CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY—Residents of this city will now find it easier to deal with the government or pay for their utilities with the adoption of a new technology that makes it possible to do such transactions using their cellular phones.
The Scaling Innovations in Mobile Money (SIMM) project, introduced by the United States Assistance for International Development (USAID), in partnership with the Local Investment Promotions Office of the city, transacting with City Hall or with a number of local businesses affords the transacting public ease in paying their obligations wherever they may be.
The SIMM, which is a two-year USAID/Philippines program promoting broad-based and inclusive growth, was designed to put the country on an accelerated growth path that will benefit the majority of Filipinos.
The mobile money program was designed to eliminate long lines and waiting hours, especially when settling the various taxes the government collects from business establishments, motorists, professionals and real-state owners, among others.
The launching of the SIMM on Wednesday was attended by Gloria Steele, USAID Philippines mission director, Mayor Oscar Moreno and other city officials, as well as local business leaders.
USAID said mobile money has the potential to help the Philippines reach its development goals faster and make those gains sustainable.
Moreno also said that with mobile money technology, bureaucratic red tape and public-sector corruption would be substantially minimized.
“With less human intervention, transacting business with the government would be faster and red tape and corruption minimized as the temptation on the part of government employees is absent,” Moreno said.
Steele said the mobile money project should help create a cashless society and likely work well in Cagayan de Oro as it will help streamline businesses and make transactions fast and transparent.
“Cagayan de Oro will always be at the forefront of innovations and nothing will ever be obsolete for the city, as she is a trailblazer in development,” Steele said.
Mobile money transactions involving real-property tax, business and building permits, as well as traffic citation tickets in Cagayan de Oro, is initially provided by Globe Telecom. The transaction is free for Globe subscribers. USAID said that although other cities have already adopted the innovation, Cagayan de Oro is first in the processing of business permits through SIMM.
City Hall employees can also inquire about their salary and can make loan payments with their cell phones or pay their electricity and water bills. Members of the city’s First Community Cooperative can, likewise, pay their loan amortization also through mobile phones.
Butch D. Enerio