Makati City Mayor Abigail Binay underscored the importance of streamlining transactions with government in enhancing the Philippines’ competitiveness as she presented the newly launched Makatizen Card project at the 5th Annual Ease of Doing Business Summit in Pasay City.
The National Competitiveness Council had invited Binay to share the city’s efforts toward digital transformation with the summit participants, which included top government and private sector officials working together to raise the country’s global competitiveness.
“Making transactions with government easier, faster and less cumbersome will go a long way in enhancing competitiveness in your respective localities and industries,” said Binay during the event held at the Philippine International Convention Center.
The mayor cited public private partnerships or PPPs as the best way to bring about digital transformation for Makati and other localities.
“Our vision is for PPP to become the linchpin to propel our infrastructure development program. The City of Makati is fully committed to strengthening its partnership with the private sector. We recognize the indispensable role of such a partnership in revolutionizing the way government serves the people, and moving our communities forward,” Binay said.
Last May 30, the city government entered into a landmark agreement with Globe Telecom, which led to the launching of the Makatizen Card. The unified, multipurpose government-issued citizen ID consolidates all health and social benefits for over half a million residents and city hall employees.
“Our first PPP venture in information technology was initiated through an unsolicited project proposal from Globe Telecom and iBayad Online Ventures, which offered to supply 500,000 Makatizen Cards at no cost to the city government,” said Binay.
The mayor said with its acceptance of the Proof-of-Concept Makatizen Card powered by the digital platforms of G-Xchange, which manages GCash, and iBayad Online Ventures, the city government has taken the first step towards building a cashless ecosystem for its citizens.
“This means free all-in-one access to the city’s financial and social services,” she said.
GCash will serve as the financial service provider for the card while iBayad will deploy the point-of-sale terminals and build the merchant network where the cards will be accepted.
In addition to gaining instant access to the benefits provided under the city government’s Yellow Card, Blu Card, and other programs, Makatizen card holders also get the convenience offered by a variety of digital and mobile services, including cashless transactions.
“Aside from making day-to-day tasks much more convenient for Makatizens, the project also allows greater transparency in the implementation of the city’s various social welfare programs, thereby ensuring the right people receive the right benefits in the most efficient way,” Binay said.
The card will be used for direct and real-time crediting of salaries and benefits to the GCash wallets of employees, distribution of cash gifts for senior citizens, providing health card beneficiaries with instant access to services, and remitting allowances of students and scholars.
In addition, iBayad will be implementing the “Makatizen Loyalty and Rewards Program” to promote continued use of the card, through loyalty reward points that can be used to purchase items.
To illustrate how the card works, Binay cited Miguel Bernales, a 35-year-old city traffic enforcer who is one of over 2,000 City Hall employees who have been issued a Makatizen Card. He is a breadwinner and has relatives in the province.
As a Makatizen card holder, Bernales’ salary is disbursed through the card, which he can withdraw from any Landbank ATM, free of charge. He can also use the GCash credited to his digital wallet for cashless transactions for his daily necessities, and he can pay his bills anytime, anywhere. Moreover, Bernales can send money to his relatives in the province using the iBayad platform for free.
Since his identity can be validated through a single tap of the card, Binay said Bernales can use his Makatizen Card to avail himself of health services at the Ospital ng Makati and free medicines under the Makati Health Plus Program. He can also shop online through MasterCard, and earn loyalty reward points which he can use to purchase items.
The mayor also presented the Makatizen App, a first-of-its-kind digital citizen app launched in collaboration with NeoConverge ICT Solutions and Voyager Innovations, the digital arm of PLDT and Smart.
Initially available for Android phones via Play Store, the app offers a number of benefits for Makati residents and employees, which can be accessed through their mobile phones for free via Freenet.
“Through the Makatizen app, we aim to bring important information and public services closer to the people and, at the same time, empower them to actively participate in the governance of the city,” she said.
