IT and the First Family

You think you’re the only one who’s into computers and Palm Pilots? Apparently, all the members of the First Family are "tech-savvy" with no less than President Arroyo leading the pack.

"My mother is (into Palm Pilots)," says Luli Arroyo. "We all use laptops. I use it a lot in my work."

Luli adds that her brothers, Juan Miguel ("Mikey") and Diosdado ("Dato") are also computer buffs like any other citizen of the Net Age. Of course, there are cellular phones and other gadgets at their disposal.

"My brothers are also adept in using computers and the Internet," she says.

She shares that it is Dato who uses the medium a lot. He participates in chat discussions but for specific communities only, not open chat rooms.

Luli says that the best way to reach her is by e-mail. And certainly, cell phones are staples when it comes to communication.

"It makes a lot of things easier to do," she says.

Being in the IT industry also allows Luli a glimpse of what is happening in the arena. She asserts that people should not just equate information technology with computers since SMS (Short Message Service) will be a very important information tool in the near future.

This is the reason why she finds it "sad that the free text messages are getting less and less."

"I am all for the responsible usage of text but I’m also for accessibility. And it’s really the cheapest way to communicate," she says.

Texters have found an ally in Luli as she says telecommunications companies should look at other means to gain profit.

"Even if you look abroad, it’s not where telecommunications companies make money anymore. Not with long-distance calls, not with SMS. Basically, they throw that in for free."

It’s heartening to know that we are not alone in feeling the crunch. The people in Malacañang are texters and, to some degree, techies, too. — Louie-An Pilapil