Unfinished business

We failed to acknowledge some significant letters sent in by our readers last year and we wish to get that done now to start with a clean slate for 2011.

Here’s a letter from Mr. Antonio Palag of Verdana Homes, “Mr. Gamboa, I hope and wish that you can invite those nincompoops, who race their expensive sports cars and the likes in SLEX on Sundays, to your safe driving seminars. I am sure that they are in the same circle of sports car enthusiasts as you are. They flaunt their riches to the less fortunate citizenry and at the same time create hazards on the road for us safety concious drivers. I sometimes clock them at 100 miles per hour zigzagging through the traffic without concern for public safety. Equally the same goes for those montrous bikes. I sin before I enter the church on Sunday mornings because I wish these drivers bad luck when they near miss my car. What is unfortunate about this is that these “race car” drivers are probably from good families, rich, famous and schooled. I did not say educated. Thank you for your time.”

It’s very possible Mr. Palag that some of those “rich, famous and schooled but not necessarily educated” drivers that you are referring to who wantonly race at the SLEX during Sundays are reading this column right now. And hopefully they get to realize that the other motorists actually think so lowly of them whenever they are into this dangerous and inconsiderate mode. Thanks for reading and for writing.

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Mr. Marte Rivera wrote to express that he subscribes to what we said in this column regarding the “kuligligs” on Manila streets. However he adds, “But somehow we need to focus on ‘kuligligs’ along national highways particularly Maharlika Road from Bulacan to Nueva Vizcaya. These hand tractors turned calesa have no EWD, tail lights or even reflectors. They will get you by surprise especially at dawn and twilight.”

Amen, Mr. Rivera. Many motorists who travel our highways have had close shaves with these “highway kuligligs” with some with more damaging and even fatal consequences. But really and truly I cannot understand why despite the very obvious and visible danger that these “hand tractors turned transporters” pose, the PNP Highway Patrol Group fail to see them while they dangerously traverse the highways. Is it by choice that they would rather not see them? And the local governments in the provinces where they operate seem to even encourage their existence. These contraptions, concededly borne out of Pinoy ingenuity, are not only hazards like the tricycles that are allowed to travel in the highways and main roads, they also contribute to a stunted economic growth as transport of people, goods and services grinds to a slow pace whenever they are encountered. Thank you for your concern, Mr. Rivera.

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Mr. Eladio B. Pineda, Jr. has some alarming information to offer the E-PASS users in the SLEX. He writes, “I would just like to report a recurring issue with the E-PASS system in SLEX. I and 100% of my friends who are E-PASS users are being overcharged monthly and is evidenced by our monthly statement of account. We have just noticed it around August this year, and has been recurring monthly ever since. We have seen discrepancies as far back as January this year. And what’s more, it takes them months to revert back the overcharges we complained. What’s happening is, most of the time, for example, they charge the full amount from Nichols to Calamba (P87) instead of the actual, for example, Carmona to Calamba (P13). This is P74 overbilling. If they have 1,000,000 subscribers, this will be equivalent to P74,000,000 worth of money being stolen from the public. How about those customers who are not checking their billing statements, where is their money going? This could be a money making anomaly inside the SLEX toll management. Are there any criminal charges we can pursue about this? Can you please write an article so that people may be warned of this issue and take precaution? If you need further details, I can provide you some evidence”.

Based on this information there may now be two groups that need some explaining to do about his claim – those that manage the SLEX Nichols to Alabang and the group that has taken over from the Alabang portion onwards, which has just been given a go signal to finally raise their toll fees. Should these allegations of Mr. Pineda be substantiated by actual evidence, they are indeed outright criminal. And I suggest to our reader and letter-sender that this matter be elevated to the Toll Regulatory Board for further investigation and proper disposition.

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We got this favorable reaction from Mr. Rene Moral to our suggestion regarding the putting up of a barricade single-lane for buses traveling in EDSA, to quote, “A single lane delineated by concrete barriers would be the best solution to keep reckless bus drivers from creating havoc on EDSA and other major thoroughfares. In addition, another single lane with concrete barriers must be created for motorcycles. There will be powerful and influential big shots in government who will certainly oppose this, but they could easily be identified and must be sent to Maguindanao. It’s the implementation that’s crucial to the success of any project/program. Is the PNoy administration up to the task”?

The more people we discuss with this “single-lane concrete-barricaded” approach to solve the perennial problem of empty buses clogging almost the entire length of EDSA with undisciplined drivers recklessly causing avoidable accidents, the more nods of approval we get. We just hope Mr. Moral that the powers that be also see it the way many motorists see it and not the “hundreds of thousands of regular (like monthly?) reasons” that cause them not to see at all. Thanks for writing.

