Digital payment firm PayMaya has launched its LEAD program which aims to equip LGUs with end-to-end cashless payment solutions for better public service.
Beneficiaries of the Social Amelioration Program being implemented by the DSWD can expect a faster release for the second tranche of their cash subsidies.
PayMaya said it has disbursed more than P1.4 billion in financial aid to at least 120,000 citizen beneficiaries nationwide under the social amelioration programs of various national government agencies and LGUs since the start of Covid-19 community quarantines last March.
Government agencies such as the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and the Social Security System (SSS) have announced a final extension for tax filing and membership dues, respectively, until June 15, 2020.
Soon, users of the “hirna” ride-hailing app currently available in the cities of Davao, Iloilo, Butuan, and Bacolod can book rides and pay using PayMaya QR and do away with the need to pay their fares using cash.
After getting backlash for the slow disbursement of cash assistance under the government’s Social Amelioration Program (SAP), the DSWD is now going digital to accelerate the payment of the second tranche of cash aid for Filipinos severely affected by the Covid-19 lockdown.
PayMaya is offering transport operators and their drivers QR scan-to-pay capabilities, which will also give them access to a digital financial account that they can use for transactions such as bills payments, airtime load reloading, and sending money to friends and family.
Through the new PayMaya Negosyo app available for Android devices, MSMEs can accept QR and other forms of digital payments using their smartphones and even if they don’t have an e-commerce website.
The financial aid is part of the monthly stipend allocated to senior citizens and the release has been expedited to further help the beneficiaries cope with the effects of the current lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Saying that cash should get into the hands of the poor at once, Sen. Francis Pangilinan made a pitch to use telecommunication companies for mobile money transfers in distributing assistance amid the Covid-19 crisis.