We Filipinos just love to text. That is why we are considered as the "Texting
Capital of The World." Our love for texting provides our country''s three major
telecommunication companies very fat bottom lines.
We are a country of 85 million people. A TV ad by one of the major
telecommunication companies proclaimed to have reached their 25 millionth
cellphone subscribers, and still going strong. The two other major telecom
companies are mum on their figures. However, if you consider
their strong performance in their industry, a figure of another
25 million, is a very modest
estimate as to their total number of cellphone subscribers. Thus, if you add
them together, it will give you a modest estimate of 50 million subscribers to
a country with 85 million population.
Everywhere you go in the country today, you will see people texting in their
cellphones. Because of the inherent destraction that it
gives, texting is now prohibited in churches during mass,
classrooms, and banks. Traffic regulations
have been modified to discourage motorist from using their cellphones during
driving to preclude accidents.
Our love for cellphones and textings, not only provided our three
major telecom companies unheard of profits, but also have given
livelihood opportunities to many jobless Filipinos by working as sales
person or cellphone technician in the mushrooming cellphone
industry. Cellphone business
has become such a vibrant industry because of our love for texting.
I once visited a far away farm in the hinterlands of a mountainous province.
I saw a boy on top of his carabao, otherwise known as water buffalo, whom
I thought was reading a local comics magazine. while shepherding his farm
animal. Going near him, I was so surprised to see that he was not reading a
comics magazine, but was busy texting a textmate.
That is how we Filipinos love texting.