THE new postmaster general and CEO of the Philippine Postal Corp. (PHLPost) vowed to revitalize the country's post office.
The PHLPost Board of Directors elected its chairman Mike Planas as the new postal chief during its annual election on June 18.
In his inauguration speech, Planas pledged the digital and cultural transformation of the postal service so it could cope with the rapid evolution of the mail and parcel service industry.
"With a wide network of more than 1,200 post offices in the country, there is an untapped potential and challenge to bring the post office up to pace with modern delivery practices while servicing the most remote or missionary areas. You don't expect commercial couriers to deliver mail and packages to far-flung areas, but The Post Office can and will continue to serve the public — wherever they are," he said.
Planas has a wide academic background, having studied at the University of the Philippines Diliman, American University and Asian Institute of Management.
He served as a councilor in Quezon City and consultant to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization.
PHLPost aims to bring efficient, competitive and timely delivery of communications, goods, merchandise and payment services to the country.
Planas said he plans to expand into new product lines, forge partnerships across the logistics value chain, and enhance revenues by leveraging warehouse facilities and collaborating with e-commerce hubs.
"Logistics is the backbone of modernization by effectively moving the flow of goods and mail forward. We have to revitalize and upgrade the postal service to meet the daily needs of the Filipinos and make its mark as a top earner government-owned and -controlled corporation," he said.
He envisioned PHLPost as an institution capable of reinventing itself through technological integration.
"To prosper, we have to reboot the postal service business and invest in growth opportunities," he said.
Planas also committed to rehabilitating the 100-year-old Manila post office destroyed by fire last year.