The Great Divides of Philippine Mobile Industry

THERE IS AN ILLUSION that what we have come to regard as “connection” in the mobile world is actually a disconnection, and what we have come to regard as “economic” is actually overspending. The two things are intertwined, and that is what I have taken issue here.

Assumption: “Unlimited Text” “E-Text, “Lahatxt”, disconnects people.

The media has successfully projected that unlimited text promotionals are actually cheaper than the use of regular texting credits — that for the amount of 35 pesos, you can actually text 100 people in the same network, versus the regular credit of 100 pesos = 100 text messages. I oppose this “cheaper” unlimited text illusion.

First of all, the fact that these unlimited texts only lasts for 24 hours is suspect. Whereby one needs to stay connected on a daily basis, using the unlimited text promos, one needs to spend 35 pesos everyday just to be connected in a mobile sense, regardless whether the credits had been consumed or not — because they only last for 24 hours.

Secondly, these unlimited text credits is exclusive only to subscribers of the same service provider. These are also not regular prepaid credits which one exchanges for these unlimited text credits. For example, one has to purchase regular credits of say, thirty pesos, and exchanges 25 pesos from that thirty pesos to convert into unlimited text credits which only lasts for 24 hours. Having spent 25 pesos of the 30 peso regular credits, the subscriber would only have 5 regular peso credits which can be used to text subscribers from other networks. That is the cause of the problem of beng disconnected with subscribers from another service provider. People are being constrained NOT to text other people from a different service provider because they would not want to spend that remaining 5 peso regular load that keeps their unlimited text credits alive.

While unlimited text remains “promotional”, it is almost acceptable since it is only ever a promo to entice customers to the kind of service a network provides. But that is not the case, since unlimited text or “unlitxt” (I include other forms of the same “promo” such as Lahatext, E-Text, etc) as most people would call it, has become entrecnhed in the Filipino culture, it has become the norm. It is therefore unfair that it should also be the norm to NOT TEXT people subscribing to a different service provider, for the wrong notion that they are able to save money, or be thrifty when in fact they are actually overspending!

It cannot be denied that people still have the choice to buy these services or not, but when it has become the norm, deviation becomes an economic sanction, which is unfair. People are being constrained not to text certain people just for the plain reason that these other people are subscribed to a network different than their own.

There are roughly fifty-six million mobile users in the Philippines, more than half of the country’s population. Roughly 26 million of those are subscribers of Smart. Following behind is Globe with roughly 20 million subscribers, and Sun Cellular with over 6 million. Between these three giants, there are three great trenches that severe the connection: Unlitxt, Lahatext, and E-Text.

In between the order of business

Hardly a week into being elected class/batch president, some pressing issues have begun to surface regarding our batch.

*Rubs hands together*

The first order of business as president: SPLIT the CLASS. We realized (as well as some other professors) that a class of fifty-plus students is in some ways to our disadvantage, academically speaking. There would not be enough time for everybody to recite in class, among other things more than inconvenient. Though I personally believe that a smaller class is more conducive to learning and study, I am also pessimistic that we will be able to split it, since it would cost a lot of inconvenience in the part of those involved; already last week we moved heaven and earth just to make our schedule fit and not clash rooms with our beloved freshmen underclassmen.

I just learned that our International Political Systems professor (would have been) is currently in Africa, studying the early footprints of Ape Men from whence they evolved out of the primordial state and into Homo Sapiens and spread to Eurasia and into the Fertile Cresent and eventually populated the whole Earth. Um, no, just kidding. But yes, the professor is really in Africa, cool place I think.

Second order of business: HELP the TREASURER. I have sensed some difficulty on the part of my treasurer, who is having a hard time exacting money from people and delivering the goods they paid for — all forgivable acts — since it is his first time doing such a blood pressure raising job. Having been the treasurer for two terms myself, I mastered the right words to yell when payment time comes. I realize that to implement policy, organization is key (check list, balance sheet, money bag, and a bank of expletive vocabulary for emergency purposes). Abono is the last option. Currently, we have a deficit of P55 at least. For remember: Until the last penny is dealt, you shall suffer!

Ces Drilon, I learned was released into the wilderness, got captured by wild people, then released back to the press again yesterday morning, after nine days of captivity. It was the first responsible journalism I ever saw from a media Goliath, who would usually expose and lambast anything available for public consumption just to earn their share. This time around, they get a taste of their own medicine, lest someone dies (from their end). But in any case, welcome back, welcome back, dear Cessy.

