Smart Customer Service Update

Smart contacted me through this blog and here's their email address:

ISMS@smart.com.ph

Now, let us see if it's working... The blog notification landed in my spam but fortunately, I check my spam mails once done with my inbox to see what's up with the Zongo (btw, zongo in ilocano means monkey) and Burkina Faso guys, so, I was able to capture this one fast.

If you guys have problems with *1881, then this is the email addy to send your whines, rants and barfs... at the end of the day, we still hope to get value for our hard work (money). Will keep you posted.

Hi-Smart-Jacking

Sure SmartJack is threatening mobile phone service providers. Thank you for the agitation this device is causing them, it is about time, but how they will converge and continue fooling us remains to be seen.

Now, back to Smart. I have always used Smart - even when it was still a struggling subsidy of PLDT. I like its user-friendly features of not needing to encode a lot of numbers when requesting for services, unlike Globe. I have an aberration to reading and writing numbers. So that when we have been done (or been made) using broadband of leading landline telecoms, I'd end up using and recommending SmartBro. In fact, while currently using PLDT's broadband/dsl (bundled with the landline), I have turned to Smartbro plug-it for emergency purposes such as when our neighbors chop up some wires of PLDT for recycling and economic purposes (like in my 2 months in our current residence, we have two weeks without service, although I'd really like to work out how PLDT will be notified about billing deductions, because it takes like 1 hour to 2 hours to get through their 171 hotline - that HOT).

The SIM has its initial 100-peso load, explained earlier in the Smart-wireless SM North Edsa center to last about 10 hours. Then, I bought a P300 load at the dome in the garden in the sky (SM-NE). The load expired in about 4 days. It left me wondering - it could be because my sister used a laptop (slowmo). So, hubby bought another P300 load. While there was again a PLDT dsl interruption going on threatening my livelihood, and it's the wee hours, I was earlier thankful I had my Smartbro plugit. I became hysterical, however, as I see my total consumption here to be 13 hours plus only and I could no longer connect to the net:
I was thinking the "total time" indicates for the last card I loaded, but no, it wasn't. Had I realized that earlier, I could have raised more hell against *1881's CSR Deon Hidalgo I was talking with! Because he insisted I only had 1 peso load left!

I told him they are doing the consumer another highway robbery and nobody seems to be raising an alarm! Would these major media companies do? I doubt it when these companies are virtually the bread and butter of these local media companies. So, its up to us netizens to become vigilant and warn our fellow consumers / victims.

Next time that you load, take note of your reference number in case you delete the message from 1510. Or keep your cards. It will serve as reference when you start waging war with the Smart CSR (Customer Service Representative or company shock absorber). Because what got me during my convo with *1888's Deon Hidalgo was he kept insisting I only loaded a total of P400 when in reality, I already loaded a total of P700. And even if I only loaded a total of P400, I would still need to consume a total of 20 hours! Now, how do we raise more hell?

Here's another: my sister-in-law is trying to call up her mom in Canada, and she bought the P100 PLDT budget card charging only P1.50 cents per minute. That's hoot against the operator-assisted P200/ per minute. But while the phone machine acknolwedges the card still has P36 pesos left, she can no longer connect. Hello? PLDT and Smart? What's up with your hi-jacking card loads?

Prayers & Thanks

For the victims of the Maguindanao atrocities and their families, my prayers (in a cruel and utterly unfair world, our only hope is a God some call an opium).

Now back to business...
I am one of those relieved and jubilant after Chiz Escudero finally learned to say, "Hello, planet Earth?" and nobody answered.

What's with the Senator?
First off, he got lucky. And he's got the charisma to send for the members of media each time there is an issue wherein a noise is needed. But checking on his background, all you have is an empty drum. Classic trapo in the making.

Many had been anticipating Mr. Escudero would run for vice presidency. I was a bit shocked (but not that much) when I learned today he had been eyeing the presidency. He was that bloated? lol. Behind the scene, with fellow media folks, here are discussions about Mr. Escudero:

"Si Chiz? Kahit nga mga empleyado niya, di siya ibo-boto e! (Not even his employees will vote for him!)"

" Napaka-showbiz nun ano? Pagkatapos niyang magsalita sa harap ng camera, wala nang kilala! (He is very showbiz. After an interview and the camera has stopped focus on him, he knows nobody!)"

In reality, Mr. Escudero is one of those who knew how to use the media, unluckily, the media should know when to inform and protect their sworn public. IMO, his decision to back-out was probably for finding out after going to his campaign sorties how in reality he is not really that popular. His media friends that provided him rah-rah-rah earlier might have already learned his true colors. He is what we'd call "press release". Thank you Mr. Escudero for reducing the trapos in this election.

