| My Space:
No Common Sense By Antonio C. Abaya Written on April 27, 2009 For the Standard Today, April 28 issue No, this is not about social networking. But thank you for the hundreds of invitations that I have received in the past year from readers who wanted to social-network with me Sorry, but I have no time to social-network with anyone. I do my social-networking (of sorts) with my readers in the Reactions portion of this column. The Villamor Interchange over the South Luzon Expressway is part of My Space because I pass through it almost everyday, whenever I have to go to Makati or Fort Bonifacio or Quezon City or Pasay City or Manila. And whenever I pass through this interchange I come face to face with an embarrassing facet of the national character: an appalling lack of common sense in many aspects of governance in this country, but most especially in the design and alignment of infrastructure. Before the Villamor Interchange was widened last year, getting past it took sometimes one hour to traverse a mere 800 meters on the West Service Road. This was because the design, conceived and implemented in the 1970s, was no longer adequate for the volume of vehicles in the 2000s. In particular, the design had three built-in traffic generators. 1. Vehicles coming from Pasong Tamo Extension and wanting to turn right towards Villamor Air Base conflicted with vehicles coming from Fort Bonifacio and heading towards points west, north and south. 2. Vehicles coming from Villamor Air Base, Merville and other points south conflicted with vehicles coming up from the East Service Road (Taguig) that want to turn left towards Villamor Air Base and west, north and south. 3. After clearing the point of conflict in (2), vehicles heading east and wanting to turn left into Pasong Tamo Extension conflicted (again) with vehicles coming from Fort Bonifacio heading towards points west, north and south. 4.Adding to this permanent and growing state of gridlock was/is the point of conflict between vehicles on the southward lanes of SLEX that want to turn right into the West Service Road, and vehicles on the West Service Road trying to get on the Villamor Interchange and heading towards points north, west and east. Conflicts at points (1), (2) and (3) could have been solved if my suggestion in 1997 had been followed: i.e. maintain the level of the Villamor Interchange all the way past the main gate of Fort Bonifacio, without dipping with the lay of the land, thus creating space for an underpass under the interchange through which traffic from (2) and (3) could have passed, in tandem with two loops in government-owned Fort Bonifacio. Thus vehicles from the East Service (2) could have passed under the interchange and looped in the area just before a cluster of military squatters, to get on board the interchange and head towards Villamor Air Base and points west, south and north.. And vehicles in (3) could have gone straight to Fort Bonifacio and turned right into another loop in the area now occupied by military buildings and proceeded under the interchange towards Pasong Tamo Extension and Makati City.. The conflict at (4) could have been solved if my other suggestion had been followed: create an underpass under the West Service Road so that vehicles coming from Magallanes and other points north and heading towards Merville and other points south do not conflict with vehicles on the West Service Road trying to get on board the Villamor Interchange. All land immediately behind the present wall are government-owned, so there is no problem with acquiring right-of-way. Under my scheme, all traffic would have flowed freely in all directions without the need for traffic aides and traffic lights. Pure common sense, is all. My non-scale diagrams were published with my column in the Philippine Star. And were actually presented by me and my friend Rick Ramos in March 1997 to then Public Works Secretary Gregorio Vigilar, in the presence of the DPWH�s alleged urban planner, Freddie Galano. But when the DPWH finally widened the Villamor Interchange in 2008-09, there was no attempt to address the traffic conflicts at (2), (3) and (4) even though hundreds of millions of pesos were being spent for the upgrade. Are we inherently stupid, or what? When the Buendia Overpass was built in the 1970s, I was not yet writing my column. I would have pointed out that it had the wrong alignment. The overpass should have been on Buendia, over and across the (so-called) South Superhighway, so that when a train passes on the nearby PNR tracks, road traffic does not have to stop, as it has to with the adopted alignment. The overpass was built by a private contractor, Virgilio Dionisio, who bragged that it would be �the only lighted overpass in the world� and would be a tourist attraction �like the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.