‘Snail’ mail is alive and well

At the moment, says Postmaster General Josie dela Cruz, Philpost has just reprinted a batch of “Cory stamps,” featuring paintings of flowers and of the rosary produced by the late former president Cory Aquino, which sold out mere weeks after they were released.

In terms of total sales, says Dela Cruz, the Cory stamps come a close second to those featuring the late Pope John Paul II, a two-time visitor to the Philippines.

What do these facts say about Filipinos? Perhaps that religiosity and sentimentality still run strong among us. But also, that it’s still way too early to write off Philpost just yet, because letter-writing and -sending, it seems, is alive and well in this country despite the popularity of new forms of communication—texting, e-mail, Facebook and a slew of new digital applications.

After all, you can’t keep e-mail you treasure for sentimental reasons in a box, even if this is kept in a virtual “cloud.” There is no replacing the visceral pleasure one gets shuffling through a trove of letters in a box, redolent with memory and sentiment.

But personal mail delivery, says Dela Cruz, a former governor (three terms) of Bulacan, makes up less than 20 percent of the total volume of Philpost’s business. The bulk consists of business and commercial mail, including bills and statements, as well as small parcels. Then, too, Philpost “contributes” annually more than P400 million to government offices, by way of the use of “franking privileges” or free mail.

But Dela Cruz acknowledges the competition Philpost faces from private delivery companies, who, it seems, are banking on the reputation of the government mail service for inefficiency and corruption. “Those are stories of the past,” she declares when asked about the “reputation” of the Post Office of old. “We are doing our best to instill honesty and professionalism in our personnel, and I can say that if you compare us to private couriers, we can match them in terms of speed of service and reliability.”

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DELA CRUZ and Philpost Chair Cesar Sarino were the guests of the Bulong Pulungan sa Sofitel media forum yesterday mainly to preside over the launching of the “upgraded version” of the postal ID card.

A postal ID is one of six accredited forms of government identification recognized by government offices and even private enterprises. (The others include passports, membership cards in either the Social Security System or Government Service Insurance System, an official voter’s ID, a driver’s license, and a Professional Regulation Commission license to practice a profession.)

The new postal ID is a wallet-sized PVC plastic card that is, in the words of a Philpost press release “infused with layers of digital security.” It will soon replace the traditional postal ID (although holders of the old-style postal IDs can use them until these expire).

Why the need for a new postal ID? “There have been complaints that some banks were refusing to acknowledge our old IDs because they were easily faked,” admits Dela Cruz. The new IDs, with all their security features, are meant to ensure greater protection for both the holder and the person at the other end of the transaction.

Since not all Filipinos are employed (and are thus members of the SSS or GSIS), travel abroad (and thus have passports) or carry licenses, the postal ID, says Dela Cruz, gives “disenfranchised citizens better access to public services and opportunities.”

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SECURING a new postal ID shouldn’t require much effort or time. Just outside the Bulong Pulungan venue, at two desks staffed by Philpost employees, guests could submit their filled-out application forms. After submitting a government ID and having their biometrics (fingerprints and photo) taken, they were told that they could just wait for the IDs to arrive by mail.

That should assure citizens hard put in dealing with government and even private offices that they could have an easier time providing the necessary identifications. At the moment, most banks, for instance, require customers to present two “government-issued” IDs. The postal ID should certainly come in handy then.

Dela Cruz says Philpost is piloting the issuance of new postal IDs starting mid-November in selected post offices, and the IDs will become available nationwide early next year.

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“THE Colors of My Songs” is the title of a new exhibit of paintings by George Sison Tagle, founder and singer of the group Angelos, cited as “Asia’s answer to Il Divo.”

Opening on Nov. 25 at the Makati Shangri-La, George’s exhibit focuses on flowers, which, he says, provide him inspiration to set his mood in pursuing his passion to paint. Flowers, he adds, “also provide good health therapy and reminds me of my mother who loves blooms.”

Art and music are not just avocations for George, but also family legacies. Early exposure to the visual arts came to him by way of his father, E.R. Tagle, who would bring over to their home friends like National Artists H.R. Ocampo, Cesar Legaspi and Jose Joya, Onib Olmedo, Tiny Nuyda, Raul Isidro and Al Perez. At the age of 12, George was already painting with his father on interactive sessions; at 16, he was assisting his father in giving lessons at the family-owned Galleries of Fine Arts.

At the opening night of his exhibit, George promises to meld his two loves of music and painting: setting to music the colors on his canvases and rendering songs in four languages: Chinese, Italian, Spanish and Filipino. The Angelos and violinist Merjohn Lagaya, concert master of the Asean Symphony Orchestra, will join him.