PHLPost posts up to P1-B loss due to decline in Christmas card senders

The Philippine Postal Corporation (PHLPost) incurred a total loss of P1-billion revenue from 2006 to 2011 due to the dwindling number of people sending holiday greetings through  snail mail.

“Technology has played a very big role in the downturn of the postal administration in the country,” said PHLPost Assistant Postmaster General for Marketing and Management Support Services Luis Carlos in Jun Veneracion’s Thursday report on GMA’s 24 Oras.

A PHLPost employee recounted how Christmas cards and letters flooded their offices back in the 1980s and 1990s.

"Ang individual mailer namin hindi lang isang card and dala, 10 pieces, 20 pieces... at the same time ang pila sa lobby nakakataranta," Liza Macaranas said.

Today, most of the Manila Central Post Office's pigeon holes nowadays contain only business letters.

PHLPost personnel, however, remain hopeful that snail mail will pick up again soon.

To rekindle the interest of the public in sending handwritten letters through PHLPost, the agency conducts orientations in schools discussing its importance.

Special stamps were also produced such as those released in 2017 featuring the first three Filipinas to win the Miss Universe title—Miss Universe 1969 Gloria Diaz, Miss Universe 1973 Margie Moran, and Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach.

PHLPost is also planning to create commemorative stamps that would feature Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray. — Dona Magsino/BAP, GMA News