Ho! Ho! Ho!

The year is about to come to an end, yet there are still many things left undone and still to be achieved.  Promises that were made by our public officials – both local and national will be forgotten. So, what else is new?

Pet Peeve # 1: The most annoying problem we face is our daily commute.  The traffic problem is worsening day by day.  There are more vehicles than the roads can carry.  The mass transportation problem remains unsolved. Traffic enforcers continue to confuse the public.  The yellow lane is not working at all.  One day there are enforcers who allow the flow to pass thru the yellow lane to decongest the traffic.  The next day, they catch those passing thru the yellow lane.  Is this a trap?  Then you get caught passing thru the lane when you have to really use it in order to turn to your destination.  Sanamagan!

The implementation of traffic rules is inconsistent. Traffic enforcers are not trained.  Rules change almost every week (experimenting without logic, not even common sense), adding to the chaos and causing road mishaps.  Public buses are overcrowded causing health problems to many passengers who stand for hours, cramped like sardines in a can. If you are claustrophobic or easily get panic attacks, you’re doomed. One holds on to dear life as the impulsive, overworked daredevil of a driver carelessly makes his way, with sudden stops, unmindful of the safety of his passengers. Seatbelts and safety is a thing of the past.

Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) are working together to identify and analyze traffic bottlenecks, develop a 5-year action plan that contains sustainable solutions on traffic management, and capacity enhancement under the Project for Comprehensive Traffic Management Plan for Metro Manila.  JICA is also supporting the Philippines’ development agenda under the Build, Build, Build program. This includes the 38 kilometer North-South Commuter Railway for Malolos-Tutuban and the 25 kilometer Metro Manila Subway connecting Mindanao Avenue to FTI in the south and further to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, among others to further address traffic gridlock and attract more investments. Abangan!

Pet Peeve # 2: The wang-wang is back and even more deadly!  As citizens try their best to follow the traffic rules, you see public officials or some VIP passing thru traffic escorted by the PNP on motorbikes with several vans with bodyguards or security escorts doing a counter flow.  What’s worse is that all the vehicles have no plate numbers.  So, why aren’t they being stopped?  This new trend defies all the rules of the road and no one seems to care. I am quite alarmed that the PNP allows this. Why can’t they be caught and stopped? Do we still live in the feudal ages?  Are they the feudal lords? Ho! Ho! Ho!

Pet Peeve # 3:  Where are the car plates?  New cars bought recently can easily get a car plate.  But the cars purchased two to three years ago still do not have their plates.  There are way too many cars on the road without license plates. Where are the aluminum –made car plates?  

Nothing more has been heard since the LTO distributed the car plates in July of this year. So what happened to the 11 million car plates that were meant to be released last August? Can someone please enlighten us on this issue?

Pet Peeve # 4: Sick and tired of elections.  Look at our candidates prancing around town. Many seem to be running for the wrong reasons.  Those running for re-elections have not done any significant service to the country. They are “narcissists” – believing they are great but why has nothing changed? Can’t they see the filth and disorder around their towns and cities?  Can’t they see that the laws they made worsened the country’s situation? Even if we vote wisely, nothing will give.  The taxpayers who work hard are over-ruled by those who don’t pay, by those who beg and by those whose votes can be bought. The vicious cycle will never end until we have a leader who will stand up for what is right.

Pet Peeve # 5:  Imelda’s jail time. While many are serving their jail time, why can the corrupt officials easily get away with it? Why are they also still allowed by the law to run for public office? This is a clear example of how our morality has gone down the drain.

In the case of Imelda, yes, she may never see the darkness of a prison cell. She is a clear case of how our ‘pseudo’ democracy works in this country.  You know how equality is treated amongst the ‘haves’ and the ‘have nots.’  While fighting for her cause and trying to get out of the loop, there are people out there who are incarcerated for crime they have not even committed. Imelda, on the other hand, was sentenced to a minimum of six years and one month to a maximum prison sentence of 11 years “for each count” of graft.  And now look at how our law and enforcement works.  Susmariosep!

Pet Peeve # 6:  China’s relation with Duterte.  Chinese President Xi Jinping’s  visit to the Philippines last November 20 brought attention to two major issues: The future of the West Philippine Sea particularly the planned signing of a joint exploration framework, which is allegedly unconstitutional, and warnings about the Philippines falling into a “debt trap” due to loans and grants offered by China. Whatever the President and his men says, I still feel goosebumps all over.

Ho! Ho! Ho! This country is clearly moving backwards, where we see public officials taking advantage of government for personal gain, where we observe cabinet officials keep mum about crookedness, where many get away with doing what is wrong, where immorality is now the new norm.  If we don’t put a stop to all these, soon we will find ourselves in the abyss, the bottomless pit.