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Thursday, January 13, 2005
Famador: Where real power resides
By Joel Famador
You may not know it, but if you are a regular cell phone user you are one of the much-abused consumers in this banana republic. And your government is not doing anything to protect your rights. Even if you have a law that protects consumers.
Most, if not all, cell phone companies change the terms of your subscription contracts without your knowledge or consent (specially for “post-paid subscribers). Usually, they reduce your so-called “free text” without notice.
One phone company had its promotional free text reduced from 150 to 50 messages. That’s a clear breach of contract, at the very least. It is criminal fraud, at the most, because the company deceives you with a cheap plan at the start, just to raise their revenues. But when they get big, and control a substantial share of the market, they “rob” you by reducing your subscription benefits, without notice.
Then you report the matter to a government agency, and all you get is a letter from that agency to the phone company endorsing your complaint. No investigation is done whatsoever.
There is another cell phone company that recently offered an overly ambitious plan of unlimited texts and calls. The problem is that the phone company’s small infrastructure could not handle the expected avalanche of calls and messages during the night (when the young people start their nocturnal proclivity). So you end up with a useless phone line during nighttime.
The government knows about this problem, but it does nothing.
The latest gimmick now of some cell phone companies is reducing the number of characters in a text message you can send. Thus, they are able to double their revenues because what used to be 160 or so characters that you were entitled to in one message are down to just the 50s. You don’t receive anymore the double-send messages because of that. (They are not so greedy, after all.)
The cell phone companies are not the only parties that should be blamed for these scams. The government contributes to the perpetuation of these anomalies because it is not doing anything to stop them.
You know what? The reason we have so many NGOs (non-governmental organizations) proliferating in this banana rep is because the government is defaulting in many of its functions.
Who was prosecuting the Ecleo parrricide case? Arbet Sta. Ana-Yongco. She was affiliated with a certain NGO that catered to the needs of abused women and children.
Who filed the case for disbarment against Regional Trial Court Judge Ildefonso Suerte et al? Not the Ombudsman. Not the Integrated Bar. It was the group of Thelma Chiong, the Crusade Against Violence. Isn’t that an NGO?
Who’s minding the store on environmental abuse in this country? NGOs.
Who was chiefly responsible in the successful prosecution of former congressman Romeo Jalosjos? An NGO.
What about the killing of suspected criminals in Davao City, and now, in Cebu City, by vigilantes? Done by a hybrid NGO?
Of course, this is all about self-preservation. When there is utter failure in governance in some sectors, the people take over, and sometimes take the law in their own hands. After all, real power resides in the people.
(January 13, 2005 issue)
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