A hero only in name?

Like a lot of people I know, I used to be a big fan of MMDA Chairman Bayani Fernando. Even the most cynical Filipino cannot help but be impressed by the man’s vision, hard work and determination.

His accomplishments when he was mayor of Marikina City should serve as a model for all the cities, whether in the metro or in the province, that wish to emulate the progressiveness of the shoe capital of the Philippines.

His no-nonsense and strict disciplinarian style of leadership seemed to be the perfect foil to the ingrained corruption that plagues every level of government in this country.

I watched in eager anticipation when he took on the challenge of cleaning up the streets of Metro Manila as MMDA chairman. I thought to myself, “Here is the guy who can finally make a difference in cleaning up Metro Manila’s act.”

He had all the right ingredients to make it work: vision, determination, and something that is almost impossible to find in most politicos nowadays: an iron-willed conviction that will keep him from being beholden to the relentless pull of countless vested interests out there.

But there’s the rub. After several years as Chair of the MMDA, BF has revealed both the good and the bad sides of that iron-willed attitude.

Last time I checked, the Philippines is still a democracy. But you’d never know it from the pink fences and urinals that literally uglify the city, never mind that pink road signages and road dividers are not standard in any self-respecting country.

But poor color choices are the least of our problems – unless, of course, the people are forced to accept it whether they like it or not (which is the case here).

My biggest concern is how BF exerts his iron-willed solutions to almost every problem and assumes they will all result in positive outcomes. Take the much-maligned U-turn slots. How many cars have been wrecked because they ran smack into those poorly lit cement blocks that appear almost in the middle of some roads. Not all drivers are familiar with all the roads they traverse. And not all drivers are blessed with 20/20 vision and have cars equipped with those superb but hideously expensive xenon headlamps.

Result? A totally wrecked car and a concrete block that has been moved by a few feet or even felled on its side. Try that in America and the MMDA will be sued out of existence by all the owners of the wrecked cars. Why? Because those U-turn slots are just not properly designed, that’s why! Hmm, maybe it’s time for a class action suit here…

Don’t get me wrong. I’ve seen a lot of U-turn slots that have served to make the traffic flow faster. But what works in one avenue does not necessarily mean it will work in another.

Then there are those blasted bus lanes with their concrete sidewalks – again in the middle of the road. I’ve seen so many cars that ended up high-centered straddling those sidewalks. And that’s not to mention the traffic that those sidewalks have made worse. Some, like those in Commonwealth Ave. before you approach the Don Antonio Village intersection, have never even been used. Buses and jeepneys still pick up and drop off passengers after the intersection, which often ends up blocking the cars making a right turn to Commonwealth.

Elevated U-turns? I have yet to speak to a single motorist who has seen the wisdom in those. But BF is adamant that elevated U-turns are the ultimate solution to metro traffic.

Then there is the MMDA crew’s penchant for creating traffic themselves. For one whole week early this month, MMDA crews created massive gridlock along the eastbound lane of Quezon Ave. Why? Because their water truck was parked right at the mouth of the long QA underpass. To clean the walls of the underpass in the middle of rush hour, for heaven’s sake!

Hey guys, you’re supposed to help clear up traffic, not cause it! Why can’t they do it at midnight or at dawn when there is very little traffic? No budget for overtime pay and night differential?

Baloney! Then why did MMDA crews go sneaking into the night along Katipunan Ave. in front of Ateneo last month and start cutting up all the century-old trees there when everyone was asleep in what STAR columnist Alfred A. Yuson dubbed the Valentine’s Day Massacre in his column? Despite the loud protests of many environment groups. And despite a cease-and-desist order from the DENR! WHY???

I’m beginning to think that BF’s vision of “Metro Gwapo” is a city that’s all hot concrete, completely free from any trees or vegetation. Accented only by pink. Lots of pink.

While Singapore is fighting off the heat and pollution in its urban areas by planting lots of trees and hiding their already beautifully designed flyovers behind tall trees and crawling vegetation, BF is leaving us nothing but hard, harsh, and hot concrete. With pink urinals. Oh, and plus some strategically placed “Metro Gwapo” posters bearing his face. Gwapo? I’ll leave that up to you, dear readers.

I haven’t even mentioned the agency’s goonish tactics. We’ve seen how they demolish stores and houses like the people there are brazen criminals. Granted, they are people squatting illegally in public or private property, but why resort to violence and brute force just to clear them away? We’ve seen hapless fruit vendors running after their mangoes and oranges that have been needlessly thrown to the street by some of the crews that behave more like thugs. The Court of Appeals has even ordered the MMDA to pay a store owner for illegally dismantling her store a few years ago.

Is this the kind of vision, determination and iron-willed conviction I still want to see come 2010? I think not…

Just as we surmised…you Backseat Drivers are very opinionated when it comes to the elevated U-turn we wrote about last week. Which is good because we do encourage healthy discussion on the topics that we raise. Here are some of your reactions…

Thank you, Mr Magsajo, for speaking your mind. The elevated U-turn is a monument to our Government’s arrogance, stupidity and incompetence. It is a constant reminder to all Filipinos that THIS is what we will get if we continue to allow these idiots to exercise absolute power over us. Each time I crawl through traffic because of them, I mutter a few curses for those in power. They will be remembered come election day. – lorie624

I’m one of the few fans of the good chairman. Some of his projects have worked to ease traffic. This elevated U-turn at Kalayaan (when finished) will ease traffic. Naturally, an intersection with no stop light is better than one with a stop light. HOWEVER, it’s NOT the best solution. I actually asked myself the same question about what’s wrong with the proven flyovers? I’m guessing cost?  – smoothe

It’s about time somebody wrote about this. It’s a band-aid solution, not well-thought out, and poorly executed. It’s a waste of money. – bobstar2

I live in the Pasig area on the eastern side of C5 so I have no choice but to pass through the monstrous traffic jam everyday caused by the construction of the elevated U-turn.

I’ve also been to Bangkok before and seen first hand the wonders of the elevated U-turn system there and how it has improved the traffic flow in that city. It used to be that traffic in Metro Manila was better than Bangkok but it is the reverse now. This is because of the ingenuity of the people from the public works in that country who plan first before they even start digging. We should also look at their skyway system there that connects the city to their airport. Why can’t we duplicate that here? It saddens me that our government, especially the DPWH and the MMDA, act first before the plan. By then, it’s too late already to undo the mess.

The only good thing that this elevated U-turn construction has brought to my everyday drive to my office in Makati is that it has lessened the traffic snarl on the Buendia flyover. When you get past the construction area, it’s only less than 10 minutes to Makati Avenue.

But let’s see. Maybe something good will come out of this. If not, we can hang BF and his people for another failed project. – biboy1219

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