Philippines needs Smart Card Technology to catch up with regional neighbours, say ALLCARD

The world is slowly migrating from close contact technology to the super convenient contactless smart technology. And the Philippines stands to lose in the ever-increasing connectivity game should it continues to use old mode technology, says a leading local card producer.


In an interview, Allcard Philippines marketing manager Franz Reyes says that countries around the world are adopting to the contactless smart card solutions to enhance services and transactions. Contactless card technology, which has been in existence for over two decades now, is being used by banks and relied upon by governments in enhancing their services. According to Reyes, most transactions around the world use secured smart card solutions technology, created for convenience and faster transactions. The technology has its own IT system, which, says Reyes, the Philippines has but is under-utilising.


“ The danger” says Reyes, who has been pioneering smart card technology for a decade now, “..is the possibility of our system not being recognized by other countries which use contactless card technology. Asia is modernizing. With the possibility of ASEAN developing as a Regional economy, how can we Filipinos transact in, say Taiwan, Japan, Singapore or even Thailand if we don’t know have or we don’t know how to use contactless smart card technology?”


Contactless smart card technology, says Reyes, empowers the user to avail of the tremendous benefits of a fully interactive world. With just a swipe of the smart card, users instantaneously connect themselves to a system which allows them to do transactions. Users can modify or add information stored in a smart card’s 32 kb memory. Using a reader, the card can be read by a system and given user-privileges.


Credit card companies and banks first began using contactless smart card technology a decade ago. The potentials of the technology are enormous that governments are beginning to use it to enhance and improve public services.


The Kuwaiti government, for example, has issued 3 million electronic multi-application ID cards to its citizens as part of its efforts to comply with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) regulation designed to allow citizens of all Gulf countries to travel between member states. The card serves as the official ID of a Kuwaiti citizen. The smart card is embedded with a 32kb memory chip secured and encrypted with the card users’ information. A plan to make the card a microprocessor is underway.


China is on the verge of completing its US$ 3.5 billion national ID smart card program. The program aims to provide 900 million smart cards to be used by Chinese citizens in their government transactions. Recently, China Expert Technology has received a US$57 million order for e-government systems in Fuzhou City in the Fujian province. China wants a contactless card security system.


Ninety six percent of Taiwanese are enjoying the benefits of a healthcare program using smart card technology. Since its implementation in 2005, Taiwan’s National Health Care Program has saved close to US$ 2.8 billion in health-related expenditures alone. Twenty two million Taiwanese enjoy free medical services with just a swipe of their contactless smart cards, connecting them to 17,000 medical facilities throughout the island state.


In Korea, construction is underway for the building of New Songdo City, a fully contactless card facility. Korea is spending US$ 25 billion to equip the city with a universal contactless smart card system. The system will enable Koreans to use smart cards to pay their bills, access medical records and even, open doors.


Asia, says Reyes, is fast modernizing and the Philippines has no choice but to catch up with super-high tech, convenience technology.


'If we don’t catch up with the rest of Asia, we might be totally left behind to our disadvantage. We need to start accepting smart card technology as a way to improve our quality of life, “adds Reyes.


All Card Plastic Philippines Incorporated is the leading Filipino card production company. Established in 2001, it is the fastest growing full card printing and production facility in the Philippines. Backed by state-of-the-art equipment powered by highly skilled and experienced production team, All Card Plastic Philippines services 9 out of 10 top banks and 2 out of 3 telecommunication companies in the country.

SMARTmatic lowest bidder

The Commission on Elections (COMELEC) just announced that SMARTmatic/TIM has the lowest bid among the remaining bidders in the automation of the 2010 elections.

Smartmatic/Total Information Management gave the amount at 7.19 billion, about 4 billion pesos lower than the rest of the bidders.

