VIGAN CITY, Ilocos Sur (PIA) -- To promote the use of digital payments among merchants and consumers, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) launched its Paleng-QR Ph Plus program in Ilocos Sur on April 23 at the Provincial Farmers Livelihood Development Center in this city.

The program uses quick response or QR codes to enable cashless transactions through digital devices such as cellphone apps in markets and tricycle hubs, making it more accessible for people to transition to digital payments.

BSP Gov. Eli Remolona, Jr., said the program aims to strengthen the financial resilience of Filipinos and help them maximize economic opportunities through inclusion in the formal financial system.

He said, “By using the QR Ph codes in daily payment transactions, business owners and their customers can expand their digital financial footprint. This will give them access to a wider range of financial services such as credit, savings, insurance, and investment. This offers a fast, convenient, and safe way to make and receive payments.”

To date, some 68 local government units in the country have already joined the program according to BSP’s Deputy Governor Bernadette Romulo-Puyat.

“To all our local government units, please help us as we embark on this journey towards a more digitally-driven province. Let us work as one to ensure that the benefits of digital payments are extended to every corner of our province, fostering greater economic growth, resilience, and prosperity for all,” said Gov. Jeremias Singson.

The QR Ph program was rolled out in the province through the initiative of the provincial government of Ilocos Sur after passing Provincial Resolution No. 0372 in August 2023, which enjoins all municipalities and cities in the province to enact appropriate ordinances requiring all local business establishments and local transportation facilities to adopt the QR Ph digital payments mode of the BSP and the Department of the Interior and Local Government.

Caoayan Mayor and League of Municipalities of the Philippines-Ilocos Sur President Germelina Goulart said in an interview that LGUs in the province will soon roll out the Paleng-QR Ph Plus program in their respective LGUs to support the administration’s goal of improving the country’s digital infrastructure. (JCR/MJTAB/JMCQ, PIA Ilocos Sur)