 |
 |
| ON THE OTHER HAND |
| Post Office Thievery
By Antonio C. Abaya Written Dec. 07, 2006 For the Standard Today, December 09 issue Today I am turning over this space to a Fil-Am reader of this column, Alberto Peronilla, who describes himself as �a nobody who wants to help the Philippines .� He has some legitimate complaints against the Philippine postal system, as well as against the Deutsche Bank. Hear him out.: Why the Philippine Government Should Allow Thefts in the Postal System to Continue I recently (November, 2006) sent a $100.00 check to an individual in the Philippines for the benefit of the children at Gawad Kalinga Paradise Heights. It should have been delivered by the Las Pi�as Post Office, but somewhere along the way in the postal system in the Philippines, the check was stolen and cashed at Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas for the Bank of the Philippine Islands. a/c no. 04-002-070 CARMEN ROSALES branch. Ref. No. 063-X06-0365. The one who cashed the check either had a dollar account with the bank and in this case the bank knows who the individual is, or the bank simply cashed the dollar check for anyone who walks into the bank. (I wonder what the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, which supervises all banks in the Philippines, has to say about that.) The crime happened in at least two places, the postal system and the bank. By tracing who cashed the check, an investigation may lead to which point in the postal system the theft occurred. So I faxed/emailed my complaint with photocopy of the evidence to the Branch Manager of Deutsche Bank in Manila, to the Main Office of the bank in Germany and, on the government side, to GMA's office, to senators, to the office of the Ombudsman, and to the Office of the Chairman of Governors of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas. Since he is my favorite political pundit, also to Tony C. Abaya. The fax machines of the Postmaster General and the Regional Director in Manila were off the hook but I will mail them a copy of this. I have not heard back from anyone, which I expected, and the Ombudsman will only entertain a complaint if I give the name of at least one respondent, his location and his salary grade. This is just the filing. If they decide to entertain my complaint, I have to appear in the Ombudsman's office with my evidence. In the meantime, President Arroyo approves the proposal of a PHP 5.7 billion modernization project for the postal system which states that the new system will be operated by the same postal managers and employees, thereby guaranteeing no dislocation of any employees (including the thieves.) Then the government issues a report consistent with the conclusion of private and international bodies that the Philippines has enjoyed quarter-by-quarter economic growth during the term of GMA. Based on the above, I have changed my mind and now support and understand the decision of everyone who I corresponded with on why the thefts in the Postal System in the Philippines should continue; and to make sure that they not waste any more time to entertain my complaint, I am sending all of them a copy of this document. I wonder if some media will be interested in this document, but I will try. By the way, if your bank is inconveniencing you by requiring positive identification when cashing a check, try Deutsche Bank. Why this decision? First, by allowing some thieves in the postal system to steal, they are making sure that they do not fall below the poverty line, thus affecting the report of economic growth in the Philippines. Second, since they are most probably stealing from people who are better of than they are economically, this is one way to promote the equalization of wealth. And third, the honest postal employees should be thankful to the thieves among them that they too benefit from their being rewarded for their thievery to continue to operate the modern system. With the new system operated by the same thieves, thefts will now occur more efficiently and FASTER! By: Alberto Peronilla - a nobody who wants to help the Philippines ***** I understand your sense of frustration. The moral climate in this country is abyssmally bleak. Everyone who can seems to be trying to steal from everyone else. Your experience with the Post Office and Deutsche Bank is not unique. Two relatives of mine who had accounts with a major American bank inexplicably stopped receiving their monthly bank statements. Only by chance did they discover, months later, that their bank statements were being mailed by the US bank to another address in Metro Manila, without their knowledge and authorization. And after they had sorted that out, they discovered that their bank balances were short by several thousand dollars each. Their cases indicate that crooks in the American bank�s Manila and/or San Francisco office were in cahoots with crooks in the postal system in Manila and/or San Francisco . There are many Filipino employees in both the banks and the post offices in San Francisco . With computers and instant communication, it is now so easy for crooks on both sides of the Pacific Ocean to coordinate and synchronize their moves. This is the globalization of thievery. In your case, crooks in the postal system � in the Pasay City airmail distribution center, or in the receiving post office in Las Pinas � were clearly in connivance with crooks in the banking system, who facilitated