COMELEC BID BODY SAYSSmartmatic has lowest automated polls bid
By Anna ValmeroINQUIRER.netFirst Posted 18:35:00 05/18/)
MANILA, Philippines—(UPDATE) The Commission on Elections said on Monday
that Smartmatic/Total Information Management consortium was the lone qualifier
for the final leg of bidding for the P11.2 billion automation
contract.
Smartmatic and local partner TIM, which pegged its financial bid for the automation contract at P7,191,484,739.48 or about P4 billion below than the total contract amount, is the only qualifier for the last leg of the automation bidding.
For this, the Comelec Special Bids and Awards Committee (SBAC) declared the Smartmatic consortium as bidder with the lowest calculatedresponsive bid that “complied with the set requirements of Comelec,” according to SBAC vice chairman Adolfo Ibanez.
“With the evaluation report on the Smartmatic consortium, at this part of the bids process, the SBAC declares Smartmatic/TIM a complied bidder. The evaluation of the financial bid proposals will not mean that they have already bagged the award. To get the contract, the bidder must still pass the technical evaluation of PCOS machines set this week,”
said Ibanez.
Ibanez invited Smartmatic to setup their poll machines for the bid evaluation.
“Looking for the bidder with lowest calculated responsive bid does not necessarily mean selecting a bidder with the least expensive proposal.
We have to strike a balance between the bidder's eligibility to handle the project, their technical capacity to comply with requirements of the Comelec for the automated election system, and financial proposal that should not exceed the
total contract amount,” added SBAC chirman Ferdinand Rafanan.
Before making a recommendation on the lowest bid, Rafanan said SBAC would be conducting post-qualification or post-evaluation of the documents simultaneously with the technical demonstration and evaluation of machines.
Earlier today, the consortium of Indra Sistemas, SAHI and Hart Intercivic was disqualified for having a bid that failed to comply with required number of deliverables or components of the automation system. These include units of precinct count optical scan (PCOS) units, canvassing units, battery devices and digital keys
for use in the encryption of voting system results and operation of PCOS
machines.
The consortium of Indra Sistemas, SAHI and Hart Intercivic offered a proposal worth P11,223,307,799--a bid lower by P310, 609 from the contract amount.
SBAC said the P11,223,618,400 total contract amount covered the following: P10.923 billion for the automated election system, including the lease amount for 80,000 precinct count optical scan machines (P8.22 billion); canvassing units (P140 million) and related services (P1.563), P200 million for transmission costs and P100 million for project management costs.
The financial proposals were calculated on Monday by the technical working group
(TWG) to check if they did not exceed the amounts allocated per subcomponent,
and if they fulfilled the required automation system subcomponents, said Rafanan.
By end of May, the poll body will award the contract and “hopefully, have a poll automation bidder that will work for the automation of the 2010 elections,” Rafanan said.
Meanwhile, SBAC will make the ruling on Tuesday regarding the motion for clarifications of Sequoia Voting Systems-USSC consortium and other pending bid appeals, without entertaining verbal manifestations from other bidders.
Regarding the appeal of Avante International/ES&S, the SBAC junked its motion for reconsideration for failure to submit certificate of acceptance regarding contracts with the States of Michigan and Minnesota.
At this point in time, Rafanan said bidders are barred from communicating with any SBAC member or official observer outside of the bidding proceedings.
The SBAC is almost on the final stage of evaluating bid proposals.

AKO MISMO, Smart?

Aside from allegations of phishing activities, AKO MISMO faces a more severe problem--it plays on the hopelessness of the Filipino and tries to make a fast buck out from an already tired and overpromised citizenry.

Who is behind AKO MISMO? Let their website reveal who they really are:

Who is Behind Ako Mismo?
DDB CARESDDB's newest advocacy campaign has been getting a lot of attention to the agency's amazement. This has in fact given them more conviction to stand behind their cause and continue their crusade for positive change.It's no surprise though that AKO MISMO is arousing a lot of people's interest. The commercial undeniably stirred very deep patriotic sentiments among the viewing public that immediately
thousands went online to check the site and signed up to make commitments."We knew we had something great when we came up with the advocacy.", said Teeny Gonzales, Executive Creative Director of DDB, who heads up the creative team that conceptualized AKO MISMO.
"That's because even among us, the message really resonated. It made us all look
deep inside and say, 'No, we're not giving up hope.' " She said that they then went in
search of possible partners for the cause and found the perfect one in PLDT/Smart Foundation. Members of the team then went on another search. This time for the people who would breathe life into the campaign --- people who embodied the message or simply had the conviction to make a commitment to fight apathy. Thus the rich mix of showbiz celebrities, real life heroes as well as regular folk who spoke simply but sincerely in the TV commercial, bringing the point poignantly home.Susan Dimacali, Vice-Chairman of DDB Group of Companies said, "We were overwhelmed with the positive response and people saying that the campaign made them realize that they should stop complaining and start doing their part. There were a lot who chose to put their cynicism aside and truly support the advocacy. It was amazing and
touching reading the wall of commitments on the site. We're grateful for the support of our partners that has allowed us to reach more people and create a real impact."DDB has, in the past, also supported and made campaigns for women's rights, the preservation of the environment, Caritas as well as responsible voting in the last local elections.Many are asking what they can look forward to from AKO MISMO. John Lucas, Managing Director of Tribal DDB said, "There is a lot of clamor for the dog tag so, we hear you! We will be announcing soon how you can get those. There are activities lined-up which you also learn more about from the site."Clearly,
the DDB Team is upbeat and excited about their newest advocacy."That's because,"
Dimacali says, this is something really close to our hearts and something that, yes, we truly care about.

Okey.

DDB cares---or so they say. So, this is DDB Media's advocacy. But, who funds it? Why did they not reveal who forked those millions of pesos for the TVC and the website and all the other advertising stuff. Surely, these people did not use their own personal money, yes? How would you trust an organization with a highly sensitive political advocacy when they already lied about who's behind the campaign?

And why is AKO MISMO very similar with Smart's "ME na ME" campaign?

Is DDB Media ashamed to say that SMART and PLDT are behind them? Why? Because that would tell people that this thing is actually part of the marketing strategy of SMART to pull in more subscribers?

Or, they're ashamed to say that this is the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) of the telecommunications giant and it wants to save money by being just a "coordinator" of other CSR campaigns?

