Leisurely

On every pressing matter, it seems, our government is hardwired to make haste slowly.

Some have called on government to declare a transport crisis in Mega Manila. Not only is traffic choked, commuters have to spend hours finding a ride.

Legalizing new transport options for our commuters ought to be the lowest hanging fruit. For years, the authorities have been considering the legalization of motorcycle taxis (MC taxis).

President Marcos, no less, expressed some exasperation recently. He urged concerned agencies to act quickly on legalizing MC taxis to provide “more transport options (which) will benefit commuters, drivers and MSMEs.”

House Speaker Martin Romualdez seconded the President’s call. He declared Congress would prioritize the passage of a motorcycle taxi law. He added, “The legalization of motorcycle taxis and the relaxation of TNVS regulations align with our goals to provide more choices for passengers, drivers and businesses, particularly MSMEs. This approach not only addresses the demand for more accessible public transport but also contributes to the economic recovery and employment opportunities in the country.”

Commuters took heart. Weeks after these words were uttered by those most capable of moving and shaking our policies, however, the latter still languishes in nondescript committees – as it has been doing for years now.

For years, MC taxis have been operating under a pilot program. Despite positive findings, the legalization process moved with almost deliberate slowness.

To his credit, transport committee chair Romeo Acop seems anxious to get things going, but old issues are constantly regurgitated and the same interest groups opposing legalization constantly reappear.

Meanwhile, another committee, the committee on Metro Manila development, is conducting parallel hearings on exactly the same matter. This is very strange. The two hearings ought to be consolidated into a single process to speed up legislative action.

There might be other reasons why we have this duplication of hearings. It could involve turf protection or the conservation of a controlled platform. Our legislative process, after all, moves in mysterious ways.

Meanwhile, commuters continue to suffer while politicians play their games. The economy continues to suffer as well.

New road space is not forthcoming. It will take a generation to reengineer vehicle movement in the streets of Mega Manila. Meanwhile, MC taxis could help optimize the scarce road space. They could move between four-wheeled vehicles and get to their destinations faster. The growing number of commuters opting to use MC taxis attests to that.

One of the country’s major transportation network companies claims to have created more than 100,000 driver and operator jobs. In addition, they have helped digitalize over 15,000 small enterprises in the period 2019-2021 alone.

The sheer number of jobs created helped ease the national unemployment rate by 1.1 to 1.6 percent during the mentioned time period. Of course, the TNVS networks played a major part in keeping the economy alive during the pandemic.

A study done by the University of Asia and the Pacific estimates that the app of one transport network provider contributed between P37 billion to P165.6 billion to our GDP in the period mentioned. More than other app-based transport companies, this single provider has a multiplier effect of 3.42. This means that for every P100 spent on the app, the domestic economy eventually obtains an additional P342 in output.

On the other side of the equation, we know of studies made about economic losses suffered because of traffic congestion and the lack of transport options. One study quotes P4 billion daily as the economic cost incurred by the current transport crisis.

One might say, therefore, that each day a solution is delayed costs our domestic economy in the billions. Our policymakers should not be too leisurely in their work.

Underbelly

By the latest count, 137 people were killed in that terrorist attack on a concert in Moscow.

Although the Kremlin is trying hard to link the attack to Ukraine and its allies, the Islamic State in Khorasan (IS-K) claimed responsibility for this atrocity. The IS-K is a branch of the ISIS terror group based in Afghanistan. It is believed responsible for a number of suicide attacks mounted in Afghanistan and southern Iran.

Four badly tortured suspects, all Tajik nationals, have been presented to a Moscow court. US intelligence agencies have alerted their Russian counterparts about an impending terrorist attack. The warning, however, was laughed off by Vladimir Putin and dismissed as western intrigue. Now the tyrant is trying to use the event as a means to rouse support for his war against Ukraine.

The week before, small units of Russians fighting on the side of Ukraine entered Russian territory and took over several settlements close to the border. Caught by surprise, Russian security agencies were unable to respond adequately to the audacious incursion.

Recall that when the leader of the dreaded Wagner group quarreled with senior Russian defense officials, he freely marched his army and occupied a major military town in Southern Russia. He even threatened to march on Moscow.

Lately, too, Ukrainian drones have been attacking vital Russian oil facilities almost with impunity. It seems that once the drones have crossed into Russia, air defense was nearly nil.

All these suggest that while the Russian army shows strength in eastern Ukraine, its ability to ensure domestic security is seriously thin. Behind the show of brute strength and great numbers on the Ukrainian front, Russia has a soft – therefore vulnerable – underbelly.