, community stores, and local transportation hubs around the country, Flor said.
It aspires to build a digital ecosystem based on basic payment behaviors among Filipinos, raise the utility of transaction accounts, and aid in the promotion and adoption of these accounts, she added.
On June 22, 2022, the DILG and BSP released a Joint Memorandum Circular (JMC) No. 1 Series of 2022 on the Paleng-QR, which established guidelines enjoining Local Government Units (LGUs) participation in the Paleng-QR Ph Program, which requires the Bacolod LGU to tentatively launch the program in mid- February.*