Water trafficking

No, our title is not referring to the sale and distribution of illegal water. Rather let me share my experience (and reflections) in respect of last Monday’s water induced traffic.

After a 4:30 p.m. meeting in Makati, I started to head back north towards Mandaluyong. I thought I had plenty of time to swing by the office before attending a 7 p.m. dinner at Edsa Shangri-La. The skies were overcast but the rain was still manageable. The traffic along EDSA was heavy but moving. I was then happily listening to the light banter of DZMM’s  Pasada sais trenta of Karen Davila and Vic de Leon Lima. Then the rain began to pour.

After several minutes of strong rain, the Dos for dos tandem of Anthony Taberna and Gerry Baja had taken over.  Their description of the traffic build up was most appropriate. â€œUsad pagong” had slowed to â€œusad suso” (read snail not breast). As we were approaching the Guadalupe bridge at around 5:40, I was beginning to have doubts as to whether I would still be able to pass by the office but I was still pretty confident about making it to dinner on time.  After passing Pioneer Street, the traffic suddenly stopped. By that time, the TV Patrol trio of Korina Sanchez, Ted Failon and Noli Kabayan De Castro were reporting the news. They were describing the traffic jams that were forming all over the metropolis.  

Since we had not moved for 30 minutes, I asked the driver to turn off the engine. No use wasting gas as it was cool anyway.  I was watching the office workers who had changed to their rubber slippers using umbrellas and plastic covers to shield them from the rain. On the one hand, I envied them as they walked freely along the highway. On the other hand, I counted my blessing of being warm and dry inside a chauffered vehicle. A motorcycle in front of us was trying to maneuver out of the traffic but was being blocked by a black CRV. The motorcyclist tried to convince the latter’s driver to move a bit but no to avail. So for more than an hour the poor motorist had to endure the blinding rain.  A sad case of misery loving company.  

At 6:50, I texted our dinner host to say that I would not make it to dinner on time. Apparently he was along EDSA as well but was even further down south. He said it was better to postpone the dinner to another day. Our other understanding dinner companions (even if one was already in the hotel) were amenable to calling it off.

We had not moved for over an hour (although EDSA’s south bound lane was free and clear). The north bound lane had been converted into a giant parking lot. A colleague called to say that the area in front of SM Megamall was flooded and not passable even to buses.  She advised me to turn back. I said that was no longer possible.  After the news, the SRO program of Alvin Elchico and Doris Bigornia entered the house. They tried to help motorists by identifying places that were flooded.  But for some of us, it was a case of too late the hero.  

Then the traffic began to move. We inched our way towards EDSA crossing but the underpass remained clogged with vehicles. We finally were able to make a U-turn at Shaw but by that time traffic had built up as well along EDSA’s south bound lane. As our fuel was running low, we stopped at the Petron station which was attending to a bee line of cars. The adjoining fast food joint was also packed. I thought to myself:  one person’s bane can be another’s blessing.

I then started listening to “Magandang Gabi Doc” hosted by Nina Corpus. Her guest dermatologist, who was supposed to discuss hair loss, had not arrived. This topic was of personal interest to me.  Meanwhile, a PAGASA forecaster who was filling in said that the weather agency had declared a yellow alert as of 8:20 p.m. Apparently a color alert refers to the amount of rain expected to be generated as distinguished from a storm signal which measures wind strength: yellow corresponds to signal one, orange to signal two and red to signal three. And to think that all this water was accumulated without a color alert?    

We crawled our way back home. As we pulled up the driveway, Usapang de Campanilla began to air. We were on the road for more than four hours yet we did not get to where we were supposed to go. But then isn’t the journey its own destination? Plus it could have been worse. And at least I got an idea on what to write for this week’s column.

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Plane thoughts: Following our plane fare column last week, I received this thoughtful reflection from Fil-am aviation expert Ben Lau on the history of Philippine aviation. He reminisces:

“Manila used to be (in the 1950’s & early 1960’s) a major stopping (transfer) point for major carriers of that period. If I’m not mistaken, Manila Dint (before Changi and before Singapore even officially existed) played host to Pan Am’s Flight 001 that went around the world.

Philippines was then internationally recognized as “Pearl of the Orient” and a dynamic business hub. When I left to pursue graduate schooling in the US, the peso was worth between 2 to 4 pesos to US$1 and the population was under 25 million people. How times have changed.

Philippines is in the cusp of becoming a great center for commerce and industry again and can regain its rightful status as a major aviation hub in the Asia Pacific region. The right decision on infrastructure development will propel the country into a new growth trajectory that will surely uplift living standards for many of our countrymen. A poorly conceived and ill-advised development plan will lead to stagnation and missed opportunities.” 

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“You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn how to surf.”                                               â€“ Jon Kabat-Zinn

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