Text and read

Last week this column touched on the idea of someone in government suggesting that text messages be taxed as a source of revenue. What a fine idea especially in these hard times when government is scouring all possibilities to meet its huge budgetary deficit. It’s a silly idea, though, in these hard times when people are already burdened by increases in jeepney and bus fares and the prices of basic commodities. One could create some kind of a revolution by making a comparatively cheap and instant mode of communication more expensive. As we know, maids and drivers and factory workers enjoy using the cell phone just as their employers do. A good thing the idea was nipped in the bud.

Because of its practicality, the mobile phone has indeed been revolutionary. I used to think that the 20th century discovery of the fax machine was as earth-shaking as the invention of the wheel. Now, life could never be the same again without the mobile phone.

The volume of mobile telephone business was revealed by a news story yesterday. The contraption is expected to hit 30 million this year, according to Alcatel president Philippine Germond. Right now, industry leaders estimate that there are about 25 million cellphones in use in the Philippines currently. I believe an aggressive drive to poularize more sophisticated cell phone technology is underway.

This reminds me of a letter sent by a reader in response to my column on high-stakes gambling going on in private high schools and colleges, with the transactions being made via the cell phone. This is a bad way of using a very useful communication gadget. Carina Sangalang e-mailed to suggest that gambling may be stopped by school authorities’ not allowing students to bring their cell phones to school. Unfortunately, betting will still take place outside the school. This is a problem that government officials, school authorities, parents and church people will have difficulty grappling with. We certainly hope that a solution to end gambling – and smoking and other vices – will be found before extreme addiction takes the lives of the victims.

On a happier note, last Sunday, this columnist attended a birthday party for her first – but not the last, I hope, grandchild, Santiago Anton Suarez, the joy and light of my son Andoy and his wife Joabi. My balaes – Nanding and Connie Caluag – were just as thrilled about the celebration, even if Santi is already their seventh grandchild.

What added color to the party held at McDonald’s on Wilson Street, Greenhills, was the presence of Ronald McDonald, the com-pany’s "Chief Hap-piness Officer." The company’s corporate p.r., Zonito Torrevillas, who happens to be my niece, by the way, told me that that Ronald McDonald would be flying from Baguio to Manila to Cebu then to Iloilo and Davao to grace a literacy program walk by more than a thousand children that was supposed to be held yesterday.

The "Walk To Read with Ronald" is the company’s way of promoting Bright Minds Read to the general public, Kenneth S. Yang. managing director of McDonald’s Philippines, says. " Through the event, people would get to know our literacy program and have a chance to support it."

Similar walks were also held yesterday in cities abroad which have McDonald’s restaurants. Each company, Kenneth said, has a different cause, and McDonald Philippines has Bright Minds Read.

Bright Minds Read started two years ago as the company’s response to the government’s call for help in teaching public school pupils how to read. Through a partnership with the Department of Education-National Capital Region (Dep-Ed-NCR), McDonald’s developed a "beginning reading program" complete with teachers’ materials and big books for children.

The program has benefited more than 4,200 students in 14 "pilot" schools. Dr. Corazon Santiago, DepEd-NCR’s regional director, said McDonald’s went a step further in its corporate responsibility in launching Bright Minds Read. She said the company is one of the first to focus on assisting with helping kids get back to the reading habit instead of just donating books.

On its third year, Bright Minds Read will be involving McDonald’s 220 restaurants all over the country and help 13,000 children learn to read and enjoy reading.

To encourage customers to support Bright Minds Read, a fund-raising campaign is ongoing in all McDonald’s restaurants. tarting June 13 to 30, customers can buy P10-worth donation stubs which will give them a part in the education of thousands of children and a chance to win coke, Milo and Nestle gift packs in a raffle.

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