the encashment of the check in Carmen, Rosales (Pangasinan?) It is even possible that the initial tip-off about your check came from a mole in the issuing bank in the US . I had a similar, though more modest, brush with thievery in the postal system last October. And I was not even trying to help the Philippines , only a young boy � the son of my driver � who is enrolled in a small Protestant school in Bacolod . I airmailed a check, payable to the school, for his October tuition. How na�ve of me, however, to enclose with the check an ATM card for the use of his mother so that they can access the weekly stipend that the father � my driver � sends to them, without having to pay the P100 that banks charge for transferring money, any amount, from Metro Manila to Bacolod. With an ATM card to a Metro Manila account, I thought, they can access the weekly �padala� without having to pay the onerous fee. Alas, I did not reckon on postal thieves in either the sending post office in Paranaque or the receiving post office in Bacolod , who apparently �feel� the contents of each letter that passes their way and judge if there is anything worth stealing in it, such as an ATM card. Needless to say, that letter never reached the addressee. Fortunately, the check can be cashed only by the school, and I specifically refrained from enclosing the PIN with the ATM card. So, nothing was lost except time and some anger and despair that this country has come to such a pass. Despite occasional good news about an honest taxi driver, or airport security guard, or even an exceptionally incorruptible policemen, the prevailing portrait of the Filipino as social animal is one who has lost his moral moorings and is drifting towards the cataracts of moral decay. It is easy to blame the Roman Catholic Church and its hierarchy for this failure, since they are the supposed moral and spiritual guardians of most Filipinos. But organized religions have long been marginalized by secularism, at least in the Christian world. While they still retain some influence in matters affecting rituals and dogma, they have lost gravitas in the matter of ethical behavior. This is more the failure of the political leadership and the media, who, unwittingly acting together, have created a society devoid of moral values, or whose moral values have been corrupted by unfettered self-gratification and insatiable materialism. Only a moral revolution under a morally upright leader, it seems, is capable of righting this monumental wrong. ***** Reactions to [email protected]. Other articles since 2001 in www.tapatt.org OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO |
| Reactions to �Post Office Thievery�
Hi Tony, The last sentence of your article moves me to comment that this was precisely the reason why I made what was a surprising move to many of my friends of supporting and helping Bro. Eddie Villanueva in his presidential bid in 2004. A lot of people thought I was a JIL member because of what I did, but I am very much a Catholic, a renewed one (via the Bukas Loob sa Diyos Covenant Community). Having known Bro. Eddie since the Ramos years, I was of the strong conviction that he was the only morally upright candidate then who could lead the moral revolution that you rightly say is what our country badly needs, more than anything else. I know he does not intend to run again, but I pray to God that we get someone to emerge who can do it, next time we choose our leader. I will throw my full support behind him, whoever he or she may be. Mabuhay, Ciel (F. Habito), [email protected], Dec. 07, 2006 Former Secretary for Economic Planning wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Tony, I too have had problems getting money to my relatives via the PI mail system. Here is how I solved the problem: I opened up a separate Savings Account at my American Bank on Post here in Germany . I received an ATM card and FEDEXed it to my father-in-law. As the family needs money, we simply move the money into his dedicated account on our end and he withdraws the money on his end (in Pesos) at a local ATM. There are fees involved, but they are nominal. Have a good'un!! Larry (Tilby), [email protected], US Forces in Germany , Dec. 07, 2006 MY REPLY. That is, more or less, what we have been doing after the initial snafu. We opened a savings account in Metro Manila in my name, sent the ATM card (by LBC, not by postal mail) to Bacolod . The folks in Baocolod withdraw from that account by ATM card. There are absolutely no fees involved. . wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Definitely I agree with your outlook. It goes all the way to the top. Credit card syndicates even have their stolen stuff mailed here, even 50" LCD TV's. So what else is new? Everyone seems to be a thief nowadays, and the bigger thieves get to flaunt their stuff and get the most respect when they flash the cash in the ritziest places,.What a goddamn shame. Seems like the syndicates are running the whole goddamn place. Teddyboy Tagle Jr., [email protected], Dec. 07, 2006 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Tony, When times are hard, prostitution and thievery thrive. It is a motivating force that fuels survival. Everyone steals given the opportunity to commit without being caught. In fact, your best friend can steal your wife! Dr. Nestor P. Baylan, [email protected], New York City, Dec. 07, 2006 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww