'Real romance is in snail mail, not e-mail or text messages'

MANILA, Philippines - Scratch that e-mailed greeting card and forget about text messages this Valentine's Day, because according to the Philippine Postal Corporation (PhilPost), real romance is "in the mail."

PhilPost announced on Monday that they will be offering limited-edition Valentine's stamps and specialty gift items for Filipinos who want to send their loved ones special letters or tokens this Valentine's Day.

"Despite our modern technology, such as the use of text messaging, it is still different when love is expressed through the sending of flowers, chocolates and Valentine's cards," said Bernardito Gonzales, PhilPost Regional Manager for the National Capital Region (NCR), in a statement.

Items like specialty chocolates and flowers, sourced from local suppliers, are available at select post offices in the National Capital Region (NCR) including Quezon City, Makati, Parañaque and Pasay.

Those who want to have these "affordable" gifts delivered to their loved ones must order before specific cut-off times.

For local orders or delivery within a city, orders must be placed before 2 p.m. on February 13 (Saturday).

For delivery within Metro Manila, orders must be placed before 11 a.m. on February 13 or on the morning of February 14 (Sunday).

Annual gimmick

Meanwhile, PhilPost's limited-edition Valentine's stamps can be bought for P7 each.

The mailing agency is offering a total stock of 70,000 Valentine's stamps nationwide this year, according to PhilPost Media Officer Alvin Fidelson.

The stamps' designs, created by either PhilPost's in-house designer or guest designers, vary each year.

This 2010, buyers can choose from 2 different stamp designs.

One has a pink background with a blonde Cupid smiling amidst a swirl of hearts and the words "Mahal Kita."

The other is printed with "I Love You" messages in 7 international languages, with the words "Shower the World With Love."

Both stamps bear the message "Happy Valentine's Day 2010" at the bottom.

Fidelson said PhilPost's Valentine's gimmick is meant to raise funds for the mailing agency, which is not subsidized by the government.

"Since we do not enjoy such subsidy, we have to think of ways to raise revenues for PhilPost through our operations," he said.

He said other PhilPost regional offices have their own marketing gimmicks for special occasions.

More romance

The project also aims to encourage Filipinos to get back into the habit of sending handwritten love letters.

"It's a form of marketing to encourage the mailers to patronize writing, or the traditional form of writing. Because unlike sending messages on the internet, you can always keep [love letters]. It has a personal touch and is more romantic," Fidelson told abs-cbnNEWS.com/Newsbreak in a phone interview.

Fidelson said "thousands" of mailers make use of their Valentine's delivery services each year, including PhilPost's employees.

He said elementary and high students who participate in monthly tours at the Manila Central Post Office also avail of Valentine's mail services.

PhilPost, a government-owned and controlled corporation, is the country's main postal service.

Its services include domestic mailing services, international parcel deliveries, Philately or stamp-collecting services and an e-Post shop that sells stationary and mailing paraphernalia.

It is an attached agency of the Commission on Information and Communication Technology and has over 2,000 post offices nationwide. Report by Kristine Servando, abs-cbnNEWS.com/Newsbreak.