"There are many other issues."
"There are many other issues."
Last week, a certain Alvin Marayan, who claims to be a member of the public relations team of J&T Express, sent me a private messenger through FB messenger. He was reacting to my column published last August 17 entitled “What happened to the probe?” This dealt with a resolution which has been pending before the House of Representatives regarding a proposed congressional inquiry on unregulated couriers and their illegal practices.
Mr. Marayan’s message is as follows:
“Dear Sir Charlie and Manila Standard Editorial team,
I'm Alvin Marayan from PRC, Inc., we are the PR arm of J&T Express Philippines.
Sharing the official statement of J&T Express managements about this news: https://manilastandard.net/opinion/columns/naked-thought-by-charlie-v-manalo/331591/what-happened-to-the-probe-.html
“We are cooperating with the PDEA on this incident. As a matter of security protocol, any suspicious items we find are immediately turned over to the proper law enforcement agencies for investigation. We reiterate that as a responsible and law-abiding corporate entity, we are committed to ensuring that no illegal items get through.”
Thank you,
Alvin Marayan
PRC, Inc.”
First of all, I would like to express my gratitude to Mr. Marayan for volunteering to identify J&T Express as the courier behind the drug bust in Cebu City involving a courier which yielded 12 kilos of shabu. On purpose, I did not identify J&T to be the courier involved in that particular incident.
Also, it’s welcome news to hear J&T Express to assure the public of its cooperation in the investigation of the incident.
However, let us dig deeper as to why cases like that happen. Or why drug syndicates utilize J&T Express’ services for such criminal acts.
First, several years ago, questions were raised against J&T and other unregulated couriers if they practice the KYC or the Know Your Client principle in accepting clients. Apparently, come couriers don’t practice this principle. Thus, some unscrupulous individuals and even criminal syndicates have been able to tap their services to deliver drugs and even bombs just like what happened in the Quiapo bombing some years back.
Also, while Mr. Marayan claims his client, J&T Express is “a responsible and law-abiding corporate entity,” the Department of Information and Communications Technology website bares said courier is only allowed to operate in the National Capital Region. So, what is a J&T Express warehouse, which yielded 12 kilos of shabu, doing in Cebu City? Clearly, the warehouse is in an area where it shouldn’t be.
In fact, following the shabu seizure in J&T’s Cebu City warehouse, Cebu Congressman Eduardo Gullas joined the call for the DICT to toughen its supervision of courier services.
J&T Express, which was founded in Indonesia in 2015, is the same courier firm that President Rodrigo Duterte earlier threatened to shut down after a viral video on social media showed some of its personnel mishandling packages.
Actually, the particular article to which Mr. Marayan sent his reaction on behalf of J&T, was not only about drugs, but the courier’s mishandling and malpractices.
It was about allegedly operating outside of its authorized area. It was about contents allegedly substituted, and parcels pilfered.
In fact, a reporter, Beth Camia, related to me how her daughter, who is an online seller registered with Shopee, suffered losses due to alleged pilferage perpetrated by personnel of J&T.
According to Camia, her daughter sent some baby dresses to an online buyer through J&T Express. But when the package reached the buyer, several pieces were missing. While Camia’s daughter filed a complaint with J&T, she had to replace the missing pieces so as not to lose her online shop’s credibility.
Camia is from Cavite, also outside of J&T’s authorized area of operation.
So, Mr. Marayan, the issue against J&T Express is not only about drugs. It would be better if you would also address the complaint of the J&T’s clients regarding the handling of their packages, and the issue why J&T insist on operating outside of Metro Manila even if it’s license, as per DICT, is only for the NCR. I would be very happy to receive your clarification.
**
Speaking of parcel delivery, it seems not only private couriers are not only the ones causing misery to their clients.
A friend, Gerome Tempra told this writer he sent a package to his kid in Qatar through Philippine Post branch in Quezon City last July 16, through the EMS or Express Mail Service. This cost him P14 thousand pesos.
According to Tempra, he was assured that his son would receive the package in a month at the most. His son, according to him, was even given a tracking number to track the progress of delivery.
However, since Day One, the tracking number was of no help as his son could not locate the whereabouts of the package. It was only last August 24, more than a month after the package was sent, that they were able to track it. They discovered that it had just left the Philippine warehouse that day.
Another friend, Ivory Faye Gallos, who is now residing in Shizuoka in Japan, sent a package to her friend in Bulacan, also availing of EMS. She was also assured her package would be delivered and reach its target recipient in one week.
However, three weeks have passed and the package is reportedly still stuck in Philpost’s Pasay City warehouse.
Of course, we understand that delays in delivery this time could be due to the abnormal situation brought about by this pandemic. But then, if they cannot assure their clients of swift deliveries for their packages, then why do they have to accept express services for package deliveries?
Not only Philpost has to suspend express mail service at this time when it cannot assure swift deliveries, but it also has to refund customers who were affected by the delays in their delivery.