I would like to add that most credit card frauds that occur here in the Philippines are NRI (NON-RECEIPT ISSUES) cases. Most are US-issued cards that are intercepted in the Philippine Post Office. Fraudsters use them to buy items that can be sold quickly. I know these stuff because I work with the fraud control section of HSBC Philippines and one of our jobs is to monitor the usage of credit cards in tie-up merchants. Millions of dollars are at stake here. Marlon Sison, [email protected], Dec.07, 2006 Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank Philippines wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww BE ON GUARD, ESPECIALLY THIS SEASON, BUT EVERY SEASON. PLS JOIN WITH ME IN PRAYING THAT THE PERSON/PERSONS WHO STOLE THAT CHECK MEANT FOR THE "CHILDREN AT GAWAD KALINGA PARADISE HEIGHTS" BE MADE DEEPLY RESTLESS AND TROUBLED UNTIL THEY MAKE SOME KIND OF SUFFICIENT RESTORATION. AND THEN MAY THEY GO AFTER THE "FATHER'S HEART." Tony Gomowad, [email protected], Guam , Marianas Islands , Dec. 07, 2006 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Tony, I read with horror the account of Bert Peronilla's disappointing experience in transmitting money through the Philippine postal system and the devastating cavalier attitudes of the banks who are supposed to safeguard our money. I also giggled with amusement at his sarcastic suggestions to propagate the present corrupt postal and banking systems in order to paint a rosier picture of the Philippine economy, an effective "redistribution of wealth," and a speedier way to manage the postal operations. Many "smart" sociologists believe that crimes of property have nothing to do with a dire economy or poverty. But isn't this a case of economically marginalized people who resort to thievery in order to "subsist?" I believe very strongly that the present culture of a marginalized people has a direct bearing on their "mores." It appears to suggest that their economic misfortune is a justification for them to commit crimes on property without any pangs of guilt. Best regards. Frank Jimenez, [email protected], West Orange , New Jersey , Dec. 07, 2006 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww This issue is no longer new in the Philippines, it�s old. This has been going on since the time of Marcos. In my province, a few veterans were receiving US military checks mailed to them and every now and then, their checks were lost. And who could be the suspect? Post office employees, either in Manila or in the province. Who knows????? Even in regular mail, when relatives here in the US sent checks, either postal checks or personal checks to their relatives, they got lost. In short, this dilemma has been going on ever since and we should not be surprised. There is no solution to this problem anymore! No matter who the President in the country, even the best President will run the country, there�s no hope for the people to do better. Only the people, the Filipino people themselves in general is the hope of the country. If they will only love themselves and our country, and fear God, these will help save the country. I mean fear of God and not pretending to believe in God. Because most of our countrymen, are hypocrites, show-off to believe but don�t fear God at all. Maraming nagdedebosyon pero wala sa gawa. Pasok ng pasok sa simbahan, pakitang tao lamang pala pero nagkakasala pa rin. Halos lahat ng tao sa Pilipinas, lalong-lalo na ang mga nakaupo sa gobyerno at mga opposition, in short POLITICIANS!!! Amen. Genny Ferrer, [email protected], Dec. 08, 2006 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Another reason I don't want to retire in the Philippines . I have, at least 50 more. Do you want me to tell you? I'll be glad to. Take care. Lucita Luciani, [email protected], Dec. 08, 2006 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Mr. Peronilla is just one among the thousands abroad who have been robbed by those thieves. I salute him for going through all the bureaucracy to save Pinas from moral decay. I hope something will come out of his crusade. Charity begins at home as well as character building. I believe that parents, schools, churches and dignified government officials should bond together to control this evil before it controls Pinas. Mr. Abaya, please do not publish my e-mail address because I can no longer cope with junk mails. Thanks very much. Tessie.C.Centeno, (email address withheld), Dec. 08, 2006 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Tony, You are right, we need a moral revolution to get our pathetic and suffering country back on track . Bit this should be preceded by a political revolution. a complete changing of the guards, yes, COMPLETE! Regards, Cesar (Sarino), c_sarino@hotmail,com, Dec. 08, 2006 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww . Thanks Tony, I had a similar experience with a bank some years back. I was fortunate that after months of follow up, the bank finally made retribution/payment. It looks like the position, uniform, organization give them all a signal to go on a hunting spree. Whether it's the Post Office, Police, Military, Government officials, Internal Revenue, Bureau of Customs, Legislators and Justices of our legal system, etc. Abrazos, Jaime (Calero), [email protected], Sydney, Australia, Dec 08, 2006 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Maybe, we should turn to Islam for a moral regeneration...then