Victorias City is the first local government unit in Western Visayas, and the third in the Philippines, to launch a pioneering digital governance system through the VICitizen card, at the Don Alejandro Acuña Yap Quiña Arts and Cultural Center April 22.
The initiative, in partnership with GCash, marks a major step toward a faster, more efficient, and more accessible delivery of city programs and social services for all residents of Victorias.
The VICitizen card was introduced as more than just an identification card, but as a gateway to streamlined services and a unified digital identity, the city said in a press release April 23.
Mayor Abelardo Bantug III said the VICitizen card is a product of collaboration across leadership, beginning with then-mayor and now 3rd District Rep. Javier Miguel Benitez.
He emphasized that the secure digital platform promotes transparency and accountability, adding that progress is meaningful only when no one is left behind.
Bantug also committed to distribute 60,000 cards to ensure the full inclusion of residents to the initiative.
Public Communications Unit head Serafin Plotria delivered the message of Benitez, who emphasized that the program is designed to be inclusive for all, with the establishment of a cashless ecosystem that integrates modern technology into the daily lives of every resident.
GCash vice president and head of B2B Sales Cleo Celeste Santos described GCash as a foundation of a smarter city, noting that the system functions as a digital wallet that streamlines benefit distribution and improves the safety and convenience of financial transactions.
City Treasurer Maria Rosielyn Gustilo welcomed the participants to the event and highlighted the importance of advancing good governance through modernization and digital innovation in public service delivery.
The launching was also attended by Vice Mayor Derek Palanca, councilors Jappy Cuaycong, Vincent Marie Roa, and Eric Alcobilla, Board Members Richard Julius Sablan and Bambi Depasucat, other local officials, city department heads and employees, GCash partners, city scholars, TODA and barangay officials, treasurers, administrative officers, information officers, market vendors, representatives from Noneco and VCWD, merchants, and other guests.
The program concluded with the ceremonial turnover of the first batch of VICitizen cards to selected beneficiaries, and a demonstration of sample transactions.
With the integration of identification and financial services into a single system, Victorias sets a new benchmark for modern, efficient, and connected local governance, the city stressed. ||