Contract Farming in the Philippines

From the Ibon newsletter:

AMID THREAT TO FOOD SECURITY
GOV’T OPENS MORE FARM LAND FOR FOREIGN AGRIBUSINESS FIRMS

The recent typhoons highlighted land and crop use conversion as a factor in worsening the effects of disasters on food production and the need to ensure adequate land for food production. However amid all these, government has reserved more agricultural land for export crops and use of foreign agro-corporations.

More than 1.5 million hectares of land have been developed for agribusiness since 2005,
according to the Philippine Agricultural Development and Commercial Corporation, most of which are for planting high value commercial crops to be exported to other countries.
Government has also approved 3 million hectares for foreign agro-corporations, which includes 60,000 hectares to Pacific Bio-Fields Corp. of Japan.

More worrying is the recent announcement of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) that over 20 agribusiness firms will meet with nearly 200 Philippine companies to form partnerships and joint ventures in fisheries, biofuels, processed goods, meat and poultry, dairy products, etc. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) also granted 375,091 hectares of land to be used exclusively for jatropha production, and opened 30 more hectares for public auction.

According to IBON, data from the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) of approved converted land area of 46,000 recorded over the span of 27 years is too small and does not include yet the areas lost to massive land grabbing, illegal conversions, and land speculation for industrial, financial and agribusiness ventures in the country.

While the disaster will likely affect food production, IBON said that this would have been mitigated if agricultural lands were maintained and harnessed for food production. The impact of land use and crop conversion on the production of staple crops has been evident in the last decades. Since the 1990s, farm area planted to palay fell by more than 87,000 hectares while that of corn was reduced by almost 300,000 hectares. Such decrease in the farm area spelled the massive displacement of Filipino farmers.

With the worsening economic crisis and as the country becomes more vulnerable to disasters, government should address the threat of food insecurity by ensuring that the country has sufficient land for food production, as well as adequate support for producers, to meet the food needs of Filipinos—rather than allowing the large-scale conversion of agricultural lands.

(end)

Farming in the Philippines is a conducive enterprise. This is most especially in the valleys of Davao where rain fall is year long and mild. In the north, certain crops are favorable to cultivate: peanuts, tobacco, mongo, and others that do not require much rain. Some portions that are irrigated could harvest rice twice, or 3 times annually if lucky enough. Typhoons make the north a risky business when it comes to crops.

Throughout the years, however, several threats to farming have emerged:

• depletion of the soil's natural nutrients due to excessive use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides
  
• land-grabbing (incidentally, my father was accused as such, went under investigation, and luckily came out clean... and no, we are not moneyed nor strategically connected in Philippine politics --- his maternal side of clan does not believe him, though). BTW, landgrabbing dates back to Spanish period when Europe's (Spain) sent out their representatives to own whatever land they could title... so until today, so much like Native Americans, Native Filipinos lord it over to the Ayalas, Ortigases, the mestizo Chinese Cojuangcos, Florentinos (in the north) and other sophisticated-sounding names who are also landlords and kingmakers if not kings in their own 'doms (governors, congressmen, mayors, oligarchs, and trapos)
  
• derailing of noble-purposed agriculture projects into pockets of trapos (from barangay officials up to the first gents and mesdames)... example: organic farming
• then, there's the above.

To describe it in a first-hand basis (yes, I came from a farming family), those contractual farming methods run like this based on Uncle Chavit's tomato plant in Santa, Ilocos Sur:

• contractors (tomato plant representatives) approach a small-scale farmer (with a few hundred square meter land area) or the other way around for tomato planting
• the contractor provides the seeds for planting and provides an "advance money" for the farmer to cover labor, and other incidental expenses - diesel for water, transport, etc. The contractor will also provide for fertilizer and pesticides which costs will be added to the total cost of deductions payable to farmer in contract.
• Upon harvest, the farmer will sell a kilo of tomatoes for P3 or US$.06 cents to the contractor if he is lucky. Most of the time, the farmer will end up owing the contractor because the price may also get lower as insisted by the contractor because many accepted contract growing and there is overproduction of tomatoes. Instead of earning, he loses money and that he will need to accept another contract to pay his debts off.

This is crazy, you'd say. This is contract-farming, otherwise noted by Ibon as "partnerships and joint ventures" above. This is reality 101 in Philippine farming. Thank you for reading.

