Ensure InstaPay, PESONet services during Holy Week: BSP tells banks

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas said on Tuesday its supervised financial institutions or banks must provide continued PESONet and InstaPay services to consumers even during the Holy Week holidays.

InstaPay is a realtime online fund transfer for transactions below P50,000 while PESONet, an alternative to checks, is for funds above P50,000 which usu- ally takes 1 banking day to be processed.

“In a memorandum dated 30 March 2023, the BSP said BSFIs must ensure the uninterrupted availability of their contact channels—including hotlines, emails, and chatbots—to receive consumer concerns,” the central bank said.

“The BSP issued the reminder in anticipation of the public’s continued use of digi-

Airbnb sees 400% growth in searches for Philippine stays during summer

Online rental platform Airbnb reported an almost 400% growth in searches for stays in the Philippines during the summer season, with the country fully easing restrictions for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to Airbnb, searches in the past year for check-ins between March 1, 2023 to April 30, 2023 surged from the same period last year amid the rebound in travel across the country especially during the peak season.

ence the richness of Philippine culture, and enjoy world-renowned Filipino hospitality, is extremely amazing,” Airbnb General Manager for Southeast Asia Amanpreet Bajaj said in an emailed statement.

“It means more tourism dollars flowing into more communities, which in turn supports more local businesses and jobs. We are committed to working closely with the government and industry stakeholders to support and further drive travel as it returns,” he added.

tal payments over the holidays and long weekends. This is in line with the central bank’s broader efforts to promote financial consumer welfare,” it added.

Banks were also instructed to ensure concerns regarding online transactions would be immediately addressed.

Both InstaPay and PESONet are part of the BSP’s National Retail Payment System (NRPS).

Santa Maria in Bulacan was the most searched city among Filipino travelers for the summer. It was followed by Malay in Aklan, Baguio City, Cebu City, and Pasay City.

Manila was the most searched for international travelers, followed by Cebu City, Malay, and El Nido in Palawan.

“The enthusiasm among Filipinos and international travelers alike to visit the country’s amazing beaches, experi-

In terms of bookings by Filipino users, Airbnb said the United States was the most booked overseas destination in 2022, followed by Canada, Japan, Korea, and Thailand.

The most booked cities overseas were Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, London, New York, and Toronto.

Airbnb said most Filipinos traveled mostly in pairs, while group travel bookings jumped by nearly 180% year-on-year.