Today, Malacanang indirectly admitted that President Arroyo deliberately lied to the public in her SONA speech when she announced the alleged new P0.50 price of text messaging.

Malacanang’s press office today released separate statements coming from Smart, Globe and Sun that separately say that the P0.50 price announced by the President is ONLY A PROMO OR A GIMMICK.

Availing of the P0.50 promo price is not instant. One has to register first and pay at least P20 to avail of this supposedly lower price. Why should we be made to pay P20 first? Where is the savings there? The whole set-up defeats the purpose of easing the burden of telecommunication costs.

It is thus clear that President Arroyo and her administration should be held accountable for willfully and knowingly deceiving the public.

The P0.50 is not just a GIMMICK but an insult to the intelligence of the consumers. The belated Palace statement that the President favors to make the P0.50 promo price permanent is merely an attempt to
save-face from this PR disaster.

Text messaging has cost even must less than P0.50. For as little as P10, a consumer may now avail of unlimited texting services through the the telcos’ promo offerings. What the President and the NTC should do is to look at these promo offerings and examine how to make them permanent offers. Government must also remove VAT and reduce interconnection charges which will immediately result in lower prices not just for text but also for calls and other telecom services.

Reference:
Anthony Ian “Tonyo” Cruz
TXTPower president
www.tonyocruz.com
0917-8128827

Consumer group TXTPower today challenged President Arroyo to declare a moratorium on her foreign travels to save precious public funds and negate the need for the imposition of a new tax on text.

TXTPower has long opposed any new tax on telecommunications.

“Mrs. Arroyo spent P692-million in public funds her 2005 and 2006 junkets alone. Another estimate is P8.2-billion for the past six to seven years,” said TXTPower president Anthony Ian Cruz.

Joining TXTPower in twin calls for the rejection the text tax and a moratorium on the President’s foreign travels are the Computer Professionals Union, the League of Filipino Students and the Kabataan Partylist.

“Just imagine how much money the Philippines will save if she declares an end to her jetsetting lifestyle,” said Cruz, adding that “Without these junkets, we wont need any new text tax and may abolish the much-hated value-added tax.”

“We have lost count of Mrs. Arroyo’s many foreign trips — has she flown out of the country 100 or 200 times since 2001?” Cruz asked.

True source of public cynicism

Cruz said Trade Sec. Peter Favila was “being ignorant, callous and imcompetent” in denigrating the value of texting to the public.

“Texting is the de facto messenging standard today, because it is cheap. It is important to the public. It is used principally for personal and official reasons. The true source of public cynicism is not texting but the Arroyo government and its abominable projects such as this text tax,” said Cruz.

Cruz said “perhaps Favila does not know anything about the costs of texting because the public pays for billions of pesos in the government’s communications expenses.”

Text, calls already taxed 2x

According to TXTPower vice president Vencer Crisostomo, the Arroyo government at present collects 12-percent EVAT from all local text messages and calls, and another Overseas Communications Tax for international text messages and long distance calls.

As of end-2007, the Philippines has 55 million mobile phone users. Smart reports 30 million subscribers while rivals Globe and Sun each report 20 million and five million subscribers each.

Reminder to Speaker JDV

TXTPower also reminded Speaker Jose de Venecia of his commitment not to impose any new tax on text messaging.

De Venecia made the promise in August 2004 on the same say TXTPower launched a nationwide text barrage directed at the Speaker’s mobile phone.

“We expect the Speaker and the House of Representatives to not even consider any measure for a text tax. They have already expanded the VAT. They should not be too callous as to resurrect this Frankenstein,” said Crisostomo.

Violates DOTC policy of lowering prices

The consumer group also said that the text tax proposal runs counter to a purported policy of the Department of Transportation and Communications that calls on telecommunications firms to lower prices of their products and services.

A new tax will definitely jack up prices, said Crisostomo.

