PAYMAYA Philippines, Inc. is partnering with the Baguio Flower Festival Foundation, Inc. (BFFFI), to allow quick response (QR) payments during the annual Panagbenga Festival in Baguio City.
In a statement on Thursday, the mobile wallet arm of PLDT, Inc. said QR-based transactions through PayMaya may now be used during the Panagbenga Festival which starts on Mar. 4.
“During the most anticipated Panagbenga Festival, Session Road, Baguio’s best-known thoroughfare, is transformed into a sloping fair ground with stalls of local merchants, all powered with PayMaya QR,” it said.
The local government of Baguio City said it expects this partnership will help reduce theft cases during the Panagbenga Festival, specially as the event leads tourists to flock to the town.
“The city government of Baguio and its people welcome PayMaya QR in our city…. Problems pertaining to handling of cash such as consumers being a victim of criminal activities will be minimized if not eradicated. Business owners will also be able to closely monitor all the payment transactions in his or her business,” Baguio City Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan said in the statement.
For his part, Rolando “Butch” C. Conejos, Jr., the channel head for domestic business of PayMaya, said the partnership with BFFFI is “part of our overall initiative to accelerate cashless ecosystems nationwide.”
“The end goal is to empower both merchants and consumers all over Baguio with digital payment solutions…. Soon, more establishments, micro-merchants, and transportation providers in Baguio will begin accepting payments via PayMaya QR, making it a full-fledged cashless community,” he added.
PayMaya is managed by Voyager Innovations, Inc., the digital solutions arm of PLDT. Hastings Holdings, Inc., a unit of PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund subsidiary MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., has a majority stake in BusinessWorld through the Philippine Star Group, which it controls. — Denise A. Valdez
