There is no government presence in our streets!

If a foreigner were to describe the Philippines…perhaps they would say that we have more freedom in this country than any-where else! Yes, we Filipinos have taken democracy to its fullest, which is why today we are so tolerant about all the things that are wrong in our government. A good example was the recent Ceres Bus accident in Badian, Cebu, that killed two people. It was dis-covered that the driver was intoxicated. Yet, with a driver reeking of alcohol, the passengers still took this bus and met an accident.

The Don Mariano Bus that was speeding in the Skyway of the South Luzon Expressway didn't bother the passengers. No one stood to tell the driver to slow down. In fact I'm sure that many passengers who wanted to arrive to their work place on time or even earlier were delighted that the driver was driving as fast as he could to beat the traffic.

One of my readers, Mr. Ado Paglinawan emailed me his frustrations with this letter; “I was watching TFC where kinukulit ni Tabernas yung Skyway executive as to the tensile strength of the barrier. Medyo mali pa nga yung executive kasi he said the barrier, can withstand 100 Kph. Actually those “New Jersey” barriers can withstand 100 miles per hour (or 160 ken), more than what the executive was claiming.

Tabernas seemed to be fishing for some structural defect where there was none. Actually what happened to the Don Mariano Bus was that it went over the ledge. The CCTV video showed the bus speeding and somewhat skidding out of control. Later the videotape showed “kalbo” tires just like PNoy's extended forehead. What kind of government can allow on the streets, public transport buses that will not pass safety standards? Here in the State of Virginia all vehicles are required to pass a safety inspection and be issued a sticker for that. Expired stickers are fined US$25 with a US$60 dollar processing fee.

Dyan sa Makati, masipag manghuli ng mga suspected smoke belching private vehicles that ended being mulet for lagay, while passing around them left and right are smoke belching jeepneys and buses. You see them all over in Metro Manila. PUVs plying their routes with kalbo tires, park and brake lights not functioning, headlights not working.

Ride a jeepney and it is customary that you will notice that the driver steps at the brakes three or more times to make his vehicle stop. As Anderson Cooper said, 'There is no government presence here…' This was true in Tacloban and it is true in many of our streets.”

Thank you Mr. Ado Paglinawan from Virginia. Indeed, this Filipino now living in the US can see the stark contrast between how the US government works or operates versus how the Philippine government works.

Remember a year ago when the Land Transportation Office got serious about the helmet law and was going to fully implement a new standard for helmets for motorcycle riders? That attitude got all motorcyclists to shape up and get those safety helmets. But now that almost everyone has complied with this implementation. Those hardheaded motorcyclists are back to their normal daily fare and not wearing their helmets at all. This is because there is no one apprehending those without helmets anymore.

Whenever I'm on my bike and I stop at a traffic light and see someone not wearing a helmet (they usually put it on their shoulder), I usually tell the rider that he shouldn't be riding without a helmet. Usually, they get ashamed and put on their helmet. What gets my blood boiling is not the violators of this law, it is that no one is enforcing our laws.

Are you complaining about the traffic jams these days? Sure, whenever December comes around, people as far as Bacolod, Dumaguete and Ormoc get their cars in a Ro-Ro vessel to come and shop in Cebu. These vehicles no doubt add to our already worsening traffic conditions.

But in my book, the worse offenders are those motorists who press their emergency blinking lights when they park illegally. What gets my gall is that, whenever they do that, anyone, including a CITOM or TEDMAN enforcer can see this clear violation of our no-parking laws. These are people that need to be punished by having their cars towed away for causing those traffic jams. The most notorious violations are that very narrow part of Gorordo Ave. as you exit out of Beverly Hills. This is the chokepoint in Lahug and yet people still park illegally along the narrow road because no one and I mean no one is apprehending these offenders that cause traffic jams.

Yes Anderson Cooper was correct when he said that there was no government presence in Tacloban City. But indeed Ado Paglinawan was also right in saying that there is no government presence anywhere else in our streets. Perhaps netizens should use their cellphones to fight back. Take a photo of bald tires or jeepneys not turning on their lights and bring it out in the social media to show the incompetence of our government agencies.

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