How to Recover Lost SIM Card

I lost my phone to a thief last Dec 21, 2012. I was so devastated--not because of the cell phone unit but mainly because of the sim card. I learned from a friend that you can retrieve your cellular phone number from your carrier and so I went to a Smart  Store at Gateway Mall, Araneta Center (my lost sim card is a Smart prepaid sim). I brought the following requirements (see below) but I was told that my Smart Money card had expired a few months ago and further, that it was not linked to my lost cell phone number. I asked for any other remedy or solution but the customer service representative cannot provide one.

Unperturbed, I went to another Smart Store located at Ali Mall, Cubao, Quezon City. This time, I gained hope. While they likewise reiterated that my Smart Money was not linked to my number, they nevertheless asked for other proof of ownership. Take note that Smart's website says that "any" proof of ownership will do. I was told that an LBC receipt or similar kind may be accommodated.

I tried to find one at home but I think I threw them away. Anyway, to my surprise I stumbled upon my old sim card ownership certificate (half a paper's size) issued way back year 2000. Back then, such certificates are being issued for every puchase of sim cards. 

Of course, this was more than enough proof that I own the cell phone number. In short, they issued to me a new sim card bearing my old cell phone number.

Requirements:

For lost or stolen Smart SIM card, submit the following documents/requirements to any SMART Store.

1. Duly notarized Affidavit of Loss
2. Two (2) valid Proof of Identification
3. Any proof of ownership of the lost/stolen SIM card (PUK slip, SIM casing, personalized Smart Money card linked to the lost/stolen SIM card)
4. SIM replacement fee for P40 (SMART Prepaid) and P30 (Talk 'N Text).

Globe likewise issues new sim cards for lost or stolen sim cards with generally the same requirements.

Tips for easy recovery of your sim card:

1. keep your PUK slip or SIM casing.
2. link your Smart Money to your cell phone number.
3. keep other proof of ownership such as digitally printed receipts bearing your number
4. try other branches if a carrier's store doesn't seem to be accommodating.
5. try to produce first requirements 2 and 3 above before procuring an affidavit of loss because such document would be useless if you can not prove your ownership.

Source: http://www1.smart.com.ph/help/prepaid/article/2011/11/12/replace-prepaid-sim-card-(retaining-same-number)

Benefits of Life Insurance: Living Benefits

This article is supposed to provide some information and hopefully encourage the reader to buy some life insurance for his own benefit. But rather than giving informative details such as those which the insurance agents provide or say in their efforts to convince one to buy, this article merely gives some advantages of having an insurance based on the author's personal experience with respect to his own personal life insurance.

Sometime in 2002 (I was just 22 years old then), I was engaged in a multi level marketing business which deals with alternative medicine or should I say food supplements  and in the course of my undertaking such business, I met a woman---a mother who later became my downline---was in need of our products because of her ailing mother. Incidentally, she is a insurance agent. And naturally, being part of nature of the business, she asked me to purchase a life insurance from her. I agreed an ex deal was made.

For around a few years, I religiously paid my annual dues until a time when my finances cannot anymore afford to continue paying my bills. After my due date, I receive a receipt showing that my account was converted to a semi-annual mode of payment and that the first half of the year has been paid after applying as payment my accumulated dividends (I am not aware that this was the option my agent indicated in my application form). That was amazing because at least I was bailed out for this year.

But what was very pleasing for me with regard to insurance is about the living benefits. From what I understand, the nice thing about this one is that it is a loanable amount. After a minimum of three years of payment, you can actually borrow this amount from the insurance company. I remember my agent saying before that you can take this out as a loan and not bother paying it. The loan will just be deducted from your family's living benefits. So, life insurance can also be used as a credit source.

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How to Deal with Urinary Tract Infection

When I was still in college (not too long ago ;), I remember a female classmate of mine who had a Urinary Tract Infection (UTI). That is the first time I came to know about it, and I thought all along that only women may contract such infection. Until one day, I felt some pain when I was urinating. It became so persistent that I finally decided to visit a doctor (I have an HMO anyway).

