EDITORIAL - Epals keep out

In the age of email, snail mail is struggling to survive. This is true especially when postal services seem to be worsening rather than trying to remain competitive. During the Christmas holidays, the peak season for spreading good cheer, sending a greeting card by regular postal service can take six weeks, when both sender and recipient are in Metro Manila. Surely there must be a way of improving this atrocious service.

Would a bigger budget speed up mail delivery? To raise earnings, the Philippine Postal Corp. is launching personalized stamps. PhlPost will roll out photo booths next month in several international airports and tourist destinations across the country to produce the personalized stamps.

The project will likely be popular. In fact it might prove to be so popular some quarters have expressed concern that it will be used for self-promotion by politicians. Self-promotion is, of course, something politicians do even with their eyes closed. They can use the stamps if they wish, but not at taxpayers’ expense. There must be a rule prohibiting politicians from using their free franking privileges for the personalized stamps. The last thing taxpayers need is another vehicle for epals’ self-promotion, after politicians were barred from putting their names and faces on billboards marking government projects.

PhlPost officials can work with concerned authorities for the anti-epal rules. Postal officials also hope the personalized stamp will revive interest in snail mail. Up to a certain extent it might. But a better way is to improve postal service overall, starting with faster mail delivery.