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No cash, no card: Marvin Agustin's 'Fishblock' only accepts crypto as payment
Street food meets blockchain.
The Philippine Blockchain Week (PBW) 2025 is teaming up with actor and restaurateur Marvin Agustin for an innovative take on street food and blockchain adaptation.
During the press launch of PBW held at Kondwi in Makati City, Marvin said Janelle Barretto, PBW's president and co-founder, reached out to him to make fish balls – one of the beloved street foods in the Philippines – high tech.
"Ano bang dapat baguhin sa fish ball? Eh sobra na nating favorite 'to not just here in Manila but in the entire Philippines," Marvin said.
"But I guess, when you bring passionate and intelligent minds together, everything is possible," he added.
Marvin gladly took on the challenge and invented "Fishblock," a three-piece gourmet fish balls (or block, because of its shape) inspired by Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.
Meanwhile, the Visayas Fishblock is inspired by Humba and is topped with mushrooms and pineapple caviar.
Last but not least, the Mindanao Fishblock is inspired by Chicken Pastil, topped with duck flakes and coconut caviar.
The Fishblock will be available at Kondwi and Cochi during PBW 2025, but here's the catch: you can't pay in cash or card, only crypto using GCash's GCrypto feature, for P400, in hopes of introducing to Filipinos the seamless, real-world applications of digital payments.
Taking things further, every order will come with an NFT (non-fungible token) minted on Bayanichain, a homegrown blockchain platform. These NFTs will certify the Fishblocks as a blockchain-authenticated limited edition—essentially turning a simple street snack into a digital collectible.
It's set to take place from June 10 to 14 at the SMX Convention Center Manila. The ticket price ranges from P4,500 to P32,000. You may get your tickets here.
—MGP, GMA Integrated News
