MANILA, Philippines — Moving aggressively to shield everyday consumers from compounding economic pressures while steering the country toward a highly digital, cash-lite financial structure, the state’s primary lender has eliminated convenience surcharges. State-run Land Bank of the Philippines (Landbank) has officially waived all transaction fees on select online government payments through the end of the year.
The zero-fee framework is active from June 1 until December 31, 2026, specifically targeting person-to-government (P2G) transactions processed through the national QRPh network platform.
The structural fee waiver applies explicitly to transactions executed across three specialized digital transaction channels managed by the bank. Standard convenience fees are sliced to zero when utilizing these specific lanes:
[ THE ZERO-FEE QRPH PAYMENT CHANNELS ]
│
┌──────────┼──────────┐
▼ ▼ ▼
[ LINK.BIZPORTAL ] [ PHYSICAL STANDEES ] [ NATIVE AGENCY SITES ]
• **The Core Engine:** • **The In-Person Loop:** • **The Digital Highway:**
Selecting the QRPh Scanning official physical • Submitting payments natively
option directly inside QRPh standees deployed on official state portals
Landbank’s master at physical collection that utilize the integrated
Link.BizPortal framework. points inside offices. Link.BizPortal interface.
The bank clarified that transactions routed outside the dedicated QRPh network, alongside separate service fees imposed by third-party merchants, are outside the scope of the program and will maintain conventional billing structures.
The initiative rolls out under the national government’s Unified Package for Livelihoods, Industry, Food, and Transport (UPLIFT) Program. The zero-fee architecture covers payments to participating institutions across five key layers of the public sector bureaucracy:
[ COVERED GOVERNMENT ENTITIES ]
│
┌───────────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────────────────┐
▼ ▼ ▼
[ STATE UNIVERSITIES ] [ NATIONAL AGENCIES ] [ UTILITIES & LGUs ]
• **SUCs & Local Colleges:** Fee-free • **NGAs & GOCCs:** Seamless processing • **Water Districts & Towns:** Hassle-free
tuition balances, document requests, for police clearances, business permits, settlements for real property taxes (RPT)
and admission processing costs. and apostille certificates. and local residential water utilities.
The zero-fee program marks Landbank’s second major digital cost reduction in less than two weeks, positioning the state lender at the forefront of the administration’s financial inclusion drive.
| Digital Banking Transaction Type | Previous Fee Framework | New Adjusted Rate Profile |
| InstaPay P2P Transfers (Effective May 21) | ₱15.00 per transaction | Cut nearly in half to ₱8.00 across the Mobile App and iAccess. |
| Micro-Transfers (Effective May 21) | ₱15.00 per transaction | Free for one transaction per day for values amounting to ₱1,000 and below. |
| QRPh P2G Payments (June 1 – Dec 31) | Varies by government agency | ₱0.00 across all covered state, corporate, and municipal portals. |
The aggressive fee reductions come despite Landbank reporting a 9% drop in first-quarter net income, which dipped to ₱12.05 billion from ₱13.3 billion during the same period last year. However, its total asset base edged upward to ₱3.442 trillion. Finance Secretary and Landbank Chair Frederick Go re-verified that absorbing these transaction costs is a conscious macro choice, emphasizing that making online state transactions completely free provides a much-needed financial buffer while permanently drawing unbanked Filipinos into the formal digital financial ecosystem.
