Manila: A bill seeking to make public transactions faster, more transparent, and easier for ordinary Filipinos inched closer to being passed at the House of Representatives after hurdling the second reading Wednesday night. House Bill (HB) 8468, or the eBayad Act, aims to institutionalize the use of safe and efficient digital payment systems in financial transactions of the government and merchants.
According to Philippines News Agency, under the proposed measure, covered agencies will be required to use safe, efficient, and inclusive digital disbursement for payments of goods and services and other government outlays, including cash assistance, as well as the payment of salaries, wages, allowances, and honoraria of employees across national agencies, government corporations, local government units (LGUs), state colleges and universities, local colleges and universities, including relevant government offices based abroad.
To make the shift workable on the ground, the measure authorizes covered agencies to directly send funds to a recipient's account through automatic debit arrangements, interoperable electronic fund transfers, or other facilities of government-serving payment service providers, so assistance and payments can reach people with fewer steps.
On the collection side, the bill will require covered agencies to offer digital collection as a mode for taxes, tolls, imposts, and other revenues, including non-income collections and receipts, while keeping cash as an option. It also recognizes electronic official invoices or receipts as valid proof of payment, subject to existing accounting, audit, and tax rules.
To keep procurement disciplined and consistent across government, the bill creates a steering committee chaired by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, with key agencies as members, to guide implementation, promote cost-efficiency, and transparency in acquiring digital payment solutions and resolve issues that may arise as agencies transition to digital systems.
HB 8468 also gives local governments a role in accelerating adoption among merchants by mandating LGUs to craft ordinances that provide monetary or non-monetary incentives, including reduced fees or other support, and to extend assistance, especially to small and micro-merchants like market vendors, tricycle operators, and food stalls, so they can accept digital payments without being left behind.
To encourage wider use while keeping costs fair, the bill directs the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Bureau of Internal Revenue to craft incentive programs that promote digital payments, prescribes graduated pricing or outright exemption for micropayments as may be set by the BSP in consultation with stakeholders, and mandates the BSP to formulate a multi-year roadmap aligned with the e-government masterplan, with targets and outcomes for at least five years.
The bill sets a transition period of up to three years, with tiering guidelines to reflect agency capacity, while placing heavy emphasis on security by requiring that data, information, and ICT systems used for digital payments be protected at all times, and by laying out duties for payment service providers on security, data privacy, cooperation with the Commission on Audit (COA) post-audits, and compliance with payment system agreements.
House Majority Leader Ferdinand Alexander 'Sandro' Marcos of Ilocos Norte stated, "We are inching closer to mandating digital payments in all government transactions." Marcos emphasized that the eBayad Act addresses daily problems faced by families, such as delays, long lines, and cash-only systems, which complicate basic transactions.
Marcos remarked, "Hindi dapat nauubos ang oras ng tao sa pila at pabalik-balik na transaksiyon (People's time should not be wasted on long lines and back and forth transactions). Through the eBayad bill, we are building a government that delivers faster, cleaner, and more convenient transactions for ordinary Filipinos."
The measure is part of the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council's Common Legislative Agenda.