� Jesus Christ! Filipinos like him are long on braggadocio but short on common sense. As any engineer will note, the individual spans of this overpass have sagged because their steel girders had insufficient camber, the engineering term for the slight bulge that girders should have to counteract their own weight and the load that they are expected to carry. Because of this flaw, the surface of this overpass has been done and redone more than ten times, and the overpass still looks ugly. I was already a columnist when the overpasses were being planned on Roxas/EDSA and Roxas/Buendia during the time of President Cory Aquino and DPWH Secretary Ping de Jesus (my batchmate in the Ateneo). I wrote in my Philippine Star column then that the Roxas overpasses, like the Buendia Overpass, was being planned with the wrong alignment. They should have been over and across the main artery, Roxas Blvd., not along its length, so that vehicles wanting to turn left � from Roxas as well as from Buendia or EDSA, can do so on a pair of loops in the then undeveloped and government-owned reclaimed land, without any traffic conflict.. Instead the DPWH design had two lanes on the overpass but one lane at ground level which conflicted with traffic on Buendia and EDSA, requiring traffic lights or traffic aides, and left-turn traffic conflicted with all ground level traffic flows. MMDA Chair Bayani Fernando resolved this by closing through ground traffic on Roxas and requiring all vehicles to move on to U-turn slots 100-200 meters deep into the reclaimed land, a �solution� that is unsightly and awkward which should and could have been avoided if my suggestion had been followed by DPWH Secretary De Jesus. When Fernando was planning the U-turn slots on C-5, corner of Kalayaan, I suggested in my column of March 02, 2005, titled MMDA Wins Some, that the U-turn overpasses should be built on the cross street, Kalayaan, in both Makati and Pateros, not on C-5 itself. Putting the U-turn overpasses on C-5 would be aesthetically obnoxious, and at the same time would constrict traffic flow on such a busy main artery. On the Pateros side of Kalayaan, there is a rotunda or roundabout above which the U-turn overpass could logically have been built. Similarly, on the Makati side of Kalayaan, that useless concrete sealed bridge (actually a tunnel) built by the Japanese during the war should have been demolished, the turn radius widened, and the U-turn overpass built in its place. Who knows, maybe some of Yamashita�s treasure is stored there. Fernando went ahead and built his U-turn overpasses on C-5, thus permanently uglifying a busy intersection that should have been left well nigh alone. The ugliness of Metro Manila can be attributed to the lack of both aesthetic and common sense on the part of stubborn bureaucrats who do not want to be told what to do, even when they do not know what to do. ***** Reactions to [email protected]. Other articles in acabaya.blogspot.com. Tony on YouTube in www.tapatt.org. To subscribe, send a blank email with the subject heading Subscribe. To unsubscribe, send a blank email with the subject heading Unsubscribe. . OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Reactions to �My Space: No Common Sense� More Reactions to �Predictable Gloria� More Reactions to �Why Dubai, Inday?� Her Royal Majesty Gloria The Inconvenient Contradictions Hi Tony, I read your column entitled "No common sense in My Space", I would like to get copies of the diagrams you presented to the DPWH of your suggestions. There is a discussion group at www.skyscrapercity.com under the Philippine forums which I feel is a starting point for citizens to demand more public consultation when it comes to infrastructure. Sometimes the best suggestions come from the users themselves which design engineers could incorporate in their final designs. Your suggestions should be put under scrutiny by independent traffic engineers to compare them with current designs DPWH built. It would be good to have a public database of suggestions by citizens and then analyzed by traffic engineers in terms of cost and effectivity. The DPWH should be able to explain why this was their choice of design as compared to designs suggested by citizens. Thanks! Noel Yaneza, (by email), Quezon City, April 28, 2009 MA Student, UP School of Urban and Regional Planning (The non-scale diagrams were published in the Philippine Star together with my column in early 1997. I do not have the originals any more. ACA) wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Tony, Being also a long-time resident of Merville, I too have spent many years in traffic waiting to cross over the expressway at Villamor. Certainly, with the widening of the bridge, there was some improvement. Years ago, before the widening, I too made a study and by using controlled traffic lights at each of the seven entrances and alternating one-way across the bridge, came up with a scheme that could have been workable. Your references to other gridlock situations aptly proved something that I point out to visitors � the Filipinos almost get things right, the operative word being �almost�. Examples are many, but the most outstanding is the MRT. A fantastic project that almost works. One can travel from Magallanes to Ortigas in 10 minutes. Unfortunately, one can spend up to 20 minutes queuing for a ticket. Worse still, one cannot purchase a return ticket and so more queuing just to come back. In Thailand, one only ever has one plastic ticket that can be loaded at any time and in many locations. Swiping at your destination reveals how much money is left on your card. The Skyway, again, a fantastic solution to the problem whereby travel from Makati to Alabang, out of peak hours, is very fast. However, during peak hours, because of insufficient toll booths, it becomes a car park. Another case of