‘From pandemic necessity to everyday convenience’: GCash helps Iloilo sari-sari store owner skip remittance lines

ILOILO CITY — When the COVID-19 pandemic changed how people worked, shopped, and handled money, 64-year-old Rosario Padernal had to adjust, too.

Padernal has run a sari-sari store in Iloilo for years, supplying her neighborhood with everyday necessities, from food and snacks to household essentials.

During the pandemic, however, even simple errands became difficult.

One of her challenges was finding an easier way to manage her finances without frequently leaving home.

That was when she began using GCash, a mobile wallet app that lets users send and receive money, pay bills, make purchases, and access other financial services through their phones.

GCash is owned by Mynt, a Globe Telecom Inc. subsidiary, and has led the Philippine financial technology market alongside Maya. The company says 94 million Filipinos have used the app.

“Nag-umpisa ako ka gamit ka GCash karang pandemic, gamit account ka bata ko. Syempre, hay indi ka dali-dali ka gwa, mas mahapos mag-usar ka GCash sa amo to nga tiempo,” Padernal said.

[I started using GCash during the COVID-19 pandemic, using my child’s account. Of course, you could not just go out anytime. Using GCash made things much easier during that time.]

What began as a practical solution during a difficult period gradually became part of her family’s financial routine.

She started using GCash to buy necessities and order items online.

It eventually became a convenient way to receive financial support from her children, who work abroad.

Before GCash, Padernal said, her children sent money through traditional remittance centers.

Claiming the money meant leaving the community, paying for transportation, and waiting in line.

“Sang una kung gina padar-an ako ka mga bata ko, kinahanglan ko pa mamasahe para magpabanwa kag magpila, pero dukaron sa GCash du lang sanda nagapadara, mas dasig kag hapos lang. Mas makatipid pa hay waay it remittance fee nga hanggod,” she said.

[Before, when my children sent me money, I still had to pay for transportation to go to town and wait in line. But now, they can simply send it through GCash, which is much faster and easier. They can also save more because there is no remittance fee.]

The support from her children covers her maintenance medicines and everyday needs.

Because the money goes directly to her phone, she no longer makes a separate trip to a remittance center each time it arrives.

The change may seem small, but it has made a familiar part of her life easier to manage.

As she grew more comfortable with digital transactions, GCash also found a place in her business.

Padernal said she and her family use it to buy supplies for the store. When they need extra funds for business expenses, they borrow through GLoan.

GLoan is a pre-qualified loan service in the GCash app that lets select users borrow money directly into their GCash wallets.

Borrowers must meet eligibility criteria, including having a fully verified GCash account and being a Filipino citizen.

On one occasion, her daughter took out a PHP 10,000 GLoan to buy a freezer for the frozen food products the store sells.

The freezer became a practical addition to the business.

“Kis-a gahiram kami sa GLoan pangkumpra mga,” Padernal said.

[Sometimes, we also borrow through GLoan to buy supplies.]

She said the option gives her family flexibility when expenses come up unexpectedly or when the store needs extra funds.

Rather than being limited to the cash on hand, they have another option to consider for business needs.

The shift is also visible in how customers pay.

As more people grow comfortable with cashless transactions, Padernal can accommodate customers who prefer to pay through their phones rather than in cash.

For Padernal, however, the biggest difference is not the technology itself but the convenience of having another option.

She continues to run her sari-sari store, serving her community while using digital transactions alongside traditional ways of doing business.

What started as a practical solution during the pandemic has become part of how she manages her family’s finances and keeps her small business going.