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Meanwhile, our reader, Mr. Marcial Soriano added some of his wishes to our list that we came up with in this column to greet the New Year. He writes, “Let’s all be positive in thinking that your wish list will come true this coming year. Let me add a few more wishes of my own as follows:

• that MMDA remove all illegal terminals of buses, jeepneys,and tricycles all over Metro-Manila, identify its maintainers and protectors and prosecute them;

• that MMDA restore the ‘Pook Batayan’ (Point of Reference) system implemented in the 1980s to pinpoint the group of traffic enforcers under a group leader responsible for the traffic situation in a specific area so called the ‘Pook Batayan’ (with reference number or name) Happy New Year to ALL!”.

Thank you Mr. Soriano for writing in your list of wishes for a better motoring in our country in 2011. And I agree with you about the effectiveness of the “Pook Batayan” during the time of President Cory, which was conceived by Mr. Elfren Cruz of the then Presidential Management Staff. Who knows, our chosen President may bring it back should he find it still effective during these times.

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And finally, Mr. Norman Herrera sent us a long letter regarding what he thinks is the major cause of our country’s road accidents. (I am constrained to do some editing for space considerations.) He writes, “Ever wonder why we have so many road accidents?!? I am no expert, but I believe that there are many causes. I do firmly believe that the major cause is driver failure, over-enthusiasm, etc. In short, the DRIVER. I have been a driver for so many years, 41 years, starting when I was 15 years old. On a daily basis. I have had my share of accidents, mostly minor; one or two, not so minor. I have bumped a cow and a boy riding a bicycle, both incurring only slight injuries. It was I, the driver, who was more scared than them. When I was working in Hong Kong in the mid-90’s, my boss had me use a car. Since my international driver’s license was only good for several months, I had to apply for a local one. I needed to take their two-phase tests, written and practical. Passing the written part was easy. The practical test, I failed. Not knowing where I erred, they advised me to go to a professional instructor. Which I did. So for several sessions (paying exorbitant fees), I went to the rudiments of crossing zigzag lines, using hand signals when turning, parallel parking, two hands on wheel, etc. Hell, I know these things! Blindfolded! I again applied and took the tests. Again, I failed. Again, I took up lessons. And I took the exam again. Again, I failed. I asked the examiner why, having been a driver in the Philippines since my youth, I still fail. His answer: that’s the reason. He says that I have imbibed so many bad habits that they come naturally. Where do professional drivers (bus drivers, jeepney drivers, ambulance drivers, tricycle drivers) and motorcycle drivers learn to drive? Probably, their kuya or uncle. My two cents worth: require driver’s license applicants to enrol in LTO accredited driving schools or professional individuals. These instruction companies and individuals shall then be given merits or demerits on passing rates of their students and then classified. Tests must be honest to goodness. Wala nang lagay-lagay”.

Yes, Mr. Herrera, the major cause of accidents in the country is the driver – even for the near chaotic road scenarios in the metropolis. My hopes were high for a while when then newly appointed LTO chief and DOTC Assistant Secretary Bert Suansing promised me that he would bat for a re-application of licenses for public utility drivers. That could have weeded out all the undeserving who go behind the steering wheel and unsafely transport the unsuspecting riding public (that is assuming that the entire system of determining their capability to drive would be overhauled and both written and practical tests done legitimately). But for some reason or another, the plan never pushed through. But I think it’ll be wishful thinking for us to expect things to get better without some drastic measures – like starting with a clean slate by requiring all public utility drivers to pass all tests – practical, written, physical and psychological before issuance of driver’s license and every renewal.

Thanks for all your letters and please continue being involved in our efforts to improve motoring in the Philippines.

BMW in the Philippines makes head start

I don’t really know if our good friend Mr. Jose “Pepito” Alvarez, the chairman of Asian Carmakers, the exclusive distributors of BMW in the Philippines, would really want this out in the open. But I feel that it is my responsibility and obligation, not only as a journalist but as a proud Pinoy myself, to share to the nation whatever accomplishment the Pinoys have achieved.

We have been informed that in so many years, sixteen if I’m not mistaken, especially including the time that BMW Philippines was run by the Germans themselves, it was only in 2010 and under the very able tutelage of its current president Mr. Bobby Rosales that their books saw “black” instead of consistently “red”. And from a consistently sliding performance, the BMW sales in the Philippines have registered an astounding 9 percent increase.

It was the “all-Filipino team” that reportedly turned around the company and changed the color of the figures in the books that were left all in the “red” by its predecessor.

No we are not saying that the people that the “all-Pinoy team” took over from didn’t know what they were doing, we are just very confident, and with all due respect to our expat friends, that the Pinoys know best about the Philippine market than all of the foreign experts combined.

Kudos to Bobby Rosales, Maricar Parco, et al!

Happy Motoring!!!

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