Addressing Iloilo’s weak telecom signals

By Alex P. Vidal

“The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.”—George Bernard Shaw

CONTRARY to what his critics have been saying, Iloilo City Mayor Geronimo “Jerry” Treñas certainly wasn’t asking too much from the telecommunications (telecom) companies Smart Communications and Globe Telecom when he demanded before Christmas Day that they report to his office and explain slow internet and weak signal connections being experienced in Iloilo City.

He was actually aware that the signal connections were affected by the recent onslaught of typhoon “Odette”.

All he wanted probably was proper protocol and updates from the telecom firms; he wasn’t expecting a miracle from heaven or instant magic.

The mayor knew other regions, provinces, and cities assaulted by “Odette” also encountered the same problem and may have suffered worst.

Once the telecom representatives were able to explain everything to the city mayor in black and white during their meeting at City Hall,  Treñas had been pacified and accepted the explanations.

We were informed that internet connections and communication signals in Iloilo City were back to normal as of this writing.

-o0o-

For the record, this was what Treñas had said before his meeting with the telecom representatives as reported in the local media:

—”I am asking Smart and Globe to go to my office and explain to my satisfaction the problem of the weak signal and no internet connection. Calls are also dropped because of the weak signal. As consumers, we deserve better. More Power worked beyond the call of duty to ensure continuous electric power while Metro Pacific Water and MIWD made all things possible to provide potable water to everyone L. Globe and Smart have up to 12:00pm to report to my office.”

—“I have also sent a complaint to the President of Globe Telecom to share our situation earlier. Executives from Globe also went to have a Zoom meeting with me. They sent their apologies and explained the challenges they experienced. They have deployed 100% of their personnel but they are yet unsure of the timeline for the restoration of the connection since their main tower is in Cebu.”

—“I understand the gravity of the typhoon, but as a Telco operating in the city under my jurisdiction, I have the authority to know what is the real score since I was never been updated on what is happening and was totally in the dark. Globe had been a great partner of the city, but in times like this, the people of Iloilo City have the right to know what is happening. I am still waiting for the arrival of other Telcos today.”

—“They are unfortunately dependent on Cebu towers thus, I am hoping and requesting that we should have our own since our residents also need to be connected to their loved ones. We have to make sure that service is uninterrupted here. Just like Globe, I also requested them to update me all the time so that I and the Ilonggos are updated especially during difficult times.”

-o0o-

Whenever life drops needles and pins along our path, we should not stay away. Instead, we must pick them up and collect them so that the same pins won’t hurt us again. Advance Happy Three Kings.

YES, I DRINK DR. PEPPER. During his downtime at a Waco, TX drugstore, pharmacist Charles Alderton liked to fiddle with recipes for syrup-sweetened sodas. His most crowd-pleasing concoction–a nose-tickling blend of 23 fruity flavors that Alderton dubbed Dr. Pepper–caught on fast and became one of the first fizzy fountain drinks. The popular pop is an American original. I drink it if I can’t find any Pepsi or Coke.

RABIES VACCINE. For centuries, few diseases were as feared–or as fatal–as rabies. A bite from an infected animal equaled death, and victims endured paralysis, hyperactivity, and coma prior to dying. So when the young Joseph Meister appeared at the Paris lab of Louis Pasteur after being mauled by a rabid dog, the 9-yr-old had one shot at survival: the microbiologist’s experimental rabies vaccine.

-o0o-

SAVING OUR PLANET 1. Let’s can the rubbish. Because metal doesn’t break down easily and can be used to make a wide range of different items, metal food and drink cans are great for recycling.

SAVING OUR PLANET 2. Let’s can the can. Recycling aluminum cans is a closed-loop system. Every can is infinitely recyclable and recyclers paid nearly $1 billion a year for aluminum beverage cans. The energy saved by recycling just one can is enough to run a TV set for three hours! If we have to use them, let’s be sure to recycle.

SAVING THE PLANET 3. Glassy-eyed. Glass is excellent for recycling because there are many different grades to work through before it reaches the point where it can no longer be recycled. Let’s make sure to separate different colored glass and don’t include metal bottle tops or corks that can contaminate the process.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two dailies in Iloilo.—Ed)