Ride-hailing app Grab Philippines said it has fully disbursed the P19.3-million it was ordered by the Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) to refund to users but stressed that most passengers have not claimed it.
In a statement, Grab said the administrative fee imposed by PCC was fully disbursed by Grab Philippines to all eligible passengers using a mechanism approved by the anti-trust body.
“We can confirm that there were no tech issues encountered with regards to the disbursement of the administrative fees. All eligible passengers have received their portion of the disbursed admin fee in their Grab Rewards Catalog,” it said.
The company pointed out, however, that a number of passengers are not claiming their portions of the disbursed administrative fee since majority of them are entitled only for P1.00 – an amount that is not substantial enough for them to create a GrabPay wallet account and undergo the BSP-mandated KYC (know-your-customer) process.
Last March 8, Grab said it suggested to the PCC a set of measures to address the low redemption rate but has not received any response from the agency.
“As we have done in the past, once again, we are asking our consumers to comply with the BSP-mandated KYC process for their GrabPay Wallet accounts, check their Grab Rewards catalog, and redeem the disbursed portion of the PCC administrative fee,” it said.
The ride-hailing firm said it is working with the PCC to exhaust all possible measures to ensure that the remaining administrative fee is redeemed by all eligible passengers.
“Following BSP regulations, those who have completed the basic eligible passengers who have not yet completed their basic KYC are required to complete this BSP-mandated process prior to redemption. Grab cannot credit their GrabPay Wallet without completion of basic KYC as this is a regulatory requirement of the BSP,” it said.
Since the first order directing it to disburse the administrative fees last November 14, 2019, Grab Philippines said it has been proactively monitoring the redemption procedure.
“Immediately upon its receipt of the PCC Order, Grab Philippines has outlined to the PCC its suggested measures to address this situation and has been eagerly awaiting the PCC’s response,” it said.
“Grab Philippines has yet to receive the final decision of the PCC on the recommendations for those eligible passengers lacking the mandatory KYC, but we would like to reassure our kababayans that we will continue to work with the competition commission to ensure that the remaining administrative fee amount is fully-redeemed — and focus our efforts in helping the Philippine economy recover.”
