The city government of Makati on Tuesday launched a multipurpose card that can be used by half a million residents and city hall employees for official, personal and financial transactions.
The “Makatizen Card,” according to Mayor Abigail Binay, will allow the residents to access local services and transact with the city government.
Binay said the residents can receive cash allowances, stipends, and other cash benefits. She added they can also use their cards to pay fees and taxes, as well as for personal remittances and other financial transactions.
City government employees, on the other hand, can use their card to receive salaries and allowances because it also functions as an Automated Teller Machine Card and is a valid government Identification card.
“This takes us a step nearer to achieving our goal of empowering everyone, including those in the marginalized sectors of society, to enjoy a better quality of life,” said Binay during the launching of Makatizen Card at the Session Hall.
She noted the card goes beyond providing Makati citizens with instant access to essential services of the city government, which in itself is a major leap forward for the city.
“The wide range of digital and mobile services offers the people of Makati more convenient and cost-effective ways of meeting their day-to-day needs and obligations,” Binay said.
The project was made in cooperation with Globe Telecom.
Binay said the city government will extend its full support for Globe Telecom’s initiatives “geared towards strengthening its telecommunications network to promote a digitally-connected Philippines.”
“With confidence and optimism, we view this unsolicited project proposal from Globe and its subsidiaries as the springboard for the rapid transformation of Makati into the country’s first digital city, where citizens and civil servants are able to experience the optimum benefits of the latest innovations in information technology,” she added.
Globe’s subsidiary G-XChange Inc. will serve as the financial service provider for the Makatizen Card, while iBayad will deploy the mPOS terminals and build the merchant network where the cards will be accepted.
The Makatizen Card is a valid government-issued ID that comes with a Near-Field Communication feature that allows city offices equipped with iBayad machine readers to verify the identity of residents and Makati City employees in a single tap.
It stores the information that easily identifies the card holder availing of various city government services without the need to present additional documents.
Card holders can take advantage of the different financial services of GCash and the merchant network support of iBayad to pay government institutions, hospitals, merchants and even transact with “Jollijeeps,” sari-sari stores, and ambulant vendors for easier and safer transactions.
As an additional benefit for Makati City residents and employees, iBayad will be implementing the “Makatizen Loyalty and Rewards Program” to promote continued use of the card and for them earn loyalty reward points that can used to purchase items.
The card will also be used for direct and real-time crediting of salaries and benefits to the GCash wallets of employees, health beneficiaries, senior citizens, and students to improve operational efficiency and tracking of cash flow.