almost getting it right. Again, the MRT. Traveling to the university belt is a nightmare. One has to emerge from the Taft terminal, push through crowds of people, walk along a very narrow pavement and then join another queue to purchase a ticket in the LRT. Surely, it would not be too difficult for a single ticket arrangement between the operating parties? Again, almost getting it right. I look forward to the day when, similar to London, one can purchase and load a ticket that will allow travel on all forms of public transport. Alan C. Atkins, (by email), Paranaque City, April 28, 2009 British resident of Metro Manila wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Give me back my right of way, PLEASE??? Metro Manila sets the pace in what rules we follow in this country. Ever wondered why we see a lot of illegal signs on national highways in the provinces? Well, in this case EDSA sets the pace. Two or three years ago, after a typhoon which caused a billboard to crash on a car on EDSA and caused injury, there was much ado over bill boards along the public roads. Congressional hearings and talk shows covered the issue. There was much finger pointing. It turned out, I think that MMDA actually tried to do something about it and failed due to turf issues but DPWH, who has the mandate to protect national road right of way, blamed LRTA. Some DPWH lawyer must have failed to read the fine print and gave away road right of way (or ROW for short) management above the tracks to LRTA within the LRTA zone (and LRTA is raking it in?). That issue concerned a billboard on the roadside (outside the Road ROW), but nevertheless said to have violated the law, on distance from the boundary of the Road ROW (If you will observe many ads on EDSA, they do encroach on some sidewalks). After the issue died down, admen started to do their thing again. I have no issues against ads that are OUTSIDE the roadways. What we see below is the current state of affairs. It is not about unsightly billboards along the roadside. It IS ABOUT billboards INSIDE the road right of way. No wonder we often get lost missing intersections and exits. The ads have taken overwhere the road information signs should have been. ONLY in the Philippines? Can we call for an end to this? Chuck Agustin, (by email), Quezon City, April 28, 2009 President, National Defense College of the Philippines wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Tony : All the points you have brought up in this column/article are valid. But there are so many other examples of utter stupidity by our allegedly "learned" planners from DPWH, the MMDA and LGUs that one either just weeps or gives up hope. I will be more than happy to personally point out a couple, if anyone is willing - albeit as the vernacular saying goes, "parang sumusuntok lang ako sa buwan" since if those idiots have ignored you, an influential columnist, what chance does a mere Juan de la Cruz have of being given the light of day? Just one example - the heavy traffic that daily builds up at almost all hours of the day, not merely during rush hours, due to the horrible intersections of the PNR crossings at Sen Gil J. Puyat (Buendia ), Vito Cruz, A. Arnaiz (Pasay Road), San Andres, etc. can be greatly alleviated if only the authorities would just put their minds to providing stable and even beds for those crossings. These will not even cost tens of millions that are being spent by Makati for the re-cementing of roads that do not need repair. Can one just do some basic arithmetic to quantify the hundreds of thousands of liters of fuel that are wasted, the needless wear and tear to vehicles and the aggravation to citizenry? Tony Elica�o, (by email), April 30, 2009 (You are absolutely right. An even worse example is the crossing at the PNR tracks under the Villamor Interchange. This is a mere 20 meters that was so poorly built and is so poorly maintained that it has become a lunar landscape that hundreds of vehicles must traverse everyday gingerly for fear of breaking an axle or wrecking a shock absorber. (It is totally incomprehensible why neither the DPWH nor the MMDA has thought of paving this short stretch with concrete, including the space between the railroad tracks, so as to improve traffic flow. No common sense. ACA) wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Kudos Toks! I foresee the next Secretary of Public Works in the person of ACA! Better late, than OMG. Tony Oposa, MD, (by email), April 30, 2009 (Thank you, but fat chance, Tocayo. In the 1990s, when I was writing every Saturday on infrastructure and traffic management in my Philippine Star column, one of the prominent taipans recommended me for the position of Secretary of Public Works. President Ramos ignored him. The DPWH is a plum political cash cow that is given only to those who will play along with the games that presidents play. ACA) wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww They only reason why these MMDA and DPWH people don't listen to anyone and do what they want to do is because for the simple reason, MONEY!!!! Their way is the MONEY way...and it must have other aspects (things to do later on) so that they are assured of more MONEY when the time comes... It�s not about decongesting traffic in the metropolis but congesting the place so that they can put in place their other plans to decongest(?) the