Mail losing patronage because of cyberage

BAGUIO CITY — The country’s postal business is bearing the brunt of cyberage.

The Philippine Postal Corp.-Cordillera Administrative Region based here has been recording a P7-million slump in its annual income since 1997. There has been a decreasing number of mail matters being handled by the government-owned and operated postal firm.

Regional Director Gerardo Viterbo blamed the cyberage because domestic and international mail usually handled by PhilPost has been eaten up by Internet cafés and cellular phones, which have sprouted uncontrolled in the city and even in the Cordillera provinces.

At least 92 percent of the total number of students, government and private sector employees in the city are cellphone users, according to Viterbo.

A cellphone user spends only from P1 to P4 per message while a non-cellphone user spends P5 for an ordinary mail and P10 for a priority mail that ends up in the hands of the addressee after three days at most.

An hour at an Internet café in downtown Baguio costs P30 on the average with the advantage that the friend, husband, lover or business associate on the other side receives a message simultaneously, at the latest in an hour.

Viterbo admitted that majority are flocking to Internet café for international communications now.

The Philippine Telegraph and Telephone (PT&T), which has ventured into an Internet service, has also streamlined its telegraph service.

"Wala na pong nagte-telegram kasi may text na," Silver Bustarde, PT&T-Baguio cyber café attendant, told The STAR.

Viterbo also claimed that even the telephone giant PLDT and other landline telephone providers are experiencing a slump in their annual sales income because of the same reasons.

This, Viterbo said, is compelling PhilPost to establish an IT center with Internet café and pay cellphone center to be able to recover from their loses from the past and efficient cyberage revolution.