THE Makati City government on Saturday started the village-level distribution of Makatizen Card, a multi-purpose card which can be used by residents and city hall employees for official, personal and financial transactions.
Mayor Abigail Binay presided over the launching of distribution in Barangay Rizal, where some 1,000 residents who had successfully registered were able to immediately activate their cards and try them out with partner merchants.”©
She said a Makatizen Card Team, composed of city personnel and representatives from private sector partners G-Xchange Inc., Globe Telecom and iBayad Online Ventures Inc., will be present at every distribution venue to assist card holders on scheduled dates in each of the city’s 33 barangays.”©
“For the convenience of our residents, we are bringing the Makatizen Card right to their barangays so they need not go to City Hall to claim it. We will also ensure their cards are immediately activated on-site by providing the services of the Makatizen Card Team, who can show them how to use their card right away,” Binay said.”©
She also noted that by inviting partner merchants to be present at every distribution site, including ambulant vendors registered with iBayad Fishball and iBayad Buko, and GCash loading stations, new Card holders will be able to test and experience their card’s efficacy in real-time.”©
“We are doing everything possible to fast-track the rollout and activation of Makatizen Cards so that our Makatizens can immediately experience its benefits and enjoy a better quality of life,” added Binay.
The village-level card distribution has been launched through the collaboration of the city government, represented by the Urban Development Department, and its partners G-Xchange Inc., Globe Telecom and iBayad Online Ventures Inc.”©
The Card, which functions as a valid government-issued ID card, will allow cardholders to access the city’s public services and transact with the city government through the embedded NFC (Near Field Communication) technology. The card allows city offices equipped with iBayad machine readers to verify the identity of residents and Makati City employees in a single tap. Thus, a Makatizen Card holder need not present additional documents to avail of city-provided services and benefits.
Since the card is linked to their GCash mobile wallet account, citizens can receive cash allowances, stipends, and other cash benefits using their Makatizen Card. City government employees can also receive their salaries and other financial benefits through their card. Card holders can also use their cards to pay fees and taxes, as well as for personal remittances and other financial transactions.”©Joel E. Zurbano
Other features of GCash, such as the Scan to Pay and GCash App, can also be used by Makatizen Card holders since their cards with their mobile numbers are GCash-enabled.”©
Also, Makatizen Card can be used to make transactions with GCash and iBayad Partner Merchants located in Makati City. They only need to find merchants with display signage showing “Makatizen Card Accepted Here!” and use the Makatizen Card to purchase products and services from the partner merchants, as well as to reload prepaid mobile phones and pay their bills.”©
With every transaction using the card, the Makatizen Card holder also earn Makatizen Loyalty Points. The accumulated loyalty points can be used to avail of special products and services provided by the Makatizen Rewards Program. It can also be converted to GCash credits that will be added back to the Makatizen Card mobile wallet account.”©
Last June 2017, the city government in partnership with Globe Telecom and iBayad Online Ventures unveiled the Makatizen Card, the city’s first digital PPP venture. Under the agreement, Globe will be providing some 500,000 cards, at no cost to the city.”©
Mayor Binay has been a known advocate of digital transformation in local the governance. She believes in maximizing the benefits of technology in order to connect directly with citizens and improve the accessibility and quality of public services in Makati.”©
At the start of her term in 2016, Binay had declared her vision of Makati’s transformation into a full-fledged Digital City where citizens and all stakeholders are able to enjoy the optimum benefits of modern technology. The mayor has expressed her commitment to embrace technology to promote transparency in the city’s governance, thereby strengthening investor confidence to attain rapid and sustainable economic growth of the nation’s financial center.”©
