ICT for the Provinces

Last week's lecture reminded me of the plight my hometown, Aurora and the municipality of Casiguran, in particular. Our town, as far as I can remember, is a third class municipality which, up to now, does not yet have a 24-hour supply of electricity, landline phone, Internet, (although some use their cellphones to connect online) and...well, Jollibee (the true test of progress). Eight years ago, people from our town could only talk to their relatives in Manila through AZCOM. Only incoming calls are allowed. AZCOM is akin to a public "call center." The place is buzzing all the time with rumors of whose kid in Manila was knocked. No secret is safe because the parties can only talk to one another with the assistance of the operator. Then came RCPI call centers which sort of addressed the issue of privacy since a private booth is provided for each caller and the operator is no longer needed to facilitate the conversation. Out of frustration, however, my mother bought a satellite phone which allows her to directly contact us when I was studying here in Manila. The phone is pretty cool too since you can make long distance calls out of the country directly without the assistance of an operator. The phone billing, however, is ridiculous. We were charged for both outgoing and incoming calls. And then...Smart came. I can almost remember the incredulous look on everyone's faces when they first saw the signal bars on their spanking new cellphones. The impact of cellular phone technology on the lives of the people in our municipality is immeasurable even for the old people who are generally afraid of any form of technology.Now if only we can ask Ka--- to stop bombing the cell site...but that would have to be for another blog.

Judith Alejo
2001-01820