it will be legal to cut off the extremities of Con-Ass humanoids, too. Jose Luis Yulo Jr., [email protected], Dec. 08, 2006 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww I have long learned my lesson about the unreliability of the Philippine Postal System, or any Philippine government agency. Corruption from top to bottom permeates the Philippine Government. It's a shame but it's a fact of life. "What are we in power for?" is the guiding principle of those in power. Virgilio Gonzales, [email protected], Dec. 08, 2006 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Tony, I have been reading some of your columns, thru the email system. I remember a similar case of "postal theft" when several Filipinos were caught stealing the Social Security checks of retired Filipinos in the San Francisco and Sacramento areas in the state of California. Thru the diligent work of the FBI and postal authorities here in the USA, these thieves were caught and imprisoned for over 20 years each (don't know how many were indicted), However, I don't know of anyone from the Philippine postal agencies and bank employewes were indicted. Only those perpetuators here in the USA were convicted and imprisoned for their crimes. I pay a little bit extra whenever I send money to the Philippines by way of Lucky Money or other forwarders to the Philippines, just so the recipient gets the money. It's quick and it's safe.I used to send it thru the Banks but it takes over a week before the recipient gets the cash plus transfer charges (in addition to the charge I paid here in the USA.) Mulloy aka Romy, [email protected], Dec. 08, 2006 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Last October I sent a payment to Iloilo thru the Alabang Post Office.The envelope contained a check payable to the lady and I paid P25 for the express mail. Of course, the payment never got there. Checking with the post office, the post office Alabang says that most often the postmen know what envelopes contain and will not deliver them properly. How disappointing!! I checked with the bank and to stop payment I will have to pay P300. Like I am the one penalized for the theft.... Today, everyone is a thief until he proves he isn't. What a shame. Marilu C. Soriano, [email protected], Dec. 08, 2006 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww (Copy furnished) To: [email protected]) Gentlemen/Ladies:--Your reputation and integrity may be compromised by dishonest employees who're involved in the theft of checks that pass through our Philippine Post Office. I am concerned enough for your bank's repute to send you the information on this incident as contained in the column of Mr. Antonio Abaya below. I hope you will be able to act on this information. You can be certain this incident will be circulated all over the globe through the Internet.� Vicente C. de Jesus, [email protected], Dec. 09, 2006 MY REPLY. You may also want to forward to Deutsche Bank the email of another reader (below) who had a similar experience with the same branch (in Carmen, Rosales, Pangasinan) of Deutsche Bank. wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Thanks for reproducing the article re post office thievery and the Deutsche Bank. I too have had bad experiences with the Makati Post Office. The most recent was a phone call from Visa card in the U.S. asking if I had been using my debit card they had sent from the U.S. I explained that I had not received it and hence had not used it or others. Somebody had spent $1500 on items in Robinsons Supermarket, Toby's, Mercury Drug, etc. using my card that had been intercepted obviously in the Makati Post Office. My brother-in-law had a similar experience with his Amex black card to the tune of $2,500. It is no wonder the Philippines is on everybody�s "watch list" for financial transactions that emanate or end here. You may have to throw out the few good with the many bad but the Post. Office should be changed from the top to the bottom and start all over again...Probably privatizing it and making the operator financially responsible for loses and delays when sufficient evidence is presented to support the claim. Thanks Bob Fansler (an irate foreigner), [email protected], Dec. 09, 2006 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Ah Tony, I know I am repeating myself, but you accurately hit our major problems. It is not only checks stolen in the PO but books and journals as well. Letters sent to us also often disappear. We always return mail belonging to others, and wonder how much of our mail is received by others and not returned. This is of course related to ethics and morality, and you can't look to the Church and Mass for that, as the interest there is only ceremony and collection plate. It is the example of parents in the home, and others. In this competitive society, one misdeed is copied by others so as to not be left behind.... . Jack (Sherman), jack@veridiumtec,com, Dec. 09, 2006 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Sir, Instead of postal mail, I suggest the new way SMART MONEY card. Just let those of your driver's family in Bacolod open a card for only one-time P200 and you can deposit money thru SmartMoney Card and they can withdraw from there safly and with less hassle. Joseph Gannaban, [email protected], Dec 09, 2006 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Don't mean to sound offensive. I know it is rather hairy to hit on