philtechnology

Smart Communications, Inc. has launched a new wireless telephone service under its lower-end Talk ‘N Text brand, aiming for people who do not own cellular phones.

The “Barangay Phone” service will allow subscribers to load mobile phone prepaid credits for as low as P3.00 for a three-minute call, the mobile unit of Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) said in a statement.

“Individuals who need to use any Talk ‘N Text Barangay Phone anywhere in the country just need to buy the micro ‘bucket’ load at denominations of P3.00 for a three-minute call, P6.00 for a six-minute call, or P12.00 for a 12-minute call to any number within Smart’s network of over 42 million subscribers nationwide,” the company said.

The wireless phones, worth P3,000 each, will be distributed through sari-sari stores and “high-traffic” locations such as public markets or transportation terminals, as well as market vendors.

“The Talk ‘N Text Barangay Phone may be used by individuals who need to make a call either to a landline or a mobile number, but don’t have their own personal cellphones,” the company said.

Smart Communications chief wireless advisor Orlando B. Vea said the firm was expecting to boost the “value-based” proportion of the brand, which now counts over 17 million subscribers.

THE Department of Education (DepEd) has declared an “all-out-war” against the emerging “Jejemon” subculture, saying that it will degrade the standards of the country’s education system.

“Not only that Jejemon language is not pleasing to the eyes, it has also destroyed years of achievements of the DepEd in pushing for better education quality,” said Education Secretary Mona Valisno.

She added that younger generations were having difficulty in spelling words, both in Filipino and English, because of such practice, which has significantly altered the construction of words through text messages.

Valisno said she will come up with a new DepEd order, encouraging school officials to promote and to teach proper spelling and pronunciation of words among primary and secondary students.

Likewise, the official appealed to the public to not emulate “Jejemons” and encourage them to write correctly the words in their text messages to avoid degradation of the Filipino and English languages.

Valisno cited as an example from her grandchildren whom she sternly warned not to send her Jejemon text messages.

“I told them (grandchildren) you send me one of those text messages I won’t answer or even call you,” she added.

The term Jejemon is a portmanteau of the terms “jeje” (the equivalent of the “hehe” expression”), and “Pokémon”, a popular animated series.

Numerous anti-Jejemon fan-pages calling themselves “Jejemon-busters” have since emerged on popular social networking site Facebook and are used as platforms to ridicule the said subculture.