After being required to submit a urine sample, the doctor declared that it was indeed due to a UTI. I was surprised. How can a man have UTI? Anyway, an antibiotic was prescribed to be taken for 14 days -- this means my infection is severe.

After presenting the prescription with a local pharmacy, a learned that each pill costs P17. That is too pricey for me and knowing that might be other equally potent drugs out there, I inquired about other drugs with the same generic name (thanks to a law which compels all doctors to indicate the generic name of drugs in their prescriptions) and the pharmacist gave me generic drug which costs just P1.60. I bought 21 pcs and after 2 weeks of taking all of it, the result of my urinalysis showed a very substantial improvement.

With this experience, I have learned that generic medicines are as equally as effective as those popular brands. Prices are just inflated because of advertising expenses.

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How to Deal with Carbuncle

My father had a large wound as big as tennis ball on his back. We had him checked by a doctor and it was diagnosed as a carbuncle. Carbuncle is similar to a boil only that the former has multiple eyes while the latter has only one.

The doctor's recommendation was to do a series of surgical operation but since the wound was so huge, the operation has to be done around four times dividing the wound into four quadrants. But before starting with the first one, he has to make sure that my dad has no diabetes or that his blood sugar is stable otherwise the healing process would take long. The initial result of the blood sugar test gave a result of around 180 so we were advised to return after a few days and see if the blood sugar goes down.

We did not know how to lower down his blood sugar other than cutting his intake of sweet foods and rice. We gave him oat meal instead of rice and wheat bread instead of ordinary bread. Also, we had him drink green barley after learning that it helps in lowering blood sugar. After 3 days, the doctor was surprised to learn that the blood sugar of my dad went down to around 114. After another 3 days of drinking green barley, the blood sugar reading showed 40 and so the operation finally pushed through.

The doctor was very amazed by the fast improvement of the wound every time he conducted the operations considering that my father is 79 years old which means regeneration of cells would be very slow. We did not tell him that my dad is taking green barley because some doctors are not a fan of alternative medicine.

After around a month of taking green barley, my dad's back has no trace of any scar from the wound. That is very amazing, to think that the doctor said that a deep scar would definitely occur.

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2013 Schedule of Civil Service Examination

This is for the Paper and Pencil Test (PPT). The examination is scheduled on April 14 and October 13, 2013.

For the Computer Assisted Test (CAT), please regularly check Civil Service Commission's website for announcements http://excell.csc.gov.ph/cscweb/exannounce.html

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CREDIT MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION OF THE PHILIPPINES (CMAP)

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Address : Room 401 Cattleya Condominium, 235 Salcedo Street, Legaspi Village, Makati City, Metro Manila

Tel. No. : (632) 812-9880 / 817-8386

Fax. No. : (632) 892-9102

URL www.cmap.com.ph

The Credit Management Association of The Philippines, also known as CMAP governs all financial institutions that provide loans and credit. Its members are banking, financing, services, trading, manufacturing and insurance sectors. CMAP aims to instill, develop and nurture credit consciousness, responsibility and discipline among ourselves and among credit grantors private sectors and to promote active and voluntary interchange, and mutual reciprocal use, of quality credit information.

All loan and credit information is managed by CMAP, so whether you have made all of your monthly payments on time, paid off a loan, or defaulted on a loan, all is kept in CMAP, typically for a period of 5 years. Old names are removed allegedly in order to prevent overloading of data.

But some say your name will be on CMAP listing permanently, the record will only be updated showing CLEARED/PAID once you have paid your loan. But this is not automatic. You have to go to their office and present all the proof of payments you made and certification that you have settled your arrears. But do not give out original copies.Sometimes they tend to pressure you to give out original documents.