Kakasulat ko lang tungkol sa Palm Centro GSM version nanag mapanood ko ito sa HLTLounge.net. Silipin kung ano ba talaga yang Android na yan na pakana na naman ng Google:

• Update: Kababasa ko lang ng balitang ito sa PC World–binili raw ng Google ang Zingku, isang mobile social networking site.
• Maaari nang sa Western Union kunin ang kinita sa Google Adsense ang mga Pilipinong publishers. Nalaman ko ang magandang balitang ito tungkol sa tinatawag na “Philippine Google Economy” sa blog ni Yuga.
• Mula naman sa blog ni J. Angelo, nabalitaan kong puwede na ring tumanggap ng pondo ang PayPal accounts ng mga members na nasa Pilipinas. Masama ito para sa Xoom, na hindi nagbayad dati ng referral fee ko.
• Nasa www.makapalm.com na ang Palm blog ko. Ang latest entry ko ay tungkol sa bagong Palm Centro.

Samantala, balik muna ako sa pananaliksik.

Mobile activist group TXTPower last night launched the AB-ZTE-FG protest ringtone, as it called on the public to remain vigilant over the US$329-million scam involving persons closely linked to President Arroyo.

TXTPower President Anthony Ian Cruz encouraged the public to download, use, re-post and forward the ringtone “as a sign of our collective anger over the latest scandal to hit the Arroyo administration and demand that the investigation result in the prosecution of bribers, bribetakers, fixers and influence-peddlers.”

“Let our call for truth and transparency ring across the country,” said Cruz, who posted links to download the ringtone at his blog http://tonyo.blogspot.com.

Cruz said the ringtone is based on a satirical video posted on YouTube.

In her blog, Ellen Tordesillas stressed that Cruz clarified that would like to stress that they were not the ones who created the video on YouTube.

Cruz said, “Somebody else made it and posted it there. We thank him or her very much, whoever he or she is.

“What we just did were two things: Extracted the tune from the YouTube video, and then posted it on the web to make it quickly accessible and downloadable as a ringtone.”

First Gentleman Mike Arroyo, the President’s husband, is again caught in the scandal. Mr. Arroyo allegedly told Jose de Venecia III, son and namesake of the Speaker of the House of Representatives to “back off” from the National Broadband Network project which was later clinched by ZTE of China under questionable and scandalous circumstances.

Commission on Elections Chairman Benjamin Abalos purportedly tried to influence the NBN project and, according to the younger De Venecia, received bribes from ZTE.

ZTE and the Philippine government, represented by Transportation and Communications Sec. Leandro Mendoza signed the contract in April this year.

But the government later claimed to have lost the contract and refused to disclose details of the project, prompting the younger De Venecia and Vice Governor Rolex Suplico to file a suit before the Supreme Court. The court issued a temporary restraining order against the project last Sept. 11.

President Arroyo initially barred her cabinet members from attending Senate investigations on the issue, but later relented due to intense public pressure.

Despite the scandal, President Arroyo refuses to cancel or rescind the NBN-ZTE contract.

In 2005, TXTPower popularized the Hello Garci ringtone based on the audiotaped telephone conversations allegedly between President Arroyo and Comelec Commissioner Virgilio Garcillano.

Nang ipakilala ng PinoyExchange noon ang wireless journal service, isa ako sa mga naadik dito. Nagustuhan ko kasi ang ideyang makakapag-post ako sa isang journal ng kahit ano gamit ang cellphone ko kahit saan ako naroon: maging sa jeep man, MRT o sa kubeta. Pero kalaunan, natigil ang WJ ng PEx. Sinubukan ko itong ituloy sa Blogger, pero iba pa rin ang WJ.

May iba pang mga dumating na serbisyong kahawig ng WJ, ngunit karamiha’y pumalpak din. Hanggang sa malaman ko ang tungkol sa Twitter sa site ni Jayvee. Siyempre, na-excite ako at agad ko itong sinubukan.

“Twitter is a community of friends and strangers from around the world sending updates about moments in their lives,” ayon sa website ng Twitter. Ganito ‘yun: may tanong ang Twitter–”What are you doing?” Ang isang miyembro, kung kailan niya nais, ay magpo-post ng sagot, halimbawa’y “Nagba-blog bago matulog” sa website ng Twitter, o kaya’y gamit ang instant messenger gaya ng GTalk, o gamit ang kanilang cellphone. Ang ipinost niya ay mababasa naman ng mga kaibigan niyang kasali rin sa Twitter sa pahina nila at pwede rin nilang piliing makuha ang mga updates sa IM o cellphone nila.

