De La Salle Lipa (DLSL) is aiming to fully switch to cashless transactions in time.
Twenty-nine college student organizations and four institutional offices began operating the first cashless payment facility in DLSL through the mobile money service, GCash.
The College Student Activities Office, Institutional Learning Resource Center, Admissions Office, and Resource Sustainability and Generation Office were among the initial offices that started accepting fees such as org collections and other school-related payments.
Aside from the student organizations and offices, GCash can already be used to avail of services in 18 out of 24 stalls in the Br. Benilde canteen including Barrio Ala Eh, Belgian Waffles, and Citruz Zone, as well as in the copy centers located in campus, DACE and ADS.
Two PayGo kiosks were installed at the College Lobby and Student Center for students to convert their money to GCash points needed for payment.
The school’s initially proposed conducting cashless transactions by using students’ ID cards through VMoney, but according to Michelle Magsombol, project management specialist for ICT, they have opted instead for a system that is purely mobile.
Magsombol clarified that the integration of students’ payments through a physical card is no longer compatible with the new plan, resulting in the termination of contract with VMoney.
This means that students who have previously deposited money in their VMoney account will no longer be able to use them. Magsombol however, ensured that this concern will be addressed by the company.
“This will be settled. We are just waiting for feedback from VMoney,” Magsombol stated.
According to Imelda Martin, deputy chief shared services, technology and innovation officer of Information Communications Technology Center (ICTC), GCash pledged to render their payment facility without charge in its first year of engagement with DLSL but succeeding years of partnership would be subjected to corresponding fees depending on the cost of the platform facility.
“Hopefully the students will be open with these cashless payment facilities even if we ask for a certain collection or fee,” Martin said.
Martin mentioned that their office is continuously engaging with multiple banking institutions to provide the school with other cashless payment facilities.
“GCash is just one of the multiple payment facilities that we are about to roll out. As I mentioned, we [would] also have the online payment facility, one of which is Dragonpay,” Martin added.
Meanwhile, students had expressed inconvenience in using the online platform due to weak internet connection.
“As of now hindi ko mai-recommend ang full cashless payment kasi unstable pa rin ang network ng school natin, improvement muna sana sa connection,” Marc Steven Aranas, first-year legal management student said.
Paula Fetizanan, also a first-year legal management student, also shared that students often find the GCash machines offline.
In response to such issues, Magsombol confirmed that the DLSL community, while still in its adjustment period may still opt to use cash during this time.
“Eventually the institution will become a full cashless-payment campus,” Magsombol remarked.
