The culprit

During PLDT’s first quarter 2003 briefing on Monday, company president and CEO Poli Nazareno revealed the top five value-added services for Smart Communications. These are the highly successful E-Load which generates about two million transactions a day and Pasa Load which makes more than that, followed by ring tones and logos downloads, applications on entertainment and games, and then horoscope.

Smart’s E-load was seen as the culprit for the huge churn rate experienced by rival Globe from June to Oct. last year when Smart’s over-the-air reload service was unchallenged by Globe.

It is not only Globe however which is learning painful lessons from Smart. Just recently, Smart introduced a service similar to that of Globe that allows the former’s postpaid subscribers to pass on load to other Smart subscribers, a service that used to be limited to its prepaid subscribers.

Collection Suit

Noblehouse Construction, Inc. (formerly Mancon Berhad-CBDC Joint Venture Corporation) has filed a P16-million collection suit against Monark Constructors Corporation and Pacific Concrete Products Inc. for non-payment of sub-contract services and rental of heavy equipment. Monark is controlled by the family of Luis Banzon while Pacific is headed and owned by Atty. Alex Lopez, son of Manila mayoralty candidate Mel Lopez.

In its complaint, Noblehouse alleges that Monark and Pacific contracted them to do portions of the Pagadian-Buug road project under the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH). Both companies refused to pay Noblehouse the amount of almost P16 million despite repeated demands, according to lawyers of Noblehouse.

From The Readers

"We definitely need good roads and highways, improvements and extension of the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) is by far the only goverment initiative/program worthy of commendation. Hopefully, it was a transparent transaction." – Orick Carlos, MRI/MTE Scottsdale Arizona

"May I refer to a particular statement on your column of 28 April 2004 which reads, "No one can debate the fact that more barangays received electricity during the past three years than during the terms of other presidents combined". Specifically, my comment is on the inappropriate use of the word "combined". Please be informed that as of Dec. 2003, 37,748 barangays have been energized out of the potential 41,945 barangays nationwide. During the term of President Arroyo, 4,160 barangays (excluding the past four months of 2004) were given electricity. Surely, 33,588 (37,748-4,160) barangays as could be assumed to be energized under previous administrations starting the late 1900s is greater than the 4,160 barangays energized under the administration of PGMA." – Rod Padua, manager, Strategic Planning Division, National Electrification Administration

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