these guys. He who's got the gold and goons wields the power. Everything is doable here as long as you got the gold. You are really an inspiring columnist. But sometimes it�s just sickening what's really happening in the background. Unless one is ready to shoot it out with these guys. Sorry if my previous letter sounded a little strong. Teodoro Tagle Jr. [email protected], Dec. 10, 2006 Wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Tony, I completely agree with the Moral Revolution we direly need in the Philippines. Any ideas how we can get started or do we wait for the morally upright leader? Then can he get elected in office? I know of a few good men who can, but they cannot win in an election even for Mayor, Governor, Congressman or Senator. What is probably worse is these few good men (and women) would not even bother to think of serving through our political system. Some of them are just doing it in their own small way through foundations or positions they hold in their companies where they are the CEOs. As I wrote in my column in BusinessWorld in 2000 entitled the "Failure of Democracy?", our political system has failed to provide the environment to attract the "best and the brightest of Filipinos' to serve our country. Politics in the Philippines is so dirty that it is like swimming in a cesspool. Tony, can you kindly furnish me the email address of Mr. Alberto Peronilla. I am always eager to meet Filipinos living overseas who want to help the Philippines, especially those who say they are "nobody!" This is also related to the Pilipinas Heritage Foundation I am organizing (and have sent you the concept paper) so Filipinos abroad can better help the Motherland. Thanks. Rick B. Ramos, [email protected], Dec. 10, 2006 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww I too have lost some money sent by friends in the US and am at a loss on what is the best way to do so. Cash of course is often " felt" by post office officials or checked against a light bulb, so that is a virtual suicide send. But your experience with the bank and their silence is truly disturbing. Keep up the writing and me in your net. Carmita Francisco, [email protected], Dec. 11, 2006 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Hi Tony, Read your e-mail (forwarded by a friend) article regarding above. I have been mailing dollar checks to the Philippines . Have not lost a single one ever since. I do the following: Write at the left hand upper corner of check "for account of payee only" then over and underline using black ball pen or fountain pen. Then at the back of the check, I write "for deposit only" ( at the endorsement section). Then to insure that check is received, I call my relative/friend within 2 weeks if they have received the check. Try BPI Internet banking as an alternative. Good luck and Merry Christmas. Ernie Aragon, [email protected], Dec. 11, 2006 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Hi, Tony. I may be wrong, but based on my dealings with banks on behalf of my foreign buyers, they will not encash dollar checks. In fact, the clearance they told me, would take about a month to do so. Even if the check is a manager check, so long as it is a dollar check, they will not immediately clear it. And one of the banks that was very insistent in doing that was BPI. These banks were particularly strict when the country was still under the anti-money laundering check list. I don't know if they are still that strict until now. But just this year, two of the banks that I dealt with reconfirmed the 30 day clearance for dollar checks. So I advise the person to run against the bank teller and bank branch manager who encashed the check. They too have a liability. Bobby Tordesillas, [email protected], Dec. 11, 2006 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Mr. Abaya, Your mail theft article on Dec 7, 2006 at The Manila Standard is very similar to my wife's mailing experience. My wife Margie Nepomuceno sent post-dated checks to her sister in the Philippines (Antipolo City) sometime in August 2006. Her sister never received the checks, but when my wife checked her bank account online on September 19, she found out two of the checks were already cashed or deposited. And take note of these details: Check # 1043 for $100.00 was cashed on Sept 01, 2006 and Check # 1044 for $100.00 was cashed on Sept 15, 2006 at the Deutsche Bank Trust company for The Bank of the Phil. at the Carmen Rosales Branch using account number 04-002-070. This is the same bank where Mr Alberto Peronilla's stolen check was cashed. Even the bank account number used are the same. Please publish my wife's sad experience so hopefully the authorities may take action on this crime. Respectfully yours, Hidolfo Nepomuceno, [email protected], Midlothian, Virginia, Dec. 11, 2006 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww. For your information, this "nobody" is Alberto Hilado Peronilla, cum laude graduate in Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering , UP Diliman in 1960. Glicerio Sicat, [email protected], Dec. 13, 2006 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww In the first place, why send money inside a letter and not register. My recommendation is: try Western Union next time, so that problems will not get complicated. Rodolfo Cada, [email protected], Dec. 15, 2006 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Thank you for your post office