Rant: 'Net Politicking

A news report at my favorite online newspaper INQ7.Net says that an esteemed member of Congress from Catanduanes is pushing local banks to push internet banking in order to "free the Filipinos from unwanted monthly charges in simple transactions."

What the heck are they smoking in that part of the country? The last time I looked, all transactions made by a depositor in his/her depository bank does not entail any "unwanted monthly charges". The depositors are only charged if they do not do their transactions on their "home" branches.

The respected gentleman from Catanduanes proposes that these depositors should just use the internet for such transactions is also preposterous. People usually deposit their money at the bank whose branch is nearest to their home or office and going to those branches normally costs a jeepney or a tricycle fare. To make them transact over the internet means that these people should have a computer at home and that computer should be somehow connected to the internet. These people should also be marginally computer literate to use the bank's internet banking facility. Now, add the cost of the computer and the cost of going online and compare it to a simple jeepney fare -- which one would be more cost effective? And access, what has he done to make internet access more (ehem) accessible to the common Filipino people (who I assume are the ones he is championing in his statement).

I am not against using the internet for banking transactions. Heck, I even do it to transfer funds between my bank accounts (from two different banks at that). What I'm ranting about is this gentleman's cluelessness on how what can really be done on the 'net and how those things can be done more efficiently

technorati tags: politics