if you have accumulated 50 POINTS in your SM ADVANTAGE CARD, chances are, you have already been enrolled in the accident insurance program of philam without your prior knowledge.
this is what i gathered from TRADE AND INDUSTRY UNDERSECRETARY ZENAIDA MAGLAYA after my interview with her in the program, BUSINESS IS OUR BUSINESS this noon in DWIZ 882 khz am (monday to friday 12-1 pm).
according to usec maglaya, she talked to MR. REY MACLANG who is apparently the head of the promo department of the sm advantage card, and mr. maclang admitted that they have enrolled more or less 700, 000 card holders to this program. there are 4 million sm advantage card holders. 700, 000 qualified for the promo. this means P 14 million worth of accident insurance through the deducted rewards points (mathematical explanation: 20 points which is equivalent to P 20 is paid to the accident insurance of every qualified card holder, in this case, 700, 000 card holders.)
i asked usec maglaya if sm has violated any law regarding this pre-enrollment and the late announcement / information dissemination through email. she said that they have to investigate deeper and collect evidences before they could conclude that the sm-philam collaboration is punishable by consumer laws.
what does dti need?
1. they need the formal complaints of the cardholders who have been irked / affected by this insurance promo
2. they are asking for the flyers, print ads, emails and text messages that sm supposedly published / disseminated before the promo started
3. they need the contract which the card holders signed before they became members (to check if there was an agreement regarding this automatic insurance program)
but while sm and the card holders are accomplishing these requirements, the dti recommended the following to the sm management:
1. the sm management should put big printed announcements of the promo in their malls
2. the option to get out of this insurance program, i.e. the opt-out, must be done by phone or by email (which would be more convenient for the consumer) rather than the previously required personal visit to any store of sm (for the card holder to fill up an opt-out form)
3. the sm management should individually inform the customers of this promo by email or text
usec maglaya added that they have already talked to some sm advantage card holders (maybe from their office because she was just informed about this issue yesterday in our radio program), and these card holders think that the accident insurance program is not a bad idea, considering that sm and philam are only charging you P20 in exchange for a P100, 000-coverage.
yes, if you'd think about the benefits of the insurance program, you would surely jump for joy for this opportunity. but if you'd look at the fact that sm and philam have deducted 20 precious points (which you would earn after coughing up P 8, 000 for any sm-sold product/s: P400 = 1 point) you'd feel cheated especially when you're trying to earn more points for a "freebie product" that you've been eyeing in their store. and, like what mrs. ruth floresca, a card holder, told me in an earlier interview in the same program, you would feel betrayed because your private information have been passed on to a company without your prior approval. this is aside from the fact (supplemented by mrs. floresca) that the program has been going on for two years now without informing their card holders.
tomorrow, we will be interviewing mr. rey maclang of the sm advantage card promo department, to explain their side on the issue.
if you have questions that you wish to ask mr. maclang, please send me an email (marou70@gmail.com) before 11 am, tomorrow, friday or send me a message through ym at dwiz882am@yahoo.com
or you can tune in to business is our business (12:00 - 1:00 pm) on dwiz 882 khz am or via web: http://dwiz.com 
hi jhunie...what did u say to them? do u like this automatic insurance program? 