Redesign the madness

There comes a time when we need to correct mistakes made by others or remedy the consequences thereof.

Because of our lack of forward planning and application of zoning laws, Metro Manila is now seriously affected by the presence of shopping malls next to major thoroughfares. On weekends and ordinary days, their conduct of business is tolerable and previously manageable. But when Malls decide to hold three-day sale’s, or Mall Madness sale’s that include or happen to begin on a “Friday-Payday” especially during inclement weather or a rainy day, we all know that “Carmagedon” and insane traffic jams happen.

A number of people have already expressed anger and declared personal wars or boycotts of some malls on Facebook because of the traffic jams that they created and stranding people on EDSA and other business districts.

It is time for the government particularly the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), the MMDA, and association of mall owners to limit their “Sale” events to Saturday and Sunday only. No more Friday – Payday – Traffic – Madness. I am a mall rat but if I can’t even get there or anywhere else on a Friday – payday then customers and malls don’t really benefit.  People will adjust if they are given incentive, so why not introduce “2 hour lunch time sales” or Mini-Me versions of America’s “Black Friday Sale” or 12 to 12 Sale’s. Mall operators and marketing managers need to be creative and competitive instead of being obstructive in our daily lives.

Whether mall operators agree or not, it can now be observed and heard from consumers themselves that given a choice of facing traffic just to shop, people opt to stay home. Then there is the growing popularity of small shops rising within residential communities that could and will progress unless traffic and Carmagedon is addressed. If all else fails let’s all ask our friendly Congressman or Senator who wants our votes and support to pass a law officially banning the “Friday - Payday Madness sales.”

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Will the 2016 Presidential election be decided on the basis of Character Assassination and Disqualification? Listening to Digong Duterte’s recollection of events it seems that it is more fact than fiction. To begin with 3 of the 4 front runners have all accused the administration team of resorting to character assassination or demolition by perception, particularly via fake Facebook accounts and sites. Grace Poe has come out in the open against the people of Mar Roxas, Digong Duterte has threatened “An Eye for an Eye” retribution to the Mar team for callously using his wife’s and his medical condition to cast doubts on Duterte’s health as a possible presidential candidate.

We of course have all heard the weekly or monthly lament of the Vice President concerning all the attacks against him in various media as well as in the Senate which he calls demolition by perception. The thing about all of this is that all of Mar’s political opponents sing the same song and forms a chorus, so there is enough reason to believe there is some measure of truth to what the “victims” claim. Let’s see if the same “Dirty-tricks Department” will have the balls to attempt a demolition job on “Tita Miriam” who I’m sure will declare that she will have Mar and his team for breakfast.

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Whenever we find ourselves in difficult or unpleasant situation it is but normal for us to focus on the “problem” but never realize the purpose. This piece is about how God works in advance of things and situations that we may find annoying or difficult but ultimately comes together and makes sense.

A few years ago, one of our “wards” had chosen: Nursing. I was not comfortable with the idea because at that time most high school graduates were lining up to be a nurse because it was the most in demand just like “computer programmers” or I.T. was a decade earlier.

The thinking was nursing was a short course, cheaper and with lots of opportunities. I frowned on the “easy pick” mentality but because I was not the parent I really could not impose. So “Noy” went on to take up nursing. By the time he had finished, the great future in nursing had all but collapsed due to the flood of enrollees and graduates, punctuated by fly by night schools and alleged cheating or fixing of government exams that Noy had taken and passed but was required to retake again.

It was as if a Tsunami had hit Noy’s future. He had to retake the exams a couple of years later and by then all he learned was a faint memory that resulted in disastrous test exams. He tried a third time but at that point it was too painful and too scary to ask him about the results. In between those tests Noy took whatever nursing related job he could get that did not require a license. That of course meant being just a notch higher than the janitor, paid almost the same salary but doing the night shift as a male nurse.

Those were long nights and difficult years that required swallowing his pride and praying for much humility, until he decided to try his luck working at a call center and after a few interviews he got a job and things seemed to be on the up and up again, at least for a season and then he was out of the job like many seasoned center agents know. It is one field where there is no security or future. You could say Noy was once again in a dead end situation. He was jobless in a field where his college education has no connection or application in the real sense.

Then one day his niece fell sick and faced a prolonged and critical stay in the ICU. He was in the province while his sister and niece were in the city struggling. To top it all no one in the family had a clue or idea of the medical crisis and jargons confronting them. Then it all made sense for Noy. All the time spent in college, in hospitals, on the night shift was to prepare him in advance of a crisis that would strike. His knowledge and experience and relationship made him the best person to be on site. While he could not play doctor, he could at least help his family members understand what was going on, he could at least help relieve the over-burdened government nurses by being at the bedside of his niece. Suddenly and unexpectedly, it all made sense, his course was decided by God: In advance.

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