Hello BDO: A Short Story based on Facts

A few months back, like, May 18, my wallet was snatched

(the customer service representative from SM Hypermart The Block corrected me: "Na-snatch-an po kayo? Baka na-pick-pocket?" And I acquiesced, retorting coyly, "Ay, oo nga pala..." out of short-circuit, biglang bumagal ang memory ko... my original byte coud have produced this retort: E miss, di naman sa bulsa dinukot, at dinaan lang sa bilis ng kamay..." I hate it!

)

and with it are IDs and a BDO-issued credit card. I reported it immediately, inside the store.
The next or a couple of days later, a CSR called me up requesting me to fax billing address evidence. I did immediately as asked. Every 2 weeks after, I called the BDO hotline 6318000 to follow-up and until the second week of August, I was informed it (the card!) was already ready for release.Two or 3 weeks later, I received a billing statement for the credit card which has not arrived! I immediately called to learn the card was not informed that it should have been released and should have started walking to its intended master. All hell and its neighboring holes broke loose.

A couple of days later, I received the card.

It has sit idle on my phone table a few weeks now, I was waiting for it to make up its mind and learn I was not gonna smooth my fingers on it to turn it into a genie... I am waiting for the cancellation of service fees charged on me days before I even met the card I was being charged with. And the notification I requested that I already canceled my order for a replacement.

I hate BDO, especially the one in West Avenue cor Del Monte. It has monster clerks. Especially the fat bully who terrorizes not only clients or customers but the senior officers in there, I kept wondering what's keeping her on her job. She's Ursula from The Little mermaid... I had a series of nightmarish experiences in there, with Ursula.

And then, there's the "pick-pocket" experience at The Block, and this credit card experience... Everyday, Customer Service to me takes mutilated meanings and forms that make each encounter a release of evil thoughts... Hmmm, they (CSRs) are useful, afterall.

Postal Importer

So, now, I am a certified small-time importer because the Bureau of Customs has finally taxed me for buying $62 worth of items online! (been cursing non-stop since yesterday afternoon, if you want to know the truth).
There's duty tax, value added tax, shipping tax, commission and brokerage fee, cost of containers, amount of royalties, value of resale, loading and handling, and cost of insurance-so that for a $62 woth of purchase cost me some P1,725. To say the least, I was shocked. Sabi ko sa manong who issued me a receipt: Nakakawindang lang po kasi mga puncher lang binili ko! All the while akala ko, WTO was doing me good for reducing imported tariff and all that!" Naloka talaga ako!

Sabi nung isang staff, "kasi pag more than $50 na purchase value, me tax po." And I retorted, "So, pag mga $49 lang, wala? Next time pala, $49 lang ipapalagay kong value sa vendor ko." Di na siya umimik.

Sabi nung manong na taga-post office, buti nga hindi inilagay sa bigtime importing yong items ko, kasi daw, ang amount, more than P2,500. Hello? Pang San Miguel Corporation na nga lang daw 'yong mga ganung taxes.

Shocks, I owe the manong post officer one! Salamat po!

Nymphet Video and Presidential Implants

About a month back, half of the male Pinoy population were titillated to learn it's out (yeah, 80% of the entire tv-viewing pop had been anticipating it), the Katrina Halili sex video. What was new, actually, was the partner and the doctora involved.
Then, a few days back, our attention is switched to President GMA's breast implant news.

The two reflects the Philippne machismo at its best. Incidentally, both females are products of the wonders of cosmetic surgey. I still vividly recall when GMA the tv network first featured Halili in bikinis at the series Darna with ogrish lines in her belly as if the Philippines has ran out of sexy women (gosh, I'm blushing, the Philippines never will ran out of sexy women!).

The first: much-anticipated, the second:much anticipated tragedy.

IMO, the Halili issue pales in comparison of worth, lasciviousness, and shame against the presidential augmentation, or implant, or however one may call it. I've seen all the faces of those politicians on television and NOBODY looked sincere about their comments that it was entirely a personal thing, blah blah... with their lascivious and obscene grins pasted on their faces. And I mean all of them (including the priest, I am sorry forgive me father, blah blah blah). Well, actually, the mention of Mr. Enrile's comment dismissing Ms. Arroyo's breast implant as entirely "her own business" is a big joke and so are the rest of those old men who made it appear it was not their business to comment. Gaaaad! with a capital G. If I were a sexist, I'd die laughing of puke.

Sexism is grown on me (how do you explain a sexist father?) and right on their faces shouting (those politico freaks) I've read this: Ang gaga, akala niya me iaasim pa siya.

I really don't know if I'd get a presidential pardon for "libel" here but it's the truth, people, so stop pretending.