When you try to open a bank account or apply for a loan, CMAP is checked first. Also when you apply for a loan or credit card, your eligibility and rates are determined by your CMAP credit score. Here are the current score rankings:

Excellent Credit - 750-850

Good Credit - 660-749

Fair Credit - 620-659

Bad/Poor Credit - 350-619

No Credit - 0-0

Check this link to read a case decided by Regional Trial Court (RTC) where CMAP was made to pay damages for keeping the name of an importer in the CMAP listing of court cases for 27 years and thereby causing damage to the importer:

https://sites.google.com/site/momarcoimport/cmap-decision

RELATED POST:
Non Payment Of Credit Card Debt

Non Payment Of Credit Card Debt

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Failure to pay one's credit card debt will definitely not get you into prison. This is a rule enshrined by no less than our 1987 Constitution which states that “No person shall be imprisoned for debt or non-payment of a poll tax” (Article III, Sec. 20). This will forever be the rule such that not even a new law passed by Congress can modify or abrogate it, unless the Constitution is properly amended or revised under procedures prescribed by law, i.e. constitutional convention, constituent assembly or peoples initiative.

This therefore makes non-payment of credit card debt only a civil case. The proper case would be an action for collection of sum of money. However, Republic Act No. 8484 or the Access Devices Regulation Act of 1998 criminally punishes any act of obtaining money or anything of value through the use of an access device, e.g. credit card, with intent to defraud or with intent to gain and fleeing thereafter. Section 14 of the same law further provides that “A cardholder who abandons or surreptitiously leaves the place of employment, business or residence stated in his application or credit card, without informing the credit card company of the place where he could actually be found, if at the time of such abandonment or surreptitious leaving, the outstanding and unpaid balance is past due for at least ninety (90) days and is more than Ten thousand pesos (P10,000.00), shall be prima facie presumed to have used his credit card with intent to defraud.”

Thus, changing your residential address may be used by credit card companies or their agents such as collection agencies as evidence or proof of such intent to defraud. You may now be then prosecuted criminally under said law.

If the debt is debt does not exceed One Hundred Thousand Pesos (P100,000.00) exclusive of interest
and costs, a  small claims case may be filed under the 1998 Rules on Small Claims (A.M. 08-8-7-SC, effective starting October 1, 2008) which Rule requires only 1 hearing, and any court decision rendered therein shall become immediately final and non-appeallable. This means that the proceedings will not take long unlike ordinary cases.

In the event that the debtor or credit cardholder is being harassed by credit card companies or collection agents, they may write to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) at consumeraffairs@bsp.gov.ph about the collection agency concern.The BSP issued Circular 454, Series of 2004 (September 24, 2004) which defines unfair collection practices among banks, credit card companies and other agents;  mandates that banks, credit card companies and their agents must observe good faith and reasonable conduct and refrain from unscrupulous or untoward acts; and also enumerates what are deemed unfair collection practices, i.e.:

a) the use or threat of violence or other criminal means to harm the physical person, reputation, or property of any person;
b) the use of obscenities, insults, or profane language which amount to a criminal act or offense under applicable laws;
c) disclosure of the names of credit cardholders who allegedly refuse to pay debts, except as allowed under Subsec. X320.9 and 4301N.9;
d) threat to take any action that cannot legally be taken;
e) communicating or threat to communicate to any person credit information which is known to be false, including failure to communicate that a debt is being disputed;
f) any false representation or deceptive means to collect or attempt to collect any debt or to obtain information concerning a cardholder; and
g) making contact at unreasonable/inconvenient times or hours which shall be defined as contact before 6:00 A.M. or after 10:00 P.M., unless the account is past due for more than sixty (60) days or the cardholder has given express permission or said times are the only reasonable or convenient opportunities for contact.

Collection agencies earn on commission basis ("no collection, no commision"). Some of them are independent businesses who buy the delinquent accounts from banks or credit card companies for small amount. Some of them resort to harassment or other unlawful activities just to collect.

Action for collection of sum of money if based on written contract prescribes in 10 years.

Negative effects/consequences

Not paying your credit card debt will reflect badly on your credit history. Which means it will be difficult for you to get a personal loan when you need one.

Aside from that, some companies do check the credit history of their job applicants so a bad credit history may affect you if you’re looking for employment.

Related Post:
CREDIT MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION OF THE PHILIPPINES (CMAP)