Grab powers Cavite’s fast rise as digital economy hub, accelerates region’s MSME digitalization
Grab Philippines is fully geared to power Cavite’s fast rise as a digital economy hub as it brings its flagship public-private initiative Grab Asenso: Digital Diskarte program to the province.
The program covers a tech- and AI-first learning caravan aimed at equipping thousands of local small businesses with mobile-first marketing knowhow, artificial intelligence (AI) tools, and new digital payment solutions.
Grab Philippines Vice President for Cities CJ Lacsican shares, “True national progress is built on creating equitable growth beyond the capital. Cavite, strategically located adjacent to Metro Manila, exemplifies the high potential within our provincial economies. Our commitment, through Grab Asenso, is to co-build the digital tools and upskilling programs that connect these local MSMEs to the wider digital economy. This is a foundational step toward an inclusive digital Philippines, ensuring growth, progress, and opportunities are shared across all regions for all businesses regardless of size.”
A Hotbed for Digital Growth
Cavite is poised to be a dynamic digital economy powerhouse, fueled by a dense population and a booming landscape of diverse small businesses.
Grab’s own records reveal the bullish digital adoption in the province. The platform’s newly onboarded MSME community in Cavite has grown at an average of 72% over the past three years, fueling a staggering 152% jump in demand for GrabFood deliveries this year versus last year. This growth is also marked by quality, as the province now accounts for 30% of all GrabFood 5-Star Eats merchants – a community of highly-rated MSME restaurants on the Grab platform – across the entire Greater Manila area, which includes Bulacan, Laguna, and Rizal.
Local entrepreneurs are turning this digital adoption into tangible success by actively using the platform’s growth tools, like Spotlight Campaigns. GrabFood 5-Star Eats merchant-partner Sarios Restaurant, owned by Liz and Benjamin Rufino, shared how they leveraged Grab’s marketing and promotion features to scale their business.
“I made it a point to study all the promotional tools Grab offered,” said Liz Rufino. “We started small with simple discounts, but once we saw how effective they were, we went all-in and fully utilized the marketing features. As a result, our sales doubled, and even tripled. It shows that Grab genuinely helps small merchants like us grow, not just the big brands.”
AI Co-Pilot for MSMEs
At the heart of the caravan is the introduction of the Merchant AI Assistant, a “co-pilot” integrated directly into the GrabMerchant app. This tool is designed to help small business owners who may lack the time or marketing expertise to manage their online presence. It can automate tasks like creating digital menus, writing marketing captions for promotions, and optimizing their online storefront.
Furthermore, Grab is introducing its “Tap & Scan To Pay” solution in the region. This feature turns any NFC-enabled smartphone into a device capable of accepting both credit cards and QR-PH payments. This is seen as a breakthrough for MSMEs, as it removes the significant cost hurdle of renting or buying a separate, hardware-based payment terminal. Alongside this, Grab is also offering merchants on Tap & Scan to Pay the access to Income Protection Coverage, which ensures that during untoward force majeures, should merchants not be able to open, their supposed earnings for that day are cushioned
More than just Tech
The “Digital Diskarte” program aims to provide holistic support. Beyond the new AI and payment tools, Grab is also offering merchants access to the Merchant Quick Cash Loan, providing “dagdag-puhunan” (additional capital) for inventory and expansion, and Self-Serve Ads, which allow merchants to run their own “Spotlight Campaigns” to boost visibility within the Grab app. This initiative is backed by government partners and aligns with the national digitalization agenda, particularly the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT)’s drive to create more “digital livelihoods” for Filipinos.
