MANILA, Philippines — Caloocan is tapping PayMaya and Smart Padala in the distribution of financial aid to its students and constituents during the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ).
The city has disbursed over P14 million worth of financial aid to students of the University of Caloocan City (UCC) through the two electronic money channels, Caloocan Mayor Oscar Malapitan said.
About 13,000 UCC students are now receiving financial aid sent by the local government unit (LGU) directly to their PayMaya accounts through a digital voucher system, he added.
“When students receive an SMS informing them that they have received funds from the Caloocan LGU, all they have to do is ‘claim’ the voucher in the app and it will be credited instantly to their PayMaya account,” Malapitan said.
Once received, the funds can be encashed through over 800 Smart Padala centers in Caloocan and adjacent cities, many of which are available even in small neighborhoods, he explained.
Students may also choose to use the cash aid to pay their bills, buy airtime load, send money to family or do online grocery shopping using the PayMaya app.
“Many of these students belong to households whose parents have temporarily lost their livelihood due to the quarantine, so every bit of assistance helps. By partnering with PayMaya, we are able to provide this cash aid quickly and safely to all our beneficiaries,” the mayor said.
Last week, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas cited the necessity for e-payments during ECQ.
In a statement, BSP Governor Benjamin Diokno noted “the importance of shifting consumer behavior toward e-payments, considering the limitations on people’s movement and activities during the ECQ.”
“Cities like Caloocan are already realizing the immense benefits of mobile wallets in providing assistance to their citizens at this time when it is needed the most,” PayMaya founder and CEO Orlando Vea said.
“Because it is easy to open a PayMaya account using only a mobile phone and there are Smart Padala agents in every neighborhood, national government agencies and LGUs can conveniently and safely provide assistance through these e-money channels,” Vea said.
Caloocan and Manila are the first LGUs that have disbursed financial aid to citizens via cashless means during the ECQ, he added.
The House of Representatives through its “New Normal for the Workplace and Public Spaces Bill” is recommending the use of cashless payments for retail stores and transportation services as everyone prepares to welcome a new world once the crisis is over.
PayMaya has partnered with various government agencies to help the most vulnerable sectors of society cope with the effects of quarantine, Vea said.
These include the Social Security System for the Small Business Wage Subsidy program, Department of Social Welfare and Development for its Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations fund as well as the local governments of Manila, Caloocan, Mandaluyong and Quezon City.
“Digital wallets also help make the process more transparent since every disbursement comes with a transaction log, ensuring that the funds go to their intended recipients,” Vea said.
Smart Padala by PayMayanetwork has over 30,000 partner agents nationwide serving everyone, even those without bank accounts, at the easiest, convenient and most reliable way, he said.