More Questions than Answers

Lately, some stories in the newspapers bring up more questions than answers. After all, the newspaper stories were suppose to chronicle the who, the what, the where, the when, the why and the how to ferret out the truth, or at least a semblance of the truth, but instead of being enlightened after reading the news, questions form in my head.

For example, who’s telling the truth in the Valley Golf fisticuff – the Dela Paz or the Pangandaman camps? Who beat up who? With the number of columnists and reporters giving their opinionated accounts, it seems that both camps employed PR companies to put down the other through the newspapers.

In the celebrated case of the Alabang Boys drug buy-bust, it’s hard to discern who the real criminals are. Are the bad guys the rich brats who were caught selling drugs or are the bad guys the ones who caught them and then wanted to be paid huge amounts of money to look the other way? There are rumors floating around news rooms that the problem between the DOJ and the PDEA only came about when the involved operatives from these two government agencies allegedly couldn’t agree on how to split the multi-million peso bribe. If this is true, can we still trust our justice system?

Congress recently passed the 1.4-trillion peso 2009 National Budget and the congressmen added an additional 2-billion pesos to their pork barrel, which is commonly known as the source of kickbacks for some of the unscrupulous members of the House. Some of them even want to dip their hand in the 5-billion peso classroom construction fund. Have our congressmen become so callous that they think we are oblivious to the current global financial melt down? Do they think that graft and corruption is recession-proof?

PGMA recently re-shuffled her cabinet and one of the changes she was considering was to replace incumbent Assistant Secretary Alberto Suansing with former PNP chief Arturo Lumibao at the Land Transportation Office. Will LTO Chief Suansing get replaced just because he wanted to put a stop to the abusive use of the special plate number “8” that some members of the Congress allegedly “sell” to their rich friends? Are the rumors true that House Speaker Prospero Nograles has been bugging the President to replace Suansing? If Suansing gets replaced, what happens to the programs that he started at LTO? In the same vein, why are the terms of the LTO chiefs too short? Former LTO Chief Reynaldo Berroya was transferred back to the DOTC as he was about to implement his programs. Will Suansing and his programs suffer the same fate?

This is probably one of the reasons why the traffic discipline in our country is going to the dogs. There has been no solid program to improve the growing traffic problems because the LTO Chief does not stay long enough to implement one. This gap gives MMDA Chairman Bayani Fernando the opportunity to handle the Metro Manila traffic with his own brand of enforcement, which does not comply with the international traffic laws that the Philippines is a signatory to. Where in the world can you see traffic signs in pink or traffic barriers that have no reflectors? It’s only here in the Philippines!

Last January 2, I stopped to ask two MMDA traffic enforcers why they blocked the U-Turn on EDSA going from West Avenue to the North Road, which created heavy southbound traffic from Balintwak to Quezon Avenue while traffic on the northbound was free-flowing. The response I got from the enforcers, especially the short fat guy who was the supervisor, was a cold stare and a wave-off as if to say “Mind your own business.” Well, Mr. Arrogant MMDA Enforcer, traffic has become my business because your incompetent handling of the traffic situation is wasting my time and my money, especially when my car is burning fuel while crawling through heavy traffic on a day when traffic was supposed to be light. I consulted Gen. Fernando “Ding” Pace (Ret.), formerly of the PNP Traffic Management Group and he is of the opinion that many of the MMDA traffic enforcers as well as some of the people in the traffic command center lack the proper technical training as well as the people skills to be adept at the jobs. If that’s the case, then what the hell are they doing there? Why are we, the taxpaying public, wasting our hard-earned money paying those incompetent people to screw up our lives? How long must we put up with this?

There was a time when public figures like congressmen, senators and government officials were so conscious of their image that they tend to do the right things before the public eye, lest they risk being dislodged from public service. Nowadays, our officials do not seem to care because they know that they can buy the votes in the next election, cheat their way back into power or weasel their way out of a political rut. Heck, just look at the way they muscle their way through traffic. Their escorts blast their sirens and bully other road users to give way, callous that these road users are the constituents that they’re supposed to serve.

Fortunately for us, we have a little over a year and half to decide if we want changes in our lives and if we can implement these changes through our votes during the May 2010 National and Local Elections. When that time comes, I hope and pray that we can make our votes really count so there can be less questions and more answers that can truly help our country grow.

Motorcycle Unity Ride

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo will declare the week of May 4-10, 2009 as the “National Motorcyclists Week”, which will coincide with the 15th National Motorcycle Convention that will be held from May 8 to 10 at Baguio City. The Convention will be hosted by the Luzon Motorcycle Federation (LMFI) headed by DOTC Asst. Sec. Reynaldo Berroya. Host clubs will be the Lawin Motorcyclists, which is also headed by Berroya, and the Vigan Heritage Motorcycle Club, headed by Bonito Singson.

There will be a “Unity Ride for the Environment” on May 8, 2009 that will be flagged off by President Arroyo from Camp Crame in Quezon City. Motorcycle riders and clubs, whether they’re into big bikes, cruisers, scooters, underbones, dual on/off, sport bikes and mopeds, are all invited to join the Unity Ride that will culminate at the former Clark Airbase in Pampanga. PGMA has requested the management of the North Luzon Toll Ways to allow access to all types of motorcycles, even below 400cc. during the Unity Ride. Proceeds of the ride will go to the reforestation of the Ambuklao Dam.

As an avid motorcyclist, I’d like to invite my fellow riders to join the Unity Ride and the Bike Convention. Let’s ride united and show not only our growing strength but our concern for the environment! Ride safe!

We’ll answer a very interesting question regarding our lead story last week…

Does anybody have an idea what the name LEXUS means? I don’t know if its true but a guy from Toyota told me that it means Toyota’s Luxury Edition for the US. That is why it can be found in the US only before. – abdul (To answer your question, abdul, we consulted no less than Lexus Manila president Daniel Isla. According to our very reliable source, the name Lexus came about after a brainstorming session that initially produced the name “Alexis”. Eventually, the original Toyota bigwigs agreed on the name Lexus. It isn’t an acronym at all, but you are correct in stating that it was a brand meant specifically to address the then growing demand in the luxury car market in the United States.)

Speak out, be heard and keep those text messages coming in. To say your piece and become a “Backseat Driver”, text PHILSTAR<space>FB<space>MOTORING<space>YOUR MESSAGE and send to 2840 if you’re a Globe or Touch Mobile subscriber or 334 if you’re a Smart or Talk ’n Text subscriber or 2840 if you’re a Sun Cellular subscriber. Please keep your messages down to a manageable 160 characters. You may send a series of comments using the same parameters.)