yebaah!

Someone once proudly told me that the Philippines is the text capital of the world…  Huh? Oh well, ok, at least we’re a capital of the world for something…

True, text messaging is the cheaper alternative to voice calls and those who want to save use it more often than voice calls.  I can understand that.  What I hate is the addiction to text messaging to the point of dangerously risking one’s and others’ lives and limbs while driving on the expressway, reading and punching messages while having a conversation with someone (this is actually very bastos/rude), text messaging during meetings, sa movies, public toilets, just about everywhere inappropriate and dangerous including airplanes.

Passengers are instructed to turn off their mobile phones for take off and landing and while on board the aircraft, as these may interfere with the aircraft’s navigation system.  These instructions, both in English and Tagalog, are given at gate lounges prior to boarding, while passengers are boarding, during in-flight safety demo and landing prep.  Pero ewan ko ba, some Filipinos ignore this safety instruction and still keep on calling or texting on board the aircraft!  I have noticed these in all Philippine domestic flights and international flights where most passengers are Filipinos.

I used to work in a civil aviation authority and I know that flight instructions are not given lightly.  They’re there for a reason – the safety of the flight and thus, the passengers.  I remember a passenger in one Australian domestic flight I took admitted to checking in a baggage with a mobile phone that was left turned on.  Our flight’s departure got delayed as airport crew had to unload, locate her baggage, retrieve the phone and turn it off.  Maybe for Filipinos, the instructions need to depict a clearer scenario like “…as these may interfere with the aircraft’s navigation system and may cause the pilots to lose their bearing and therefore may cause the aircraft you’re on to: