TABUK CITY, Kalinga – This thriving city continues to emerge as one of the pilot areas for the government’s Smart City project that will mainstream digital transformation as part of the everyday life of the people.
Mayor Darwin C. Estran֮ero said that the recent launching of the Paleng-QR Ph Plus in the city serves as a testament of the local government’s firm commitment to gradually embrace digital transformation as part of the necessary innovation that will contribute in improving the quality of life of the people through efficient and effective transactions with the government.
Earlier, the local government, in partnership with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas and the Department of the Interior and Local government (DILG), launched the Paleng-QR Ph Plus program in the city to promote the use of digital payments in the markets and local transportation that will pave the way for cashless transactions and providing ease in doing business in the city.
Mayor Estran֮ero pointed out that while Tabuk is the 179th local government unit in the country and the second in the Cordillera to adopt the said program, the city owns the distinction of being the first local government in the region that was able to fully automate its business permit and licensing services which is a testament of the city’s ability to easily adopt to change without forcing people to do so.
The local chief executive claimed that the city plans to partner with more banks to expand the program’s reach and ensure broader adoption by the people which is part of the Smart City initiative being cascaded to the different local governments in the country.
According to him, the program will not only be limited to transactions in the public market and transportation in the city but the city intends to expand the same to inter-regional transportation that will allow greater coverage and inclusivity of the people.
“Paleng-QR Ph Plus is more than just a digital upgrade but it is also a potent tool for economic empowerment. By enabling cashless transaction in our market and public transportation, we are empowering tricycle drivers, small vendors and daily wage earners to become part of the country’s digital economy,” Mayor Estran֮ero said.
Councilor Ivan Yannick Bagayao authored the ordinance authorizing the implementation of the Paleng-QR Ph Plus program in the city as it is aligned with Tabuk’s vision of becoming a Smart City in the future.
The system would not only streamline transactions but also guarantees direct and secure payments to the accounts of vendors, merchants, drivers among others.
BSP Northern Luzon Regional Director Atty. Noel Neil Malimban commended the city for enacting Ordinance No. 28-2024, which mandates the use of QR Ph among businesses and transport providers.
He noted that only a little over a hundred LGUs nationwide have adopted the program, and he praised Tabuk for being among them.
Malimban also reaffirmed the BSP’s commitment to supporting the CLGU through continued financial literacy efforts and technical guidance beyond the launch.
For his part, Allan Lao, operations head of the Cordillera office of the Department of Information and Communication Technology (DICT-CAR), said that the agency intends to significantly increase connectivity in the different parts of the region where all of the 313 barangays will have at least one free wifi zone by next year as part of its support to the said initiative. By Dexter A. See
