The Elimination of the Elimination of the per-minute NDD rates

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They give you cake and just when you’re about to eat it, they grab it from your hand and smother you with it.

The move by PLDT and Globelines to slash or demolish the per-minute NDD rates altogether was commendable. For PLDT subscribers for an additional 200 pesos flat rate, one can make unlimited calls any other PLDT line all over the country. Globe on the other hand would charge nothing for Globe to Globe NDD calls. In times of over-inflated costs of living, this meant empowering the Filipino with communication privileges for the price of almost nothing. It can easily unite the country in so many ways and it can improve business and trade in many others. Globe and PLDT have done the math of cheap price = more subscribers = good for business = good for the country and its people. It is a win- win situation.

But why oh why would the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) order a halt to these services?

“According to the NTC, the order was made in view of serious complaints filed by the Private Telephone Companies of the Philippines (Paptelco) and PT&T on grounds of predatory pricing and discriminatory rates”. – Philippine Star Jan. 6, 05

I think the biggest victims of discrimination (AGAIN) here are the common Filipino people – deprived for so long from basic services due to high costs. This is the reason why we have Auto Load (this Issue is for another day), noodle packets the size of my fist, broadband services limited to posh villages and yes, piracy. What’s more, neither Globe nor Smart batted an eyelash with the newest cellular player in town – Sun (by Digitel) with its 24/7 fixed rate-unlimited calls/text among Sun Cellular subscribers. Globe and Smart know that despite a third player, there are endless opportunities in the Philippine mobile market. Sun cellular subscriptions are now selling like hot cakes, clogging the networks, to which Sun is responding to quickly.

“Officials of PLDT and Globe noted that the NTC order did not consider the tremendous benefits that the elimination of the per minute addition charge for NDD or national long distance calls have for their millions of subscribers.” – Philippine Star.

Tremendous benefits indeed. The fact that these two companies are offering these low rates to get new subscribers means that there is infrastructure ready to be taken advantage of – AT THE COST OF A DIME! If the free/ low cost NDD service doesn’t push thru, who would want a landline phone when almost everyone has a celphone for texting these days? Would the ready lines just then go to waste and stagnate just like what happened to the NAIA3? Except for the cost issues, talking is always far better than texting and the elimination of the per-minute NDD rates will make it easier for everybody.
Here are just some benefits that we can enjoy with the elimination of the per-minute NDD rates:

1. No more worries about credit limits or NDD rates (obviously)
2. No need to scour the city/town for an NDD prepaid card because you didn’t have a landline phone or your NDD is disabled (mahal nga kasi)
3. No need to go to a Tawag Center to tell your parents to send more money or that your wife has given birth to a boy.
4. No need to rush to say everything in 3 minutes.
5. No need to guard the telephone every time somebody uses it.
6. It will be easier for people in the provinces to call Manila offices or in other main cities. Eg. (Job applications, government services, TV stations, etc).
7. The country will be much more easily linked. Mas mabilis ang pagkalat ng balita.
8. It is a good, easily accessible too tool for disaster warnings and alerts.
9. It will open the door to easier Internet accessibility.
10. Many businesses in the provinces can now have their own lines paving the way to more opportunities.
11. In emergency cases, NDD will no longer be a hindrance.


Bring back the PLDT and Globelines NDD promos. It is the best thing that ever happened to Philippines telecommunications.

Of eagles, mobile banking, more tourists and mayonnaise

 

Students push for the Philippine Eagle as the National Bird. 

I thought it already is. I remember that Pagasa (hope), the first Philippine eagle bred in captivity has sparked such move. Philippine stamps since 1996 have declared that the Philippine Eagle as the holder of the title. Hmm. Where have these people been? 

Mobile Financial Transactions in the Philippines 

Very few people know this but it is the Philippines who first got to use the world’s first electronic cash in the form of Smart Money, although not very widely used. It has been in Smart’s product lineup for years now. A few months back, Smart and Globe began offering remittance services wherein the subscriber can receive remittances from abroad thru his celphone. A very smart move indeed. And now, it is official. Filipinos can now experience the convenience of mobile banking with transactions such as account balance inquiry, bills payment and money transfers. One can even reload into the prepaid SIM using the service. In a country of aging and mostly offline ATMs and painfully slow and long lines at the bank, this is a welcome service, especially for those who don't have the time to go. Lately, my number one criteria in selecting a bank was having a website for online account inquiries. Now, this is my number two. Never mind the .002% interest the other bank offers more than the next. Mobile banking means huge savings from taking stressful trips to the nearest ATM or paying more to log on to the Internet. Bravo Smart and Globe. 

Tourists flocking to resorts in the Philippines 

There are now reports of hordes of tourists being redirected from the tsunami-stricken countries to resorts in the Philippines. Truly one man’s poison is another’s sweet wine. Although there is reason to celebrate as this could help boost tourism to the country, it is not worth more than 150,000 lives lost. But there is no reason for the Philippines to apologize either. I am sure that these tourists have considered The Philippines when they planned their South East Asian trips but opted to go somewhere else for some reason or another. Terrorism is probably one of those. This is opportunity banging at the door. Hopefully, Filipinos take the hint and pull their act together to grab this chance to shine as a top tourist destination. 

Ladies Choice Mayonnaise

Have you seen the ads of Ladies Choice Mayonnaise suggesting it as the new dip for fried food? Are they insane? Fried food as it is, already screams of cholesterol, obesity, heart diseases and even death. Add to that, whipped oil and vinegar and you got a social health time bomb ticking. In the US, 1 in 4 are overweight and they are doing something about it, including reducing fat and cholesterol intake (not to mention doing the famous ATKINS diet). Here, Ladies Choice is airing mouth-watering ads with Filipino fried favorites such as the lechon kawali, fried liempo, fried longanisa, etc. And they aren’t even making any effort to reduce the fat in their product. Are they mad at Filipinos or something? Ladies Choice Mayo is evil in a jar if you ask me.