 

Starting Fourth Year

I was sitting innocently in the AB Dean’s office, cooling myself in the aircon when a jittery first year student entered the office, saw me sitting on the couch, and awkwardly greeted me: “Good morning– Good afternoon, sir.” What with my civilian attire, I am always mistaken as a professor. Seesh.

Two days ago, after a long day at school, I was in the last class of 7-9pm. The professor kindly dismissed us early, only for us to hold elections. But before anything else, we (some guys) allowed ourselves to empty our bursting bladder in the restroom. When we came back, nominations were being held for president, and I was nominated as I entered the classroom. Quite unexpectedly, and to my disbelief, I won. Okaaay…. president. This is something new. Now my title goes: Class President, or more appropriately, Batch President, since our two sections has been merged to ridiculously form a bloated class of fifty-eight. Cheers to the (impending) management crisis! Juuust kidding… but what I dreaded really, was becoming the class treasurer again, tough job really. Over the time that we have experienced this economic slowdown, and felt it quite literally, I realized that I do not have the heart to exact payments from my classmates in an almost daily basis, especially if the costs are steep, like above 100. I also realized that I do not have the wealth to make abono any late payers. That is why I had no choice but to follow up and routinely pester my classmates to pay. Harder work than you can imagine (my classmates actually took notice of how I ask: “gusto mo na magbayad?” or, “makakabayad ka na ba?”). So, I thought, a president could be a better job, if any “asenso” happened as a classmate told me, it’s not collecting money.

And that is how my school year started.

JOB OPENING!!!

Job Opening:

 

President of the United States

 

 

*no experience necessary

Some Very, Very Disappointing News

OBAMA wins the Democratic nomination.

 

 

Cheers to Word War III.

Age Paradox

I am twenty-five (plus, plus) years old. Wrinkles traverse my forehead which has gone broad over the years due to receding hairline; my hair falls like autumn everyday, and white strands are visible three feet away. I have adopted a semi-sedentary life of college, but thankfully my metabolism seems to be functioning still (I lost weight since December last year, 25 pounds), or perhaps it is because I got used to not taking lunch everyday.  My porma is almost usually dark pants and leather shoes and a collared top. Oftentimes, I am mistaken as a professor at the UST, and the guards greet me “good afternoon, sir” to which I return the pleasure.

I am twenty years old. The law states that thirty minutes ago, I have turned twenty years old. My age has been measured and timed by the tick-tock, tick-tock rythm of the clock, linear and ever forward, artifice. By its rythm we have measured history: ancient, prehistoric, primordial, and most ambitious of all, we have measured and conceived of the lightyear. The length of a second patterned to fit to and exactify celestial movements is the elemetal basis of legal time, and despite its universal usage and acceptance which order the world, it has ever only remained inaccurate. Thus, the Leap Year. According to this tick-tock rythm, I am twenty years old. More or less 7,295 worth of rotations of the Earth on its axis. And the only proof of that is a birth certificate which misspelled my favorite name, Alvaro, into Alvarro. Now I sound like Alvaryo… kalbaryo… kabayo. (I found out when I was 17 years old, ooh how people can ruin lives with a single letter).

I am fourteen years old (minus, minus). I watch a lot of cartoons, anime to be precise. I also watch cartoon network and can still enjoy Dexter’s Lab, Power Puff Girls, and those old school cartoons. Honestly, I failed a couple of subjects at school because I did not manage my time. I have had a “geocentric” view of people around me as opposed to “heliocentric”, where I had been the “earth”. As the youngest sibling, I tend to be dependent on everybody. Sometimes, I get bossy and expect some people to be there at my beck and call, a very good friend pointed out to me once… my lack of willingness to serve and give myself to others sometimes is the greatest challenge to my maturity. I would very, very much like to speak of these in the past tense, but until they are completely vanquished, I write in the present.

Some good bye’s are necessary to step into this “zone” as what Teddy called it, of being a young adult. First things first: ditch the stick. No more yosi for me; so far I’ve had four sticks this week, phenomenal (dahil kaunti)… but since I realized it could be possible, why not stop? My third stick today which extinguished itself in the tricycle, is the last… my birthday resolution. 🙂 So, happy birthday to me! Thank you very much to all the people who greeted tonight, especially you Sarangani SC guys. 🙂

25. 20. 14. Years Old. Had this been in a parallel multiverse, how would we have measured age? Would it be done biologically, lego-politically, or mentally? In my case, each is valid. But of course, I would prefer if they had all been synchronized, haha. Working on that. Thanks again!

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par·a·dox /ˈpærəˌdɒks/ [par–uh-doks] –noun

a statement or proposition that seems self-contradictory or absurd but in reality expresses a possible truth.