MANILA, Philippines - For 11 million Filipinos living overseas, spending the holidays without family and friends can be a very emotionally trying time.
“Having lived and worked abroad before, I understand what it’s like to miss family during the holidays,” Chikka founder Dennis Mendiola says. “We’d call or text them every chance we get; it got to a point that phone bills strained our budgets considerably.”
“It is no wonder Chikka handles at least 50 percent more message volume during Christmas and New Year, topped only by message exchanges during Valentine’s. Last year, there were about six million visits to the Chikka website during Christmas Eve through the day itself,” said Mendiola.
Providing various wireless applications to over 30 mobile operators in 17 countries, including the US, UK, Italy, Spain, Hong Kong and the Philippines, Chikka has diversified, developing applications for mobile content, commerce, and corporate solutions. According to the company, Chikka Messenger, which started in 2001 and now has over 68 million registered users, is probably the most widely-used and viewed Internet and mobile-based communications tool by Filipinos worldwide.
Combining the cool convenience of online instant messaging with the personal warmth and urgency of receiving a text message, Chikka Text Messenger is a favorite among Filipinos everywhere.
“The release of our latest version is very timely indeed. With the new version 5, we have brought down the price of replying to a text message to P1 during off-peak hours. We are also now providing a P5 bucket price for 10 text messages as well as all day unli schemes via select carriers.”
IPhone APP
Chikka also released the Chikka app for the iPhone, which is one of the most popular smart phones among global Filipinos. iPhone users everywhere can now carry the Chikka app with them, making it seem like they have a Philippine mobile number on their foreign-issued lines.
“At Chikka, we constantly try to find ways to make it easy for Filipinos all over the world to stay in touch with their loved ones back home. We strive to make everything as simple, and as easy as text not only for Global Pinoys but everyone with ties in the Philippines,” Mendiola says.
Chikka Holiday
For global Filipinos who miss their loved ones, Christmas can still be a joyous celebration even though they are thousands of miles apart from each other. Whether you are technologically savvy or not, Chikka is still the best way to send free SMS and stay in touch with family and friends. To use the new Chikka Messenger, visit www.chikka.com.