Prepaid? Or Postpaid?

Photo Credit

I am now in dilemma., whether to buy the Samsung Galaxy S4, or bundle it with a postpaid plan.  Right now, I am maintaining two separate plans, one for my internet needs and the other for my mobile use.  Good thing, the lock-in periods of both plans have already expired.  Hence, I could terminate my subscriptions anytime I want to.

Now I am thinking, why not get two-in-one package for internet and mobile postpaid plans?  By doing so, I might get the phone I'm aiming for as a freebie.  But then, browsing through the plan builder of Globe and that of Smart, I realized I could not consume the free calls and texts that goes with the plan.  In fact, I have not maximized the unlimited texts that I am getting from current mobile plan.

With that, having a prepaid plan might be a better idea.  In that way, I only get to pay on  what I consume for.  But then, spending P30,000+ for a phone may not be practical for budget-conscious freaks like me.  Now, I'm more confused...

Next question, Globe or Smart? :)

Luggage I Found

I recently lost a traveling bag.  I realized how important it is after it was gone.  That 12-year old bag had its sentimental value to me.  I was still connected with my first job then at a private auditing firm in Cebu when I bought it for a month-long training in Makati.

Being thrifty that I always am, it took me days before I finally decided to have it for myself.  That Voyager bag was my first so-called investment as I spent more than 2.5 grand (US$53) for it.  Cheap?  If based on today's standards, yes!  But going back 12 years before, it was already expensive for me considering that I was still striving as a new associate then.

Fast forward, I recently went to 168 Shopping Mall.  I chanced upon this shop which sells traveling bags.  I found this red trolley bag which can also serve as backpack and overnight bag.  It was priced at P1,500 (US$32) but I was able to haggle and save 40% off the regular price!  That's what I love about shopping in 168 Shopping Mall!  It is where you learn to polish the art of haggling.

That bag was cute alright, but it was too small for a traveling bag.  I still miss my old bag...


Now, I'm planning to purchase a new traveling bag.  This time I would like a real big trolley bag, which I can use when I go on vacation for a week or more.  As with my old bag, it should be durable enough to hold my voluminous clothes as up to now, I still don't know how to travel light.  But most importantly, price should be reasonable so as not to ruin my budget for a grand vacation.

When would that be?  Maybe soon...? ;)

restoration of P4.9B original budget of COA, for real?

I just read an article from the Philippine Star today that the house VOWS to restore COA'S original P4.9B budget. As a COAn myself, I'll just keep my fingers, as well as, my arms crossed.

Read on the article below:

Citing the Commission on Audit’s gargantuan task of checking abuses in the disbursement of government funds, the House of Representatives yesterday vowed to restore the constitutional body’s original P4.9-billion budget for 2009.

“They (COA auditors) have been doing their job efficiently and credibly and with integrity. How can they do their job if we don’t give them what they need?” said Siquijor Rep. Orlando Fua, who heads the sub-committee of the House appropriations committee.

Fua said lawmakers are unanimous in wanting to restore COA’s proposed P4.9-billion budget, but he clarified they cannot do it unilaterally as they still have to seek clearance from Malacañang.

“We cannot restore. There is a move to restore, but we have to get first the permission of Malacañang,” Fua explained.

Bayan Muna Rep. Teddy Casiño said the move sends a strong signal to the executive department that operations of constitutional bodies like COA should not be impaired, because they are essential to a democracy.

“The majority and the minority have a shared concern. Cutting the budget (of COA) sends the wrong signal. It’s a political statement coming from Congress. We should take steps not to reduce the COA budget,” he said.

Akbayan Rep. Risa Hontiveros noted the other day the shrinking budget of COA.

She said the annual budget of COA has declined steadily since President Arroyo assumed office in 2001.

Hontiveros provided Congress journalists a yearly comparison between the increasing national budget, now pegged at P1.4 trillion, and the P4-billion COA budget for 2009, or a measly 0.29 share of the total budget pie.

The party-list congresswoman noticed that since 2002, COA yearly allocations – in percentage share – have been diminishing: 0.54 in 2002, 0.48 in 2003, 0.46 in 2004, 0.42 in 2005, 0.38 in 2006, 0.36 in 2007, 0.33 in 2008 and 0.29 by next year.

The budget for 2001, when Mrs. Arroyo took over from President Joseph Estrada, was a carryover of the previous year’s. Budget allocations of all agencies – from the executive, legislative and judiciary – are deliberated and approved a year in advance.

The national budget for 2002 was P742 billion, P825 billion in 2003, P867 billion in 2004, P947 billion in 2005, P1 trillion in 2006, P1.1 trillion in 2007 and P1.2 trillion in 2008.

“A weaker COA means more corruption in government,” warned Hontiveros. “It’s as if the government has been punishing COA for doing its job. We should in fact be increasing the budget of COA, and not the other way around.”

The deputy minority leader also lamented the fact that the Department of Budget and Management had “disallowed” three important items in the COA budget that are crucial to its task of checking financial abuses in government.

Foremost is the minuscule P5-million confidential and intelligence funds, followed by the P47 million for training of state auditors including the computerization of its “data-rich” functions, and the P100-million capital outlay for the improvement of COA satellite offices.

“This decrease is not just strange. It appears as if there is an intent to impair and weaken the institution itself,” said Hontiveros, who reminded the public that it was COA which exposed the P728-million fertilizer scam, among other irregularities.