Asteeg di ba? Ang ipinadala ng isa, maaaring matanggap ng lahat. Dahil dito, puwede itong magamit bilang group messaging tool. ‘Yung iba nga, ginagawang parang chatroom ang Twitter. At dahil ang bawat member ang pipili kung sino lamang ang pwedeng makabasa sa mga ipinopost nila, ang Twitter ay puwede ring gawing mini-diary.

Para makatanggap ng mobile alerts, kailangan lang i-register at i-verify sa site ang cellphone number ng sumasali. Dahil dito, may minsanang bayad na international text ang rate. Sa Smart, P15 yun. Pero kung makakatanggap ka naman ng unlimited messages galing sa mga kaibigan mo rito at sa ibang bansa, sulit na ‘yun di ba?

Nalungkot lang ako noong una dahil hindi ako makatanggap sa cellphone ng updates ng Twitter friends ko. Akala ko, palpak din. Kalaunan, naayos din ito. Pinili ko na nga lang ang mga susundan ko dahil bumabaha ng mensahe sa inbox ko.

So okay na sana. Pero may isang problema pa. Kahit libre ang pagpo-post sa website o gamit ang IM, at iba pang Twitter tools, ang pagpo-post gamit ang cellphone ay may kamahalan. Dahil number sa Europa ang papadalhan, siyempre ay international text ang bayad dito.

Nagawan ko ng paraan ito dati gamit ang Chikka, pero parang ayaw nang gumana ngayon. Ang pekeng Soxy Topacio naman ang nagsabi sa amin kung paano mag-post gamit ang 8890 access number na ayaw na ring gumana ngayon. Sa parehong pamamaraang iyan, P2.50 kada mensahe lang ang babayaran kaya okay lang–kapareho rin ng singil noon sa PEx WJ.

Kanina, may twit si Punzi na may kaugnayan sa Twittermail. Bigla kong naalala na dati ko pang sinusubukan ang pagpo-post sa Twitter gamit ang Twittermail at TextMail ng Smart, pero ayaw gumana. Bad trip pa dahil nalimutan ko na ang password ko sa TextMail. Tumawag pa ako sa CS nila, pero wala raw silang magagawa para ma-retrieve ang password ko. Pero kanina, na-realize kong makakapagpadala pa rin pala ako ng e-mail gamit ang TextMail kahit di ko alam ang password ko, dahil gumagana pa naman ang account ko. ‘Yun nga lang, di ako makakalog-in sa webmail nila. Pero yung send e-mail thru text, walang problema.

Ikukuwento ko sana rito kung paano, pero dahil nga naisipan kong mag-Google search May step-by-step na procedure sa Markcas.com .

Idagdag ko lang na pagkatapos mong maipadala ang unang message mo sa Twittermail, may darating na SMS mesage na ganito: “Message will be sent to 200xxxxxxxxx (youusename@twittermail.com)….” Isubi lamang sa iyong address book ang numerong nasa sender (nagsisimula sa 200). Sa susunod na pagtu-twit mo, dito mo na lang diretsong ipadala ang message mo–papasok na iyon sa Twittermail at mapo-post sa Twitter.

Mas mura ito dahil P2.50 per send lang. Kung gagamit kasi ako ng GPRS sa Treo 650 ko, mas mahal dahil P10 bawat connect. (Actually, P10 daw pero 30 minutes, pero pag pinutol mo ang connection bago mag-30 minutes, kakainin na ng system ang lahat ng P10 mo.)

(Photo courtesy of my friend Bing)

You could also use it to write and edit documents, send and receive e-mail and browse the Web. It has a full QWERTY keyboard (parang sa computer), speakerphone, infrared and bluetooth (but no WIFI).

Here are more information that could probably convince you to swap your cellphone that keeps on freezing (Ano ba yan, nag-hang na naman?) with a Palm Treo:

• Your all-in-one phone
• Specifications and special features

Since I always write time lines at work, here’s my Treo’s (thanks to Twitter):

July 21, 2007 – Went to Greenhills with Mhay and her parents. We were looking for a laptop for Mhay and a second-hand Treo 680 for me but went home with a Treo 650.

