‘Withdraw cash over the counter’
THE Cebu Bankers Club (CBC) is encouraging the public to access cash over the counter instead of lining up in ATMs.
Michelle Co-Lin, president of (CBC), on Monday, December 20, 2021 said while making withdrawals from automated teller machines (ATMs) is usually the fastest and most convenient way, ATMs are now challenged by the power and telco service outages brought by Typhoon Odette (Rai).
“Ninety-five percent of the banks are open. So we are advising the public to visit their banks and make transactions over the counter,” said Lin.
She assured there is more than enough cash in Cebu.
“Banks have enough cash. That’s why we really opened today to reload. We have more than enough, especially that the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas is also open to serve us,” Lin added.
However, banking operations at present are also dependent on generator sets. Once these generator sets run out of fuel, banking operations will be affected.
“The issue is more on the gasoline for our generation sets so we can operate online and for our telcos to be more stable for the ATMs to run smoothly. If we could request our local government units to give banks a priority lane in gasoline stations for refueling, this would be of big help to everyone,” she said.
Lin also asked for the public’s kind understanding if some banks have shortened banking hours because bank employees need also to go home early due to transportation issues.
“But we don’t close our banks if we still have clients inside to serve,” she assured.
Following the wrath of Typhoon Odette Thursday evening, December 16, 2021, long queues at ATMs around the city were observed the following day as people withdrew cash to buy food, water, fuel and other basic necessities.
Typhoon Odette paralyzed the use of digital payments and other online payment methods, which are convenient tools whose use grew rapidly since the Covid-19 pandemic hit the country.
According to Lin, an ATM carries more or less P3 million in cash, but it’s the reloading that has been a big challenge since the aftermath of the typhoon.
Normally, reloading takes only 15 to 20 minutes, but now with the power and telco interruptions, reloading may take a while. It’s worse when an ATM goes offline.
Meanwhile, the Bankers Association of the Philippines (BAP) said the head offices of universal and commercial banks are coordinating with the BSP and the BAP for any required assistance. The Cebu branches are supported by their head offices for their infrastructure requirements. (KOC)
