The Post Office has been struggling to cope with new technologies.
By Jhoanna Ballaran/Manila Times
It has withstood wars and calamities; it has seen the transfer of power from one coloniser to the next; it has seen revolutions and changes in the country’s leadership—but now, can it pass the challenge of new technology?
The Philippine Postal Corp (PHLPost), or simply referred to as the Post Office, has been around as early as the 16th century—though with different names and incarnations—when letters from Europe were sent through galleons. As it was with the rest of the world, the postal service played a huge role in the history of the Philippine Islands to the Commonwealth of the Philippines to the present Republic of the Philippines as it was the main conveyor of written communication.
But today, the Post Office cannot deny that it has been struggling with the advent of new technology, particularly with the rise of the Internet and e-mail.
Letter-sending had become outdated by the turn of the millennium obviously because of the free and real-time communication using e-mail and different messenger services, which are even made accessible using smartphones.
“Actually the trend really of snail mail is downward because of the technology,” said Myrachelle Gay Santos, the Postmaster General’s Chief of Staff. She pegged the yearly decrease of domestic snail mails to 10%. The rise of numerous courier services also added to the dilemma—the tight competition among private companies also makes it hard for the Post Office to entice people to avail their services.
Private and international companies, indeed, have more sophisticated and modern methods of tracking and delivery.
“We cannot deny the fact that over the past few years, PHLPost was really left out in terms of technology, whatever advancement that is, and also in operations,” she said.
According to Santos, the Corp posted losses until 2010—meaning, the government-owned and controlled Corp (GOCC) is spending more than it collects.
Santos, however, noted that under the administration of Postmaster General Josephine dela Cruz, who assumed office in 2010, PHLPost earned $80.66mn with net gain of $1.035mn
The reputation of rampant pilfering—or theft of the contents of the packages sent via the Post Office—also affected PHLPost’s public image. According to Carmelli Butial, retail and acceptance section chief of the Central Post Office in Intramuros, Manila, even though there are no formal probes conducted, post office employees are often the main suspects because of their unadjusted and low salary.
She added that due to the lack of overtime pay, they only work and deliver mail and packages from 8am to 5pm, Mondays to Fridays.
Moreover, the Post Office is still stuck at the process of sorting the mails manually, mainly because of the limited funds given by the national government. This attributes to the slow delivery method, which therefore makes people choose private couriers instead of PHLPost.
Today, an ordinary mail will take two or three days to be delivered through PHLPost—unlike private couriers where a letter or parcel can be delivered within 24 hours.
Despite the struggles that the PHLPost faces—some of which were inherited from the previous administration—it is slowly trying to embrace the fast-evolving world of technology.
“For us we always take it as an opportunity because, of course, the only constant on the world is change. So we really have to adapt those changes including technology—you cannot control it, so might as well get along with it,” Santos told Manila Times.
Now, the PHLPost is under a three-year refleeting programme where it will replace its dilapidated equipment with new and more updated ones, then add more machines and vehicles to increase its efficiency.
The PHLPost recently bought 12 six-wheeler canter trucks, four 10-wheeler trucks and 20 motorcycles to make its delivery services faster. This is also to compliment the increasing number of parcel deliveries—or those packages weighing at least two kilograms—which is attributed mainly to online marketing and selling.
From 157,804 international express mail service deliveries in 2010, the figure shot up to 681,489 deliveries in 2011, an increase of more than fourfold in just a year.
“With all the challenges, you can still see the enthusiasm and the drive to make a difference. Because before, the perception is that the technology is the one pulling us down—now we are now using the technology to our advantage,” said Antonio Sablan Jr, head of Corporate Communications. The refleeting programme is not only done to compete with the market, but also to regain the respect and confidence of the public.
Interestingly, if there is one big challenge that the PHLPost faces, it is not the advent of the technology but rather the “bloated” organisation and the small profit, plus the “unmotivated and unequipped workforce.”
“The organisation is big but the gains are small. The very first thing that Postmaster General did was to right-size the organisation ,” Santos said.
“Even though the organisation reduced in size, it became more efficient in delivering the services better.”
Santos noted that the PHLPost has reduced its manpower from 10,000 to 7,000 all over the country. They are now being measured by their performance.