VP Binay and his old farm worker
Last Friday, the Inquirer came up with two front page reports- one that blared "Binay says detractors hallucinating" and the other report says "Village folk readily say VP family owns farm." Yes, we are talking about that magnificent 350-hectare farm allegedly owned by the Binay family in Rosario, Batangas, which Binay claims is owned by Chinese-Filipino businessman Antonio Tiu. So who is really hallucinating here?
If you read the other article and let me quote that report, which reads, "If you go by the municipal government records, you cannot find documents that will show Vice-President Jejomar Binay has a business or real estate property in this town. But residents in the remote village of Maligaya in Rosario quickly refer to a gated property, about 12 kilometers from the town center as owned or used by the Binay's." This was based upon the talk of a 67-year old woman who worked on the Binay's farm as an orchid cutter for 14-years.
For sure, the Binay's must have entertained many people in that farm when no one was accusing them of anything. But now that this luxurious farm is in the front pages of the news, the Binay's say that they do not own this property. So who should we believe? The Binay's who all of the sudden are all in denials that they made money from the people of Makati or the poor 67-year old woman who openly said that she worked with the Binay's?
Like the case of Philippine National Police Chief Alan Purisima, whose luxurious resort-like residence in San Leonardo, New Elijah, that property was not even listed in the records of the Municipal Assessor's Office. So to the bigger question is do you want VP Binay to be the next president of the Philippines? God forbid that he would even run for president after all this negative exposure could land him a long jail sentence!
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I was on my way to Salinas Drive yesterday morning from our Sons of David Mass at the Cebu Country Club and as I was near the stop light on the right lane, a jeepney in front of me had stopped on the right lane; as the light turned green, I blew my horn, but the driver did not care to move. It was then I realized that his jeepney had stalled. Seeking to assist him, I opened my window to address the driver, but he did not even notice me. But I certainly noticed that the jeepney driver was very much older than me. He could very well be in his 70's. So I just left him.
However this brings us to the question, how old should we be able to drive our vehicles. Of course I know that all this varies in your state of health. So the answer should be, it depends. However this brings us to the question: what about public transportation drivers? How old should our public utility drivers be allowed to drive? I am asking this question because of the incident yesterday where perhaps despite my blowing of horn, the jeepney driver did not hear me because he has hearing problems. Most probably he also has eyesight problems and if so, he could be of danger to his passengers?
During last week's 888 News Weekly Forum at the Marco Polo Plaza Hotel where Land Transportation Franchising & Regulatory Board Board Member Atty. Antonio Enrile Inton, Jr. was our special guest with LTFRB Regional Director Ahmed Cuizon, we emphasized on the safety of our passengers. In fact I brought one more to the attention of Atty. Inton that the biggest problem we face with our jeepneys is that they do not turn on their lights at night because they want to save their batteries.
I reminded the LTFRB that brand new cars and motorcycles today have no light switches anymore because when the engine starts, the headlights always turn on. Yes, even during the day. The purpose of this is for visibility even on daytime. So I suggested that perhaps the LTFRB should also look into making it a requirement for all public utility buses and jeepneys to have their lights turned on when the engine starts. This should solve the problem of having dark or lightless jeepneys running our roads in the dead night, posing a clear and present danger to pedestrians and other vehicles alike.
I am sure that jeepney operators and drivers must hate me for this but our aim is to ensure safety of the riding public. But for their benefit, I also opposed the proposal to increase traffic fines for public utility drivers. However I took the occasion of asking Board Member Inton to consider the "strike three, you're out scheme" that they are doing in most western countries. I do not know how many times I have written this issue in the past, but apparently no one has taken it up to the planners of LTFRB or LTO. But Atty. Inton said that he would bring it up to the LTFRB Board. So finally, there is a chance for the Philippines to finally adopt this measure that works so successfully in many western or industrialized nations.
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