The Saturday before last on12 Dec… I set off to the SM Mall in Pampanga, with my wife, eldest daughter, son-in-law, and of course my granddaughter.
This time I took the expressway from Subic to the mall avoiding traffic accidents and blown tires. My wife has her trusty Charismas list and I have my wallet. I drove on the way to the mall, and figured my young son-in-law would drive the return trip while I slept.
Arrive at the mall 10:00 AM, and enter. First they check me for weapons, I was glad I left my eight inch Naval gun back at the house.
Standing at the entrance I thought to myself “The next person, who tells me what a poor country I live, in, I’ll bring him to a mall.” There were more people shopping, than were at Edsa, when Gloria became president.
I had also noticed in the parking lot that I had the cheapest car there. Commence shopping, first to the third floor where the Cell phones are sold, as I’d promised my daughter one for Christmas. She picked out the Nokia N-series, and then looked at me with those big brown eyes until I nodded my head in the affirmative.
Since my wife had a new phone purchased a month or two prior, all was well. I look at my own cell phone and think, someday!
Okay, that’s done now I can get to the second hand book store and stock up on novels. Lucky me it’s right beside the “Toy World”, so I can browse through books until it’s time to pay next-door. Kenny Rogers for Ribs and more shopping, 4:00 pm (16:00 my time) we’re on the way home.
Without a hitch, son-in-law let me sleep the whole way. Another great day in the Philippines, as always!
Oh dark thirty Sunday morning and I attempted to get on line using my cell phone, error and more errors. The cell phone has bought the farm. I went to breakfast on the Subic Freeport, and used my friend’s computer to notify Sir Bob that my article would be late this week, and then went to a repair shop that was open. “Mr. Paul, I just gave your phone “The Last Rites”, it’s gone, never to function again.” The repair guy said.
Off to O’Campo’s Department store to solve this calamity. My criteria for a phone is simple, it must be loud enough for me to hear people talk, the buttons must be large enough for me to read, and it must be a 3G computer compatible. Okay, so it has a camera, mp3 player and 6 games on it, and does other things I’ll never understand. They all do now, and I just accept it.
Home with the new phone and connect to the internet. Nope, some kind of glitch is preventing that from happening. Alarm in my head goes off as I remember that my wife’s phone is also a 3G phone that works quite well. What do I do with my new phone? My wife explained that it was newer than hers and she wanted it, so I can have her old phone (3 or 4 months old.)
Remember my Daughters new phone? You understand now! Now my dead phone was taken by my daughter to her friend who repairs them for a living. On Tuesday she brings the phone back to me in working order. And to think, it just had “The Last Rites” administered to it on Sunday. So I’m on line and then I’m informed by my better half, that she has contracted for the installation of Globe Broadband, which is unlimited and cheaper than my phone bill. I sure am glad she’s always looking out for me.
Glass half full? I now have a spare phone in case it happens again. See all works out for the best when you choose to live in paradise. I found 7 old phones sitting in a cabinet, I’ll open a little store out front of the house and sell them, and I’m proud they never made it to a landfill.
I wish a Merry Christmas to one and all and a new cell phone too!
Great story Paul. The country revolves around the cellphone. I wonder what they did 15 years ago.
I got Juramie a new cell phone on our 2 year anniversary. We gave Luz a nice cellphone on her birthday. It is so funny when you think you are doing something nice and another family member seems hurt. So over my November visit, I got Valentine, Juramie brother and Luz bana, a new cellphone. It was a nice phone so I bought a second for her nanay. Opppps, I forgot tatay.
Juramie mom was cute with the phone. She never had a camera phone before so she took a picture of Juramie dad and set the picture as the background.
Jack;
Wow, you could have bought all those phones I found in the cabinet (LOL).
