When Metro Manila Development Authority Chair Bayani Fernando guested at the Bulong Pulungan sa Sofitel Philippine Plaza Hotel I asked him about “monsters” on the road that I’d like to demolish with one sweep of the sword. These are the towers of stalled vehicles and drivers of motorized pedicabs who act like kings of the road.
On the first, the tow trucks come sweeping into your vehicles within minutes of a breakdown. They come faster than a police car or a firetruck. That’s because the towers have contacts — street vendors, most likely — who call the towers when they spot your vehicle, and are given P100 by the towers.
Chairman Bayani has a point — vehicles that break down cause obstructions and snarled traffic, and 100 percent of the drivers are at fault. A flat tire (unless the driver has run over nails and sharp objects), running out of gas, a conked-out engine — these are caused by the driver’s negligence, and therefore, subject to being towed away.
BUT, said the chairman, towers must first contact tel. no. 136, or a checking point, to report a stalled vehicle. It takes about 15 minutes for the report to be filed, and the nod of No. 136 checker to haul the vehicle away. By that time, the engine must have started to work, or the flat tire changed. The driver can also call 136 to make sure that the report has been filed and approved. Otherwise, the tower hauls your vehicle to an impounding area and you’re charged P1,200, of which P800 goes to the private tower and the rest to MMDA.
The chairman said that if your car stops at the express highway, there are MMDA towers that will tow you to a “safe” part of the highway — for free. You can then fix the tire, or wait for a private towing truck.
The towers’ negative image should be changed. They should help motorists out of their predicament before they start hauling your car.
Otherwise, call 136 for murder.
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On motorcabs, Chairman Bayani said MMDA has no control over them, as they are licensed by local governments. Why so many of them are allowed to operate is beyond me. Sometimes they queue up for hours before they can get a passenger. And the pollution — noise and gas emission — they make is so harmful to people’s health, I wonder why the mayors, kagawads, local health departments and the licensing offices can’t sit down and talk about limiting the number of these vehicles.
People should learn to walk, said the chairman, but they resort to riding pedicabs to avoid clotheslines strung across streets, potholes and men drinking in front of sari-sari stores.
On this score, former San Fernando, La Union Mayor Jane Ortega is being commended left and right for limiting the number of tricycles in her city. It took her some time to accomplish this, especially because using a two-piston device that drastically reduced air pollution, was deemed expensive by the tricycle operators at first. If all local government officials follow Ms. Ortega’s example, our air would be cleaner, and traffic jams reduced.
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And there is yet another group of monsters — the motorcyclists who have sprouted like crazy all over the city, weaving themselves through small spaces between cars and trucks, nearly sideswiping you, and risking not only their lives, but yours, as well. If these guys are bumped off the road, it’s the car drivers who are most inconvenienced as they have to be investigated by the police and in some cases, through no fault of their own, pay for damage inflicted on the motorcycles.
A news item said that a majority of the car mishaps in Asia, including the Philippines, involve these cyclists. The availability — at relatively low prices — of the bikes has enabled the working class to commute to their work places faster than if they rode in public jeepneys and buses.
Still, the drivers should be more careful, and not slam their way through traffic with nary a care. We notice many cyclists not wearing helmets at all, and worse, families riding with the driver. Law enforcement officers should run after these people.
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My e-mail:dominimt2000@yahoo.com