July 21, 2007 – Attended a children’s birthday party. Took photos with my Treo 650. A friend saw my new phone and immediately liked it.

July 22, 2007 – Went to work with my Treo. The said friend decided he’d buy his own Treo the next weekend.

July 24, 2007 – Set up my Gmail account on VersaMail–Treo’s e-mail client. I started downloading GMail messages thru my Treo even if I’m in front of my Internet-connected office PC.

July 27, 2007 – Got the Treo stereo headset I bought on eBay; It’s just the regular headset that looks like those used with portable music players. I still have to save for a bluetooth headset.

Preached about the features of Treo to a college batchmate through Twitter: “[M]as ok tong treo kasi may organizer at e-book reader, may phone at music/video player pa. all-in-one gadget. ”

July 27, 2007 – Two of my friends went to Greenhills to swap a Nokia phone for a Treo. Unfortunately, they didn’t get a good deal.

August 02, 2007 – Updated its firmware to 1.20–a very risky thing to do since I was not really sure which updater would work for my unit. I decided to try it, anyway–and thank God, I did it right. It also saved a lot of space on my Treo.

August 4, 2007 – Went to Araneta to buy CDs for the Palm Desktop (with PhotoSync) CD image (ISO file) that I downloaded. Later that day, I successfully installed–after several failed attempts–the software. After that, My PC could also sync my photos, too.

August 6, 2007 – Installed a demo version of Causerie-3.2.5, a chat client for Palm with Jabber (for Google Talk), Yahoo Messenger, MSN, AIM and ICQ.

August 7, 2007 – A friend told me she will buy a Treo 680 this December.

Succeeding updates to this time line will be posted as new blog entry. Of course, you will know if later this year, I will be able to get my own Palm Foleo– a Linux-powered mobile companion to Treo–which already has a number of third party applications even before it is released in the market.

Magkakaroon kasi ng public hearing sa NTC mamaya, Pebrero 9, ika-2 ng hapon, sa NTC office sa Quezon City upang talakayin ang reklamo ng TXTPower laban sa bagong unli promo ng Globe. Niyayaya ng TXTPower ang mga subscribers na dumalo at magsuot ng kulay pula.

Hindi pa malinaw kung makakadalo ang misteryosang babaeng si Ederlyn, pero ayon sa kumalat na text message kahapon, ganito ang pahayag niya:

Medyo inde nyo muna malalaman mga mangyayari sa aking buhay… Mag su-sun na ksi ako..! Mga fans lipat nrn keo……

-ederlyn

Nasa ibaba ang online petition ng TXTPower sa National Telecommunications Commission.

To: National Telecommunications Commission

We, subcribers of Globe and citizens of the Philippines, demand that the Commission withdraw its approval of the new Globe unlimited texting promo which replaced Globe Unlimitxt and resulted in a price increase. The NTC must stop it immediately and restore the old unlimited texting rates.

We feel aggrieved and insulted by the sudden change, the lack of prior consultation or public hearing and the absence of complete information on the new Globe unlimited texting service approved by the Commission.

We condemn the deception of Globe Telecom. The stoppage of Globe Unlimitxt and its replacement by the new promo has resulted in a 100 percent increase in unlimited texting rates. From P50.00 for five days, the rate is now P80.00 for four days. Such a price hike should be taken back by Globe and authorization withdrawn by the NTC. The NTC should closely study all new promos that purportedly provide “wider choices” but turn out to be so deceptively and cleverly crafted to sneak in a price hike. Thus, the NTC is duty bound to correct its mistake by ordering Globe to bring back Globe Unlimitxt.

We urge the NTC to take a pro-consumer stand vis-a-vis telecommunications corporations who are known for disrespecting and abusing subscribers through unfair promos, warrantless price hikes, arbitrary pricing, low quality services, and bad customer service.

We demand immediate action from the Commission. The NTC must respond to the consumer complaint filed by TXTPower on Feb. 1, 2007 which we fully support.

Sincerely,

The Undersigned