Keep on truckin’ into the gates of hell

When The STAR trumpeted “Manila lifts truck ban” on its banner story last Sunday, not a few must have heaved a sigh of relief, crossed themselves, and promptly removed newly bought handy urinals from their vehicles.

The recent apocalyptic vision of traffic hell on earth (said to have stretched nine kilometers long) that was NLEX must still be a very fresh sore – literally and figuratively – on the behinds of many affected motorists. Collective indignation quickly honed in like a smart missile onto the leadership of the City of Manila – more specifically Mayor Joseph Estrada and his traffic czar, Vice Mayor Isko Moreno. The duo had previously been frustratingly obstinate on the implementation of a stringent truck ban within city – famously known as a crucial entry point of goods via its ports.

The three main facilities (Manila South Harbor, Manila North Harbor, and Manila International Container Terminal) collectively make the city the most important and preeminent gateway for waterborne people and products. But even a cursory look at the old city’s thoroughfares should tell you that it’s ill-equipped for the daily abuse and serpentine stream of some 20,000 poly-axle vehicles vying to pick up or offload cargo. Effectively managing the glut of Optimus Primes is, well, of prime importance. Easier said than done, of course, and the preponderance of suggestions is as numerous as the glut of excuses that everything is for the public good.

The Metro Manila Council, where mayors of each municipality and city break bread and butt heads with each other and the likes of Metropolitan Manila Development Authority Francis Tolentino, had become a battleground – particularly as far as the truck ban went. Vice Mayor Moreno, who heads the Traffic Management Council of Manila, continued to resist calls to rescind the city’s 6 a.m.-to-10 a.m., 5 p.m.-to-10 p.m. truck ban.

Moreno said that the monstrous traffic in Manila could not be attributed wholly to the truck ban, since the snarls had predated it. Having once worked full-time for this Port Area-based paper more than 15 years ago, I would wholeheartedly agree with that notion, but not on the logic that parochial interest trumps national good.

Finally relenting after seven months of implementation, Manila City Hall is expected to fall in line with the rest of its Metro Manila Council brethren which implement the MMDA’s existing truck ban from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. and from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. – effectively bestowing an additional two hours daily for trucks to go about their business.

In the previously cited STAR article penned by Jose Rodel Clapano with Mike Frialde and Evelyn Macairan, Moreno “admitted he was hurt with the lifting of the truck ban, saying this made their efforts in solving the traffic in Manila useless. ‘Manila is a gate of hell, according to Dan Brown. Let the national government solve the gates of hell.”

Moreno obviously remains defiant, and had further added that some police and military officials who also own and operate trucking firms and behind the efforts to lift the truck ban.

Still, many people are lauding the move – most notably DOTC secretary Jun Abaya and MMDA’s Tolentino. Obviously, there’s no need to read between the lines: the Manila truck ban is viewed as a crucial roadblock for achieving some semblance of order in the streets.

“It’s good that the Manila Mayor lifted the truck ban,” echoed Automobile Association of the Philippines (AAP) president Augusto “Gus” Lagman in a text message to this writer. “Many industries suffered when it was in force. Then, corrective measures resulted in horrendous traffic.”

Lagman quickly added: “Having said that, the national government (through the Department of Transportation and Communications) should initiate moves to improve the ports, then direct shipments to importers south of Manila, to Batangas, and to importers north of Manila to Subic.”

To be fair, Manila’s Moreno himself had cited the development of the ports of Subic and Batangas as the only long-term solution to decongest Manila’s stressed facilities – adding that other efforts would be merely Band-Aid.

Indeed, sans a universally acceptable solution, it is incumbent upon government agencies such as the MMDA, DOTC, and Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to get their act together along with LGUs. In the wake of the NLEX nightmare, cooperation and coordination have to be more systematic to avoid similar “erratic and downright horrible road conditions being experienced by motorists and the general public,” added Lagman.

He cited reports that indicate “the country loses P2.4 billion a day in potential income in Metro Manila alone.” The bill could “balloon to P6 billion by 2020,” he continued. However, the AAP president warned that a solution will not come easy. “Mayors should focus on the dynamics of traffic flow in their respective areas and organize public hearings with all the stakeholders, national government agencies as well as the private sector. Only they would know the real score on what is happening on their roads,” Lagman maintained.

“The local officials should meet people on the ground level and ask them about road conditions, the traffic flow during peak and non-peak hours, what needs to be addressed and so on. Traffic-related governing agencies should hold regular meetings with truckers associations, bus operators, jeepney operators, to know what is the common good for all stakeholders. From there, we could build viable solutions.”

Clearly, Lagman shows there is no time for self-affirming jubilation over the lifting of the Manila truck ban, just as there is no merit in pouting one’s lips and sulking at a perceived slight.

Instead, we should rise to meet the challenges. “We always hear, read and learn that they point fingers at one another. Can’t they just admit their fault, learn from mistakes and make sure that these problems never happen again? We need results and not just reasons,” he said in the AAP release.

There’s a crucial lesson we need to all learn so we don’t bitterly welcome all into the “gates of hell.” It’s not that misery loves company; it’s that we need to become bigger persons beyond our self-interest and ego before we attain an unhindered vista into what needs to be done for the greater good. I humbly submit that it’s how we can begin to solve a lot of our problems – not just traffic.

For now, don’t throw away those handy urinals just yet.