Angeles City, Pampanga, 12 September 2025 – Having steadily grown its footprint in Pampanga since 2019, Grab Philippines is doubling down on the province’s digital potential with the launch of Grab Asenso: Digital Diskarte Program – its flagship private-public initiative.
From GrabCar’s arrival in 2019 to GrabFood, GrabExpress, and GrabMart’s rollouts in the following years, Pampanga has evolved into one of Grab’s strongest regional ecosystems. Today, nearly half of Luzon’s 20,000 driver- and delivery-partners are based in the province, and more than 3,000 Kapampangan restaurants and grocery shops rely on Grab’s user base, delivery fleet, and tools for growth.
“Pampanga is proof that digital infrastructure and community ambition can converge into something much bigger,” said CJ Lacsican, Vice President for Cities at Grab Philippines. “Through Grab Asenso, we are now intensifying our commitment to an inclusive digital economy — empowering local MSMEs with the digital-first skills and technologies to thrive in an economy where success increasingly depends on being agile, data-driven, and connected.”
Building on Culinary and Entrepreneurial Strength
Known as the culinary capital of the Philippines, Pampanga’s growing base of digital merchants is also a story of resilience and creativity. In 2024 alone, business registrations grew by 6.7%, with 29,165 new enterprises entering the provincial economy.
One such success story is Kuya Jeck’s Tapsilogan, founded by former GrabFood rider Ronnie Casupanan. With the help of Grab’s financial and merchant programs, the small eatery has expanded to three branches. “When you embrace the tools Grab provides—whether that’s loans, digital payments, advertising tools — a small start can turn into a much bigger dream,” said the owner.
What’s different about Grab Asenso
Unlike training-only initiatives or tools-only platforms, Asenso links three essentials in one track: skills + tools + access to demand.
Asenso Learning Caravan: Mobile-First Capacity Building
Designed for real-world use on a smartphone, the Caravan delivers concise modules that MSMEs can apply same-day:
– Mobile-First Digital Marketing. Make and measure social posts, promos, and storefront updates directly from a phone; use basic analytics to improve reach and repeat orders.
– AI 101 for MSMEs. Work with prompt templates to draft product descriptions, promo captions, menu updates, and basic customer insights in minutes—inside GrabMerchant.
– Financial Growth Planning. Use payout data to set weekly targets, track unit economics, and manage cash flow for healthier working capital.
This approach addresses the adoption gap: 77% of Filipino MSMEs want to use more digital tools, but only ~16% actively do so, largely due to skills and perceived complexity—precisely the friction points Asenso removes.
Asenso Tools: Practical Infrastructure Embedded in the Grab Merchant app
– Payment Solutions: Tap & Scan To Pay turns any NFC-enabled Android phone or merchant device into a checkout terminal — accepting tap-to-pay cards and QR PH. Quick activation, competitive fees, seamless payouts, and tap-to-reconcile reports help cash-flow discipline. Registered merchants are also automatically enrolled in the Income Protection Coverage, which safeguards daily revenue against calamity-related disruptions. The rise of merchant QR acceptance and SoftPOS globally underscores the timing. The technology will mark its first pilot rollout in the country in Angeles City starting Q4 2025.
Grab Merchant AI Assistant (BETA) is a built-in AI copilot that suggests actions from context (e.g., “run a rainy-day bundle,” “re-order bestsellers”), and surfaces simple customer trends — with multi-language support to lower the learning curve.
Together, these tools lower entry barriers and speed time-to-impact for thin-margin entrepreneurs, helping merchants reach Grab’s highly active user base.
The Grab Asenso Program has also earned the endorsement of the DICT, with Director of the ICT Industry Development Bureau Emmy Lou Versoza-Delfin underscoring the program’s alignment with the agency’s digital livelihood agenda. “The Department of Information and Communications Technology is deeply honored and excited to be a part of the Grab Asenso Learning Caravan. This initiative is more than just an event; it’s a testament to our shared belief in the power of digital technology to transform lives and build a brighter future for the Philippines. Grab Asenso is a powerful display of digital bayanihan — a modern-day take on our cherished tradition of community cooperation. The DICT and our valued private sector partners like Grab have come together to bridge the digital divide and bring opportunities directly to your doorstep.”
A Launchpad for Regional Growth
For Pampanga, Grab Asenso is not a standalone initiative but the natural sequel to half a decade of superapp-led integration. From commuters embracing GrabCar to shops scaling with GrabFood and GrabMart, Pampanga has consistently been a testament to platform-driven progress in Luzon.
Angeles City Vice Mayor Amos Rivera underscored this trajectory: “Angeles City has kept MSMEs at the center of our growth agenda — from opening OTOP spaces and streamlining business services to partnering on digital inclusion. With Grab Asenso, our Kapampangan entrepreneurs now gain practical skills and mobile-first tools to compete at par with bigger players. The Angeles City Local Government, under the leadership of Mayor Jon Lazatin, is proud to be the springboard for a more connected, resilient, and opportunity-rich digital economy.”
Grab will bring the Asenso Learning Caravan to more cities in the coming months — including Cavite, Baguio, Bohol, Iloilo, Bacolod, and Cagayan de Oro — signaling that the regional digital powerhouse model demonstrated in Pampanga can be replicated nationwide.
About the merchants
Kuya Jeck’s Tapsilogan
– A restaurant founded by a former Grab driver-partner. –
– Top 11 MEX of Pampanga
Leveraged Grab’s Quick Cash service to fuel expansion plans, now proudly operating three branches.
– Grab’s support extended beyond the app, including store dress-up for two branches and participation in the Aurora Music Festival as a seller.
Morgen Kaffee
– A proud 5-star eats merchant
– Actively participates in Self-Serve Ads and Promos (Lokal Deals), showcasing its commitment to growth and customer engagement.
– Grab Exclusive starting July 2025 demonstrating trust and confidence in Grab as a reliable partner.