Nice Mall and Cell Phone article Paul. I have been to several of the Malls in Cagayan De Oro and the Gaisano City Mall in Iligan. I had never been to any Mall here in the USA with the security at the entrance like I experienced there in The Philippines. Several times I almost felt discriminated because while they geve my Filipino friends the pat-down, when they saw me they just waved me right through. ( only joking about feeling discriminated LOL ). There are two lines, one for Male ond one for Female, I kept wanting to try the Female line to get a pat-down from some of those very attractive Filipina security guards, but no such luck.
I have had the same thoughts as you about how these malls ” appear ” to be flourishing, considering the general economic condition of the average person. Now these malls are crowded although I wonder how much peso is actually changing hands ? I guess it must be as these malls and their tennants seem to be staying in business ?
I may be one of the few people in the world that still does not even own a cellphone and so far I have no desire to. To me it is just another monthly bill and I have yet to find a true, pay as you go plan here in the USA. The closest one I found is one that you buy an allotment of minutes but if you don’t use them in a certain amount of time you loose them. From what I learned about the way it works in The Philippines, from my friends there ( they could not live without their ” CP ” ) you buy a cell phone, sign up with one of several available services and then just buy ” load ” as you need it, available in several quantity options. If I could find a deal like that here, that might be enough to tempt me.
In one of the malls in Cagayan De Oro, I think it was Limketkai, there were at least 5 cell phone shops all next to eachother. To me, that was kind of amazing.
Another thing I could not help but notice, in some of the malls they each had what I would call ” Jollibee Row ” with all or nearly all of the franchise names owned by Jollibee Foods Corp. all next to eachother. At lunch time you could hardly get near any of them.
Although I seldom go to shopping malls here in the USA, I enjoyed my experiences in the malls in CDO and Iligan.
Merry Christmas to Everyone
Hi Bob,
I had one occasion where the man was busy and the female pated me down. She wasn’t really that attractive though, and my wife was with me. I wondered where do all those people get money to spend in the mall, but most I think are getting remittances from someone. Some maybe just have money. I have never been waved through the line but the pat down seemed more like they were just going through the process. I don’t think they were really trying to find anything. Now the movie theater frisk, they are dedicated.
Hi Bob;
This was my first time using a cell phone, only because I could not get a landline where I live. I use a monthly plan here as I have trouble getting a load card up here on the mountain. All that is sold are the 30 peso cards the kids use for texting, try calling the states with that.
Bought myself a RP cell phone 8 yrs ago and still use it today, pinoy friend of mine told me not to worry about some1 stealing it….
if they took it ..they’d give it back because its to old !! No games, no internet, no color screen….just the way I like it.
Brian;
You’re right about the phone’s age; last year’s model is no good here. In Puerto Rico I had a Lincoln Town Car, the Chief of Police used to joke with me that no one would steal it, as it was too big to hide, and the parts wouldn’t fit on a Toyota.
I couldn’t agree more. I can walk from my house to two of biggest malls I have ever seen anywhere…and they are always full of people regardless of day or time. Then driving (or more accurately being stuck in traffic) any time of the day or night features mostly nice, late model cars (if only the buses and jeepneys would get with the program!). This is always touted as a poor country but there is money here!
Miguk;
Oh, for sure there is money here; there is just no trickledown effect.
Yup you are correct. It isn’t distributed very evenly.
Miguk;
And you wonder why they are lined up in front of the embassy!
The first time i visited here i asked the wife the question if this is a 3rd world country why are the malls so busy .The answer was yes it is a 3rd world country and very hot but the people are not silly if you have no work to go to take a trip to the mall it keeps you dry and cool with the air-con and no need to spend money. Now every-time i go to the mall i look around and see many people walking around but not so many inside the stores.
Stef;
In a large metro area I would tend to agree with your wife, since my wife taught me their always right. The mall I was at you would have to spend money to get too as it quite a way from any towns, and the last two times I was there; there were large amounts of product heading out the door. Albeit it was Christmas shopping both times, I’ll check again after the holidays.
