CEBU City once again came alive with color, devotion, and celebration as the Sinulog Festival filled the streets with music, movement, and community spirit in honor of the Sto Niño. Joining the festivities, GCash brought a mix of exciting on-ground activities and practical digital solutions, turning Sinulog into a celebration of faith and culture, and progress for local nano, micro, small, and medium enterprises (NMSMEs).
GCash Sinulog activities highlighted how faster, cashless payments can help small businesses keep up with the festival rush, serve more customers, and unlock new income opportunities during peak moments of celebration.
Festival-goers enjoyed GCash experience hubs across key festival areas, with interactive booths at the grandstand and mobile PisoCarts stationed along parade routes. Through these PisoCarts, essential items were offered for just ₱1 when paid via GCash QR, showcasing how digital payments make transactions quicker, easier, and more convenient amid large crowds. Driving an additional income boost and faster payment processing for our NMSMEs engaged for the Sinulog Festival.
“We want every festival-goer and merchant partner to experience a Sinulog that is as seamless as it is vibrant. Through initiatives like our PisoTreats and cashless QR payments, we are weaving financial technology into the very fabric of the festival. We are proud to support Cebu’s nano, micro, small, and medium enterprises (NMSMEs) as they transition from traditional retail to a digital-first future and a trusted financial hub in their communities through GCash Pera Outlet Plus, ensuring that no one is left behind in our journey toward a ‘Finance for All’ Philippines,” said Tania Gil Padilla, Vice President for GCash Regional Business Unit.
From tradition to transformation: MSMEs at the heart of Sinulog
In Cebu’s communities, sari-sari stores and family-run businesses remain everyday lifelines. During Sinulog, they also become frontliners of commerce—serving locals, devotees, and tourists alike. By bridging traditional retail with digital finance, GCash helps these businesses not just survive busy seasons but grow sustainably beyond them.
One such story is Ysabela Store in Mabolo, Cebu City, run by husband-and-wife team Soledad “Sol” Braceros and John Paul Braceros. What began as a modest sari-sari store named after their daughter has grown into a mini-grocery, driven in large part by their early adoption of GCash and GCash Pera Outlet Plus (GPO+).
“What began as a small sari-sari store named for our daughter nine years ago has grown into a mini-grocery, significantly thanks to GCash,” shared Sol and John Paul. “The cash-in, cash-out service provides us with a steady revenue stream. This is essential for serving our community, particularly the families who receive remittances from loved ones working in Manila every payday. GCash has been crucial to our expansion.”
Through services such as cash-in, cash-out, and bills payment, Ysabela Store has become a trusted financial touchpoint in its neighborhood—proof that digital trust can thrive even in the most local of spaces.
Keeping up with the pace of festivities
Meanwhile, at Taboan Market, where tourists flock for Cebu’s famous dried fish pasalubong, Cindy & Nico Dried Fish Store reflects how digital payments are reshaping long-standing family businesses.
“My parents founded this store years ago, and I joined them to help manage it two years back,” said Cindy Bayon-on. “After the pandemic, we started using GCash because customers kept asking for it. Now, especially during Sinulog, it’s been a huge help. Tourists buying pasalubong are often in a hurry to see the next event. With GCash, transactions are quick and hassle-free, and it’s convenient for our customers, which makes business much smoother.”
A festival of progress shared by the community
Through initiatives like these, GCash further strengthens its commitment to help MSMEs grow their businesses. Its initiatives during festivals like Sinulog, aim to help participating merchants increase service-related earnings as it encourages the continued use of digital payments even after the festivities.
By weaving financial technology into one of the country’s most iconic festivals, GCash helps make the Sinulog experience more inclusive and empowering by supporting local businesses, easing everyday transactions, and ensuring that progress is shared across the community long after the final dance.