DDBMEDIA also owes the public an explanation---where will they spend the money collected from the public? DDB Media is NOT a foundation nor a non-governmental organization. Is DDB media allowed by law to solicit money from the public?

If DDBMEDIA is indeed, allowed by law, then, it should open its books to government and public scrutiny.

DDBMEDIA has a lot of explaining to do.

Yes, I agree with Susan Dimacali---their site is really getting a lot of responses, flak actually.

Abusive Companies

Is it weak government or a weak and powerless people that is the problem?

Look, we have right now a very serious problem of power. Pre-need companies are folding left and right and asking government billions of our money to prop them up.

Legacy group of companies have been stricken out of the major broadsheets. For the past few weeks, nothing has been heard about it. Is Legacy now being given 14 billion pesos from PDIC funds without accountability? PDIC executives should be reminded that those monies came from taxes, the people's money. They must not toy with it.

AMAPLans and other pre-need companies are reporting huge losses, probably because they too think that they can get away with murder by diluting their trust funds and asking government to give them money to prop those funds up. They are cooking us with our own fat!

What had happened to the plus 40 billion pesos stimulus fund that the SSS intends to give businesses and banks? These funds are also public money. No news means danger.

We have companies like SMART which funds a very secretive online movement called AKO MISMO. AKO MISMO is being charged with phishing activities, an illegal and IMMORAL THING. AKO MISMO is reportedly not only a very deceptive marketing ploy---it also allegedly intends to sell personal information of its members to the highest political bidder. AKO MISMO is playing the nationalist card while collating data that it allegedly intends to sell.

We have senators that break the law by not subjecting themselves to self-quarantine---a procedure required in times of health crisis in all countries.

We have a vindictive group of grafters and evildoers that uses the law as their shield against criticism and spends public money to pursue injustice against those who seek the truth.

We have journalists like Che-che Lazaro (more on this later) who now faces a wiretapping charge for allegedly presenting an interview she got from a GSIS senior official.

Lastly, we have an MultiNational Company acting like a bully and disrespecting even our former presidents! Nestle Philippine CEO Nandu Nandiskore should be expatriated immediately for embarrasing his company and by committing unprofessional acts.

Is it weak government or we have a weak and powerless people? In other countries, issues like these immediately merit a proper and judicious response.

If we are in Singapore, that Legacy owner would have been hanged already. Owners of pre-need companies who diluted their trust funds would have gotten the same treatment and worst, not allowed to be buried.

That AKO MISMO site would have been immediately stricken out of the netsphere and officials charged.

Che-Che Lazaro would have been hailed a hero.

And Nandu expatriated with his head bowed.

Ako Mismo--Monetizing Nationalism?

SMART Communications is playing a very dangerous game. Ako Mismo, a known affiliate of SMART through DDB Media led by former PLDT Senior official Antonio Samson is being charged with alleged phishing activities online. And AKO MISMO even revealed what goes on inside the SMART corporate boardrooms by revealing that the company has the tendency of using personal subscriber information to influence voter preferences.

Former Constitutional convention member Chito Garchitorena criticized the site and organizers of Ako Mismo for alleged phishing activities. Ako Mismo, an online movement which aims to raise political awareness among the youth, is engaged in personal info mining activities, charged Garchitorena. He says that the site will use the personal info of its members and sell these info to potential political entities come 2010.

I have'nt visited the site but I remember that I was invited by one of my friends to join Ako Mismo through Facebook. Now, I don't recall allowing them to do so, but I could be wrong though.

A certain Antonio Samson, a former PLDT official and chair of DDB Media, the outfit behind the Ako Mismo site defended its actions by saying that Ako Mismo does not need to gather personal info because Smart Communications already has 37 million subscribers. Ako Mismo, says Samson, just want to understand the issues and problems considered important by Filipinos.

If this is true, then, Samson just confirmed fears that SMART Communication and its affiliates intends to use its vast network to influence our political future in 2010. Bragging that a text blast is easier than maintaining a site, Samson just revealed an insidious mindset inside the SMART and PLDT corporate boardrooms---that this company is toying with the idea of injecting perception changing data right straight into our brains by using our personal information.

This is a violation of the secrecy and security agreement subscribers signed with SMART. When you sign up as a SMART subscriber, the company assures that all personal information of yours be kept strictly confidential and should never be used or sold to third parties.

If SMART Communications is using AKO MISMO as a bogey, a ploy, or a front for alleged money-making activities in the future, stop right now. I have high regard with the people behind SMART. I met Mon Isberto and his team and they are honest people. Yet, those who conceived AKO MISMO is doing a great disservice to our people.

Stop. Desist right now. Fire those people who thought of this concept. This is a very, very dangerous game you're doing right now, if this is true. Phishing is an illegal and immoral online activity. It not only taints the good brand equity of SMART---it also opens the company to numerous lawsuits. AKO MISMO invites subscribers like me to sue them should they use my personal info and sell it to the highest political bidder.

I ask Filipino citizens, especially subscribers of SMART Communications to file a restraining order before the courts, asking the telecommunications giant to cease and desist from using the personal info of its subscribers for any future fiduciary gain, other than keeping a personal subscriber file.