Hey, what’s all the beef about?

Some of our politicians may really need to get out of their very secured air conditioned offices and pricey automobiles and maybe once in a while take a walk through the streets of the metro to know how it really is to live or “survive” in the outdoors of the concrete jungle. Then maybe they would know the stark difference between what realities are and what are dreams, or worse, denial.

I can empathize with the Land Transportation Office (LTO) when they floated the idea of confiscating “8” numbered plates even before actually implementing it. It’s a way of sizing up the reaction of those who would be affected or testing the waters, I would speculate. In the past, many have done radical moves with clean intentions or just to strictly implement the law only to find themselves suddenly by the wayside, jobless, not knowing what actually hit them or what they did wrong.

And true enough look at the reaction of the politicians. Instead of encouraging the leadership of the LTO to go ahead and do their job without fear or favor they get a dressing down and even being ask to resign. “Anybody caught breaking traffic laws should be cited, especially with ‘8’ numbered plates and this should have been done a long time ago” is a reaction of someone who may be detached from the realities of the streets of the concrete jungle, not knowing what’s really happening there.

How many times have a policeman or traffic enforcer attempted to cite those aboard automobiles bearing “low-numbered” plates for a traffic law infraction only to be met upon opening their heavily-tinted windows with the very famous Pinoy words that exudes power, “Hindi mo ba ako kilala?”

This is the reality that happens in the streets of our country that many policemen and traffic enforcers would much rather turn a blind eye whenever they encounter dark-colored sedans and SUVs that are heavily tinted especially those with back-up vehicles and see them counter-flowing, entering one-way streets, speeding or driving recklessly – why bother? “Baka mapahamak lang ako pag nakabunggo ako ng mabigat.” (I may just find myself in the wayside if I encounter a big shot.)

I share the LTO’s most practical approach to solve the problem of having abusive drivers and owners that have low-numbered plates in their vehicles (most of them are being used by relatives and friends anyway and not by the government officials themselves) and that is to “remove the cause” – ban the plates. It’s that simple. So, what’s all the beef? Bakit tayo masyadong high-blood? (Why are we so high-strung?)

If there won’t be any vehicles supporting plates with the number “8” then our policemen and traffic enforcers would not be unnecessarily intimidated in doing their jobs and would have all the courage to stop those that are still having them despite the ban because they would surely not be the high government officials that they project themselves to be.

Let’s ban the unaccountable “Congressman’s plates” and reduce the number of abusive drivers who think they are above the law simply because their plates are numbered “8”.

Number-coding traffic scheme is now obsolete?

In my recent “one-on-one” interview with one of respected business leaders on the TV show Motoring Today’s public affairs segment Motoring Forum, Mr. Sergio Ortiz-Luis, Jr. categorically said that he thinks that the Unified Vehicular Volume Reduction Program (UVVRP) or what’s more popularly known as “color-coding” or “number-coding” is no longer effective.

The respected president of Philexport and honorary president of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) cited the fact that many in the metro merely bought second cars in order to go around the controversial vehicle ban. He said, “Just go around subdivisions and villages and you’ll see second and third vehicles parked outside the homes that have cars parked in the garage. This reality only goes to prove that the projected reduction of vehicles from the metro’s streets is no longer there. As a matter of fact, automotive industry sales figures show an increase of vehicle sales proving that there has been an increase of vehicles and you can be sure they have different number endings.”

It is believed by many that the ban may have been effective during its early stages. But as many people realize that there was no convenient, safe and comfortable public transport that’s in place and their jobs and businesses cannot allow them to be late for work or absent once a week when their vehicle is banned from running, they opted to just buy another automobile – brand new or a less expensive pre-owned depending on one’s budget. Now with two vehicles in the house, other members can actually use both of them on the six days in a week that they are not banned – so where’s the reduction?

Jun, who’s very active in the country’s Export Sector, being one of the recognized leaders in the industry, strongly feels that the “vehicle ban” be lifted due to its ineffectiveness and let the market forces that dictate the price of fuel do the job of making people sparingly use their vehicles, which can be a lot more effective than altogether stopping the populace from making use of their private properties.

Untouchables?

Someone who must have thought that what he had to say to me was of vital importance, which I myself thought it was, endured the almost 30-minute busy tone of our switchboard last week just to able to talk to me about a very disturbing observation.

Remember the recent DOTC (Department of Transportation & Communications) order that was just recently released through the LTO regarding the new guidelines on the use of “commemorative plates”?

Here’s to quote a vital part of memorandum, “The commemorative plate shall not be superimposed over the regular plate. It shall be installed in front of a motor vehicle either at the right side or left side of the regular plate.”

Our regular reader of this column and likewise regular viewer of our TV show Motoring Today, who requested not to be named for security reasons saying, “I don’t know who I may be pitting against” wanted to know why he can still see a lot of plates with the letters PPSA wantonly placed where the regular plates should be – a clear violation of the new ruling?

“Are they untouchables that policemen and traffic enforcers can’t seem to see or refuse to see, these ‘unlawfully-placed’ plates on quite a number of vehicles roaming the metro?”

Sorry sir, I don’t have the slightest idea why and I guess I would have to refer your query to the LTO. By the way, the PPSA is not an association of Congressmen, is it?

Motoring Tip of the Week

How many of you have duplicates of your automobile keys?

Now, how many of you know exactly where the duplicate is?

As important as having duplicate keys, is the knowledge of where they are. It is advised that one key is located in the house while another in the office. They should be very accessible for anyone who would receive instructions as to where to find them.

Happy Motoring!!!

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