Whatever works!

The threat of an association of doctors to file a multimillion peso class suit against the DOTC or the Department of Transportation and Communications, with no less than its secretary, the Honorable Mar Roxas in tow for their being remiss in the implementation of the Clean Air Act causing the rise of respiratory diseases among the populace, has been reported to remain just that, a threat.

And it is not true that the reason why the doctors decided not to push through with the plan was the realization of having to pay a horrendous filing fee to do so.

But the threat still worked when the DOTC assured the doctors that it would be stricter in apprehending smoke-belching vehicles and monitor more closely the Private Emission Testing (PET) Centers in providing road-worthy clearances to private vehicles—thus the doctors’ change of mind.   

I agree that the apprehension of smoke-belching vehicles can still improve and with increased apprehensions, when done with more dedication, and in many more places. However, the DOTC and the other agencies helping out must come up with a better system than what they have now, which is to randomly stop possible smoke-belchers and give on-the-road tests in areas where traffic flow gets easily impeded to the inconvenience of motorists and to the detriment of daily trade and commerce as the delivery of goods and services is slowed down and disrupted. Although I admit not to know how to do this better but I can dare say that it is not being done right.

I also agree that a closer monitoring of PET Centers can help in cleaning its ranks of the unscrupulous. But we must remember that those that are in the business for the long haul are doing their jobs very well as they know that they would lose more in having their establishments closed for not doing their jobs than the gain of meager bribes in exchange for issuing roadworthy clearance for smoke-belching vehicles.

What I do not agree with is the non-mention of government-run emission-testing centers for PUVs or public utility vehicles. Many of us know for a fact that PUVs are much more of the smoke-belching culprits than the privately owned cars and commercial vehicles. Just drive behind many of the buses running along EDSA and you would realize this fact for yourself…and how about driving behind most of the jeepneys that ply the streets of the metro. If the DOTC would really want to rid our roads of smoke-belching vehicles, the DOTC must likewise closely monitor and police its own emission-testing centers or MVIS (Motor Vehicle Inspection System) together with the PET Centers. 

Another thing that can be done is to increase the fines and come up with stricter penalties like outright impounding of smoke-belching vehicles. The DOTC would have to make it more expensive for vehicle owners to run smoke-belching vehicles compared to just have them properly maintained and eliminate toxic emissions—and help clean the air for us, our children and our children’s children.

The wisdom of a total truck ban

Word has it that the chairman of the MMDA (Metro Manila Development Authority) is mulling to have a total daytime truck ban. It is said that Chairman Francis Tolentino saw with his own eyes and received documented results about the lean vehicular traffic during the holding of the recent ADB International Convention, which was attributed to the temporary truck ban imposed during the period.

Many of my friends would hate me for this article but I just have to share what I learned in some of my travels abroad while talking to businessmen to find out what’s being done by their different governments to solve the problem of having too much vehicular traffic.

In some or many cities of Europe, all regular deliveries for shops, bars, restaurants, etc. are only allowed at night up to early morning right after midnight. This reduces the number of vehicles on the road during office and school hours and eliminates traffic flow disruption caused by the prolonged parking of delivery vans during the day.

This practice, which really works, could mean some adjustments for those delivering and those that receive the deliveries.

For those delivering it could mean shifting of personnel’s schedule to nighttime. Some night differential costs probably but reduction of fuel costs could be more as there is less traffic at night.

For those being delivered to, it could likewise mean the shifting of the schedule of their bodegero or those who would receive the goods and that’s not really much compared to the possible increase in business due to a freer flow of people during the day.

But can you imagine driving or being driven around Metro Manila without having to travel side-by-side with a rusty 40-foot container that appears to be on the verge of rolling over should the driver of the van decide to make a sudden turn?

Many of us have seen the lean traffic in Manila last week, mostly not even realizing that it was because there were fewer or no trucks were on the road during those days. We won’t experience or enjoy that again until the next truck ban.

There will be loud howls of protest should MMDA Chairman Tolentino decide to push through with his planned total daytime truck ban. But we should remember that there were also loud howls of protest when they first thought of the partial truck ban, which is being implemented now. There will always be huge resistance for anything new.

But if what’s new is what’s best—to hell with the protests!

Your call, Mr. Chairman. 

More innovations

This year’s launch of the Auto Focus People’s Choice Awards won’t be until the last week of June with the actual public voting commencing on July 1^st.

Now on its 8^th year, this annual search through public voting for the country’s most preferred automobile models for each category of sedans, SUVs, AUVs, vans, pick ups, sports cars and even those that do not fall in any of those mentioned thus earning an open category classification, and the most popular, the people’s choice for the coveted title of “Automobile of the Year” is now undergoing some innovative changes, foremost of, which I mentioned before is the imputation of ‘actual sales’ as part of the public’s voice together with those votes cast online, but with a bigger weight factor.

Together with the inclusion of actual sales as a huge determining factor to gauge an automobile’s popularity, we have also decided to innovate further by making a more realistic “apples-to-apples” competition by drawing a line between the models by now having a separate “premium models” distinction. We thought this would even up the sales advantage due to price of entry-level models over the more expensive but amenities-loaded automobile models.

We’ll keep you posted with more details of this year’s staging of the Auto Focus People’s Choice Awards brought to you in cooperation with Caltex with Techron. 

Happy Motoring!!!

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