Public asked to send greeting cards early

CEBU CITY - As the Yuletide season fast approaches, the Philippine Postal Corporation (Philpost) 7 is urging the public to send their greeting cards early so that it get to their recipients in time for the holidays.

Rachelle Betos, Philpost 7 Marketing Specialist said since some countries have set deadlines for their designated postal operators, senders are advised to send their letters, parcels and cards within the deadline.

"For countries like the USA, Uruguay, Taiwan, Macao and New Zealand, mailers should send their cards and the like on or before December 17, while parcels should be mailed as early as possible," she said.

Betos noted that articles subject to customs inspection should also arrive before the deadline to avoid delays.

"The deadline is provided by the International Bureau of the Universal Postal Union for the delivery of the mail matters to the said countries," said Betos.

She added that aside from international mail, local senders are also urged to send their local mail early so that it can reach its destination on time.

Meanwhile, even if the bulk of international mail in the region have declined due to the global financial crisis, Jocelyn Agravante, PhilPost 7 1st District Manager is optimistic that they can still hit their target income this year.

Agravante explained that as the economic crisis badly hit the business sector especially those in the export side, they have also observed a decrease in international mail.

However, she said that during the Yuletide season, when love ones usually send greeting cards abroad, the volume of international mail is expected to increase next month.