NESTOR B. ACA-AC, 49, is a father of five who thought he had ensured that his oldest child, a daughter, would be able to go to college without them worrying about her school expenses.

Aca-ac of Iligan City said he and his wife, a schoolteacher, got an educational plan from The Professional Group (TPG), encouraged by television commercials featuring Francisco Colayco and then husband and wife Ogie Alcasid and Michelle van Eimeren.

He said his daughter entered college this school year but he learned that his brother-in-law was not able to use fully his own plans for his three children.

Aca-ac said they could not find any TPG office in Iligan or nearby cities and municipalities. He said the company did not inform plan holders where to claim their benefits. It also did not give the numbers to its offices.

In fact, it seemed to Aca-ac the company no longer existed. Even the web site had disappeared, he said.

Aca-ac said they were paying for their daughter?s first year in college, which was supposed to be paid by TPG. Even the television advertisements featuring Colayco were no longer seen on television, he said. He would want to know from government agencies that oversee pre-need companies like TPG how they could get back the money they paid.

Package information

From Cebu City, Rev. Ruben Lumagbas Jr. wrote to suggest that processed meat packages should contain nutritional information. Among other things, Lumagbas was particularly concerned about the sodium content. He wondered if meat processors were not required to provide such information.

Luz Hecker of Angeles City said she noticed that some supermarkets in Metro Manila had signs saying ?chilled, not frozen meat available.? Pampanga stores, she said, did not make that distinction. Hecker said, because of the risk of botulism, a serious infection that could be fatal, she was careful about the meat she bought. Even at home, she said, ?I make sure that I do not re-freeze thawed pork and beef.?

But she said meat vendors did not seem to understand the importance of not refreezing meat that had been allowed to thaw. ?Perhaps it is time to disseminate such information and require butchers and outlets to make a distinction. This is also true for fish and chicken,? Hecker said.

Text scam

Annie Cruz wants to warn readers of this column against another text scam. She said she got a message saying, ?Nhihulog kna ang pera n pdla ko sa inyo ito nga pala ang bgong ruming # ko d2 n kau mag txt nwla ang dati kng ruming # ploadan m muna ako kht 500 lng paubos nlng ang load ko ingat nlng kau dyn god bless all (I just sent you money. Send text messages to this, my new roaming number, as I lost the old one. By the way, please send me even P500 worth of air time load as I am running short.)?

Cruz said this was just a ruse to steal P500 worth of load from unsuspecting recipients who might be taken in by the idea of money being sent their way.

Documentary stamp

May Agaran, who identifies herself as a content editor working in Hong Kong, said she had been sending money to her family here for almost three years now through Western Union.

She said the transaction rate was low compared to bank-to-bank transfer, which was about three to four times higher. But she said the recent imposition of the documentary stamp tax (DST) had meant a significant cut to the amount she sent her family.

She said she always sent home a fixed amount. The DST took a ?hefty P200? from this amount. Though people might think P100 was barya, it was still hard-earned money for overseas Filipino workers, she said.

She said she was happy when she read on Inquirer.net that the DST ruling had been repealed and remittances from overseas were now exempted from paying the fee. However, she said her sister told her that Western Union branches were still deducting the DST from the total amount, saying they were unaware of the exemption.

Agaran would like to call the attention of the proper government authorities and agencies about this.

?We all know that Overseas Filipino Workers remittances keep the Philippine economy afloat. Removing the DST and implementing the exemption are just a little payback for all the hard work our countrymen overseas do,? she said.

Send letters to The Consumer, Lifestyle Section, Philippine Daily Inquirer, 1098 Chino Roces Ave. cor. Mascardo and Yague Sts., 1204 Makati City; fax 8974793/94; or e-mail lbolido@inquirer.com.ph.