Grab Philippines brought its Grab Asenso Learning Caravan to Puerto Princesa for a full-day masterclass that equipped GrabFood merchant-partners with practical digital skills and tools to help grow their businesses. The Puerto Princesa session focused on digitalization, payments, advertising, content strategy, and artificial intelligence tools that can support the daily operations and growth of micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).
The Grab Asenso Learning Caravan forms part of Grab Asenso Digital Diskarte, the company’s flagship technology and AI enablement program for MSMEs. The Puerto Princesa masterclass was conducted with the International Trade Centre (ITC), the joint agency of the World Trade Organization and the United Nations dedicated to helping small businesses compete.
The full-day learning session introduced GrabFood merchant-partners to growth and payment tools available through the GrabMerchant app. These included GrabAds Spotlight Campaigns, Tap & Scan to Pay, and GrabMerchant AI Assistant. Tap & Scan to Pay allows merchants to accept QR and card payments, while GrabMerchant AI Assistant serves as an AI co-pilot for daily operations.
ITC experts also led modules on digital content mastery and content strategy. These sessions formed part of the caravan’s focus on helping local MSMEs develop practical digital skills that can support their businesses.
Welcoming Grab’s efforts to help local MSMEs grow through digitalization, Puerto Princesa Mayor Lucilo Bayron said Grab’s presence in the city reflects confidence in the local economy and its readiness for new opportunities.
“For us, Grab’s arrival in Puerto Princesa is an indication of their trust in the economy of Puerto Princesa, and of Puerto Princesa’s readiness to receive new investments and to accept new opportunities,” he said.
The mayor also underscored the role of food delivery in helping local businesses grow. “Food delivery will help restaurant owners increase their sales. There are several people who don’t have the time to go to restaurants, but they can take advantage of Grab delivery to order the food they want from our participating restaurants.”
Helping local businesses thrive
GrabFood launched in Puerto Princesa in October 2025 and has since onboarded homegrown favorites such as Haim Chicken, Puerto’s Pancit Malabon, 100% Cafe Moto, and Del Cusina. The arrival of GrabFood in the city has given local restaurants another way to serve customers through food delivery and digital ordering.
100% Cafe Moto began as A+ Moto Cafe in Bancao-Bancao during the COVID-19 pandemic, where it served as a gathering place for motorcycle enthusiasts and locals. Before joining GrabFood, customers placed orders by phone and staff had to find a rider to handle deliveries, a process that could delay orders.
Through GrabFood, delivery fees, estimated delivery times, and online payments are brought together on a single platform. The setup gives the restaurant a digital way to manage delivery orders while providing customers with additional convenience when ordering food.
“As a business grows, it is important to factor in technology. As a restaurant, we need to find ways to serve customers better through technology. More and more people are also now finding ordering more convenient than visiting a physical store, so we need to be able to bridge that gap,” said Gladys Abad, 100% Cafe Moto’s operations manager.
Del Cusina, a family-owned buffet restaurant that started in Sabang, faced a major setback when Typhoon Odette severely damaged the business in late 2021. The restaurant was rebuilt and relocated to the South National Highway in Tiniguiban.
The rebuilding process also led the business to explore new ways to provide convenience for customers. Del Cusina partnered with GrabFood as it rebuilt and reintroduced its food offerings.
“Our journey has taught us that running a small business means being ready to adapt. After Typhoon Odette, rebuilding and relocating was a major challenge. As we rebuilt and reintroduced our food, we realized we could also give customers the gift of convenience by partnering with GrabFood,” said Dayan Jardin, Del Cusina’s Dining Supervisor.
The partnership immediately lifted Del Cusina’s sales by up to 30 percent, with GrabFood delivery orders continuing to grow relative to walk-in orders. The experience highlights how digital food delivery became part of the restaurant’s approach as it rebuilt its business.
Building an ecosystem for MSME growth
Grab Asenso’s partnership with ITC runs through the agency’s Digital PINAS program, which builds MSMEs’ technology and AI capabilities and tracks how digital adoption translates into business growth.
Through the end of 2026, ITC will bring expert-led masterclasses to Learning Caravans in regional cities nationwide. The initiative will also include a merchant monitoring framework that measures business results.
The sessions follow Digital PINAS’ hands-on format and cover digital business profiles, online presence, brand and marketing content, creative platforms, and AI for streamlining operations. These areas give participating MSMEs practical topics to explore as they build their digital capabilities.
The Puerto Princesa Learning Caravan brings these digitalization efforts directly to local GrabFood merchant-partners. The program combines Grab’s merchant tools with ITC-led training on digital content and strategy, creating a learning format focused on technology, AI, payments, marketing, and business operations.
“MSMEs are the backbone of our local economies. They create jobs, sustain families, and drive the growth of cities like Puerto Princesa,” said RJ Cabaluna, vice president for Cities at Grab Philippines. “Empowering them is essential to building a more inclusive and resilient Philippine economy. Our partnership does not end when a store goes live on GrabFood. We are committed to growing alongside our merchants and the communities they serve, widening their access to technology, know-how, and opportunity so they can compete and thrive in the digital economy.”