Hi Paul – One negative aspect of the advent and present era of cell phones in The Philippines: You can no longer say, “What a load . . .” and have a listener immediately understand what you’re talking about! 😆
New Robinsons Mall in Ilocos Norte (opened Dec 3 in town of San Nicholas, adjacent to south Laoag City [capital] on National Highway) is another, albeit miniature, example of what you say. For a poor, agricultural province, there sure are a lot of well-dressed shoppers arriving in newer SUVs.
Must be Balikbayans! 😉
Hi Paul;
Or “Get the load out of your…” does not work so much now. But “No Load” still does. I’m on a monthly plan so I guess; I’m a “No Load!” Have a great Christmas, Paul!
Paul.The cellphone the status symbol if you live in phil. Last Octber i spent a few days in Butuan. This small town only has one small mall. But the basement level has only cellphone shops nothing else maybe about 14/15 in total.It was only then that i realised the importance of the cellphone to the average pinoy.
Hi Frank;
I have to agree with you there! I read that the Philippines is considered the “Texting Capital of the World”
I believe that to be true Paul. The first time I visited in The Philippines, I would have not believed it if I had not seen and experienced it myself, just about everyone texting and so much of it !
A popular resto-bar I went to regularly with my Filipino friends in the evenings, I looked around and at almost every table instead of people talking with eachother and socializing, many appeared to be just sitting at the tables with their friends, texting.
I am having a conversation with someone and all of a sudden the conversation stops as my friend was notified of an incomming text on the cell phone.
People eating with one hand while texting with the other.
Then there is the challenging cross the street with busy traffic while texting.
The checkout text, text with someone as you go through the checkout in a mall store.
One of the more memorable ones was when I had to use the ” CR ” in a mall. Guys standing there taking care of business while texting at the same time LOL.
I have seen many of the same situations with people and their cell phones here in the USA except here they use speech instead of texting. When I asked one of my Filipino friends about why text instead of talk, I was informed that they can make about 6 or 7 texts for the cost of one voice call.
I might have felt insulted to be interrupted by friends constantly being interrupted with texting while I was with them, but instead I think I was rather amused by it all and I could not help but have a good chuckle about it from time to time. I was really amazed by it all.
One thing I did realize where texting may have an advantage, at least I don’t have to hear people shouting into their cell phones while I am trying to enjoy a meal in a public place like I do here in the USA. Cell phones have very sensitive microphones and yet prople feel they must talk louder than normal or shout into them to be heard on the other end. That can be rather annoying when trying to enjoy a meal in a restaurant and those at a nearby table constantly shout into their cell phones. In these situations, I can see where Texting is a real advantage.
I am also fully aware that with teenagers and younger people today you’re just not ” Hip ” unless you have a cell phone and probably the better the one you have, the more ” Hip ” or more ” IN ” you are . When I was of that age group, it was a Portable Radio ( even before transistors ) and the bigger one you had the more ” Hip ” you were ! Anybody remember the Zenith Transoceanic it was the size of a suitcase and that was long before the era of the Boom box. LOL
I discovered that using ” SKYPE ” that I can use my PC and internet to text my friends in The Philippines on their cell phones from here in New York ! It only works 1 way ( me texting to them, they can not reply by text ) and I am haveing some fun with that . It only cost about 7 cents per text. This could be fun !
Hi Bob;
Wow, you do understand the texting culture here in the Philippines. I have American friends here who do the same things. Answering a text while having a beer with friends, I have Gotten’ up and left them with their phone and then later they asked me what was the matter. I respond with “Figure it out, then text me!”
Years ago while at a bank, and after taking a number, and waiting my turn, while I was talking to the man the phone rang and he picked it up. I reached over and pushed the receiver button down, and smiled at the guy and said “Imagine that person cutting in front of the line like that?”
Hard to imagine that 10-15 years ago it they were as big as a brick and purely a yuppie toy.
Miguk;
I believe they were called “The Brick” at that time, and I also said back then “That I would never own one.” Things change, not always for the best.