expos�. It's about time somebody did something about those postal thieves! To my recollection, the only time the Philippine Post Office was clean was during the term of J. Roilo Golez as Postmaster General. Being an honest man, he kept a sharp eye on the thieves and purged them for the slightest infraction. Only a man of his stature could restore our faith in our postal service again. I wish somebody would bring him back or get someone with the same level of integrity that Mr. Golez brought to the postal service. Rome Farol, [email protected]. Highlands Ranch, Colorado, Dec. 16, 2006 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Tony, I believe the individual on the subject matter is not the only one victimized by such thievery in the Philippine Postal System. And it is not only checks. I air-mailed an important original document which I had secured from the Philippine consulate in New York last August 15, 2006 and until now has not arrived yet. I believe somebody in the Philippine Post Office opened it believing that there was money (check) inside and, out of the frustrations that there was none, they throw out in the trash can and probably even cursed the sender. When will these people come to realize and come to their senses that what we send is very important to the intended beneficiary? Sometimes, I am considering sending something that would hurt these people, like a bomb maybe or those powdery substance which makes you sick and creates an epidemic, just like what happened one time here in the US, I two years ago. Anyway, have a Merry Christmas and Prosperous Happy New Year to you and your family. More power to your web site. Bert Celera, [email protected], Dec. 25, 2006 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww I cannot agree more, someone in the post office in the Philippines who obviousely have an access. It seems like they're targeting the mail from abroad, assuming there's money. I'm sorry to hear about your bad experience and to others which have the same problem that involves money or check. For mine, it's just letters, that never reached their destinations. It's very frustrating because my family thought I never responded to their letters. That is why I wrote a letter to our main post office in the Philippines but I don't have their address nor website. If you do please share it to me. Thanks! Hoping to hear from you. Elisa Jeter, (by email), Feb. 26, 2007 MY REPLY: Your letters do not reach your relatives because some corrupt postal employees intercept them, thinking there are checks or dollar cash inside. It is best to look for some other means to communicate with your relatives, such as by email. wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Tony: Thank you also for the Postal Thievery article which resulted in my hearing from the Deutsche Banks' Country CEO and Operating Officers. It also got the attention of Senator Lim through my UP classmate and another reader of yours, Glicer Sicat. I then wrote and got responses from the Governor of Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas and Bank of the Philippine Islands.. To make a long story short, Deutsche Bank and Bank PI looked into the matter and the finding was that my stolen check and those of the Nepomucenos, who responded to your article, were deposited by a client of Bank PI at their Rosales, Pangasinan branch. This client is in the foreign exchange business. Bank of PI President Aurelio Montinola III had his Vice President Maria Rosa Gayos write me that their client will reimburse me the $100.00 if I filed the complaint and necessary paper work through the proper channels which involved more than 10 steps. She also indicated that they are reviewing their policies and procedures in dealing with third party encashment of foreign denominated checks; and alerting their area director of bank operations in charge of the Rosales branch. I did not bother getting back my $100 since I indicated in the beginning that I did not go through this exercise for the money, but to make people who are in power to do something about this if they wanted to, aware of what is going on. I believe Bank PI did. I also wrote to GMA, Senators Magsaysay, Drilon, Arroyo, Lim and a few others, Postmaster General Hector Villanueva and Deputy Post Master Jun Legaspi who is an x-IBMer like me. GMA announced that the PHP 5.7 billion postal modernization project will be overseen by Mon Sales, the Commissioner of the Information and Communications Technology Commission. Mon is also heading the technical consulting committee of the COMELEC modernization project. I am proud to tell you that Mon was one of my Systems Engineers at IBM Philippines when I was SE Manager there in 1966-68. Sincerely, Bert Peronilla (an avid reader) (by email), March 03, 2007 MY REPLY. Glad to hear that my article got the wheels of government moving. You may not know it, but after my article came out, at least two more persons complained about postal theft in the Letters section of the Philippine Daily Inquirer, and both of them pointed to the Carmen, Rosales, Pangasinan branch of BPI as the bank where their stolen dollar checks were cashed. If I were doing the investigation, I would include the depositor there (who is supposedly in the foreign exchange business) as a prime suspect in cahoots with corrupt postal employees in the theft and encashment of dollar checks. OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO |