If you are a PESONet or InstaPay user, and you are worried about its availability during the Holy Week celebration, then fret no more because the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) has got you covered.
In an advisory posted on its website earlier today, the BSP has once again reminded BSP-Supervised Financial Institutions (BSFIs) offering PESONet and InstaPay services to ensure the availability of customer services during holidays and non-working days.
This issuance includes the declared holidays and special non-working days next week in observance of the upcoming Lenten season.
The BSP announcement is consistent with BSP Memorandum No. M-2023-011 dated March 30, 2023 (M-2023-011.pdf (bsp.gov.ph), which calls on all BSFIs participating in the automated clearing houses (ACHs) of PESONet and InstaPay to ensure continued availability and accessibility of their respective customer service hotlines and other support services during the holidays.
Memorandum No. M-2023-011 also instructs BSFIs to ensure that the public is accorded adequate and uninterrupted customer support service even on non-working days.
This means that BSFIs must provide customer accessibility to a wide range of accessible contact channels for the appropriate communication of consumer concerns. These include, but are not limited to: customer service hotlines, email and chatbot.
BSFIs should also ensure a timely and adequate response to concerns sent through these channels.
The BSP reiterates that this requirement is in anticipation of the public’s continued use of interoperable digital payment services over the holidays and long weekends.
According to the BSP, this reminder is likewise in line with the Philippine central bank’s broader efforts to promote financial consumer welfare.
For detailed expectations, BSFIs may refer to the Guidelines on Handling of Consumer Concerns on PESONet and lnstaPay as outlined in BSP Memorandum No. M-2022-029 dated June 6, 2022 (https://bit.ly/M-2022-029).
PESONet is a batch electronic funds transfer service that offers a viable alternative for checks and recurring payments.
InstaPay, on the other hand, is a real-time, low-value digital payment facility that can be used for more immediate payment transactions.
