Republic of the Philippines (RP) is halfway its discussions about this short messaging service (SMS). It is the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) that proposed this and as expected, the biggest cellular phone service providers opposed. If we will reflect on it, the palace would also argue but to my surprise, the palace supported the DOTC. This idea could diminish the tax collection but it sounded like a sweet melody when I learned about this news. It is good sign that they are in progress and that my motherland still has something to look forward to.

Photo by :txtlocal.com

The mobile phone has taken the Filipinos by storm. As a matter of fact, a billion text messages (by Infotech) a day is sent here which made us consistently the “SMS Capital of the World.” This is in a way odd because we belong to the Third World but take a look at this story:

“An analyst at Jupiter Research spent a couple of weeks with a family in the Philippines.
The sixteen year old told me she sent more than 200 messages per day. I was amazed and wondered how it could be possible … until I spent a couple of days with her.
First, she can tap in messages quite quickly. She uses a Nokia phone. She had another (not to be named brand) for a while, but gave it up because she couldn’t tap out letters fast enough. She texts at the dinner table, while in the car, while talking to you, while walking... She even txt’ed in her sleep.
Using a computer in a room while she was sleeping, I did observe her wake up, send a text message, and then rollover and go back to sleep. I couldn’t believe it.”
[via Jupiter Research Weblog]

Evident it is that teenagers are the prime contributors of these copious SMS sent all over the country. Text messaging is actually one of the major factors of premarital sex, scam, abuse, and the like for everything has been as simple as a click away. But to tell you the truth, I will be one of those who are immensely pleased when this proposal would come to life. I do not want any violence, scam, or whatsoever in my country. Don’t get me wrong; I am just one of those Filipinos who are concerned because sending text messages will always remain a “need” and not a “want” for us. “Speaker Prospero Nograles said this mode of communication ‘has become a necessity even among poor Filipinos who rely on this technology for their day-to-day personal and business communications requirement.’ He estimates that even the poorest Filipino household spends an average of P25 to P60 per day for their texting needs. ‘This is already equivalent to one to two kilos of rice or 10 packs of instant noodles,’ he said.”
(Philippine Star)

We know very well that this would be a big help so PUSH. Let us support the DOTC! And for those persons that are in every respect captivated by sending text messages, do not wait for you to reach your saturation point. There’s a whole world out there. Come on! Get a life!