City ordinance making QR PH payments available in all merchants, transportation pushed

The Cebu City Hall. CDN Digital photo | Brian J. Ochoa

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebu City Vice Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia is proposing an ordinance that would enjoin all business establishments and local public transportation in the city to adopt QR PH digital payments.

The vice mayor filed his proposed ordinance called the “Paleng-QR PH Plus Program in Cebu City,” during the council’s regular session on Wednesday, January 25, 2023.

The council referred the draft of this ordinance to the Committee on Laws, Ordinances, and Styling for review.

Garcia’s proposed ordinance will cover all public market vendors, public transportation plying the routes in the city, and all stores and business establishments, including sari-sari stores, ambulant vendors, and hawkers.

His proposed ordinance requires covered merchants and local transportation to open and maintain a QR Ph-ready transaction account and to explicitly display their QR Ph code in their store or vehicle.

“Public transportation, public market, and business establishments, at their discretion, may select as their alternative mode of payment from any QR Ph-ready financial service providers participating in the Paleng-QR PH Plus program of the City,” reads a portion of the proposed measure.

QR Ph refers to the national QR Code standard that allows a quick, low-cost, and safe method to pay, transfer to, and receive funds from other bank and e-money accounts in the country.

While the Paleng-QR Plus Program is an initiative developed by the Department of the Interior and Local Government and the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas to promote digital payment in public markets and local transportation in support of the National Strategy for Financial Inclusion.

Garcia, however, emphasized that nothing in the ordinance would prohibit cash payment when otherwise chosen by the patrons, consumers, buyers, passengers, or clients.

Garcia’s proposed measure also aims to provide incentives to participating business establishments and public transport operators.

All business owners and tricycle operators who shall provide QR PH as an alternative mode of payment shall be granted a one percent discount on fees, licenses, permits, and/or business taxes imposed by the city government in connection with the establishment, operation, and maintenance of the market stall or tricycle operation, for the first two years of the implementation of the Paleng-QR PH Plus program.

/bmjo

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