metropolis and continue their MONEY ways. There is no MONEY if they do it the RIGHT WAY....or if there is...it would be permanent for them, a one time thing...and they don't want it that way.... just look at the equipment of MMDA, it all came from BF Construction....and guess who made MONEY from those equipments sales? And for sure it was over-priced as usual!!! BF - MMDA must be held accountable for his expenses...Look at how much was spent for those cemented dividers (per piece) which has caused several deaths already....heard it to be P50k each!!! and those absurd PINK Screen Dividers on the islands? UGLY!!!!! Just like his leadership....And he wants to run for President? WOW! DPWH has been caught time and again on so much anomalies not only by our local audit agency but by the World Bank , but nothing has happened. As they say: It�s pay-back time, for these government heads placed by GMA who turns a deaf ear to all these anomalies and with a straight face to boot....It must be true...It takes a thief to know a thief!!!! FACT: Politicians make money time and again through road networks which are hastily done and to top it all, it�s all being done during the rainy season!!!! Unbelievable!!! Only in the Philippines, as the saying goes!!! Unless something drastic happens before 2010...we all come out losers as usual...in the end.... We deserve it!!!! Jose Genato, (by email), April 30, 2009 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Hi Tony, Another description for these 'stubborn bureaucrats' is that they are the 'village idiots'. They should be in shackles and forced to clean the Pasig River only in their underwear. Regards, Rev. Bert Dellosa, (by email), Melbourne, Australia, April 30, 2009 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Mr. Abaya, There are three bureaucratic issues that I see in these mind-boggling failures. First, it�s the �Peter Principle� issue---the promotion of people in the bureaucracy to their level of incompetence. Our various government institutions fume with malodorous nincompoops who have no inkling whatsoever about a vision of the area�s future and a method for achieving it. We have so many bureaucrats promoted to these higher positions beyond their know-how and competence. Worse, they are promoted based on �who they know� rather than �what they know.� Given that their qualifications are suspect, no one can claim that they fail to anticipate the outcomes of their actions or inactions. This is inexcusable! Any bureaucrat with a modicum of intelligence can be educated with referent models and growth strategies that have worked before and still are working. For example, why not use what worked in our neighboring countries? As an example check what South Korea is doing in Seoul: Phoenix Rising: http://www.elsewhere.co.nz/culturalelsewhere/1893/seoul-the-new-architecture-and-civic-design-of-south-koreas-capital-phoenix-rising/ Second, it is an issue between reactive planning vs. proactive planning. What is happening here is an ad hoc and highly politicized planning based on influence and narrow interest of bureaucrats responding to the issue of the moment. Without regard to an orderly and rational procedure of adopting a sustainable land use plans and policies based upon long-term projections and region-wide impact, these bureaucrats are reduced to reactive rather than proactive planning. Third, it is the issue of uncoordinated bureaucracies which create considerable inefficiencies and undesirable spillover effects. Our bureaucrats do not feel obligated to find sustainable and comprehensive solutions to these problems as long as no one impinges on their own territories and personal spaces. Just imagine the braggadocio and persistent petty quarrels among the so-called �utaks� of Metro Manila? Who is to be blamed? I guess, no bureaucrat will accept the blame. No one knows diddly-squat. I sympathize with your sentiments and you are exactly correct in your observation, with no commonsense, we get nonsense! Ito ang buhay sa Lupang Hinirang. I hope our people can now understand the wisdom of a revolutionary transition. Efren Padilla, (by email), Hayward, CA, April 30, 2009 Professor of Sociology and Urban Planning California State University at East Bay wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Tony, Reading your article is simply amusing because you raised all the troubling issues I am confronted with each time I visit the country. If walls could talk, I must confess I revert to a mood most foul, using basic gutter expressions such as damn, what the hell and why did the planner do that? This happens each time we are on the road. I could easily be accused as an arrogant balikbayan with my right foot permanently pressed on an imagined brake. Regretfully, I cannot drive in Manila and Makati so I hire a driver to sight-see and travel. Being free I get to see the obvious bad stuff on the road that should have been corrected at the planning stage. However, diverting funds to someone's pocket was politically convenient and expedient. Thus, the resulting by product. Similar to the popular project in Alaska known as the bridge to nowhere. We did seriously consider retiring in the Philippines. We visited many housing developments. Everything was contemporary and well planned. We loved everything except the congested traffic. Our primary consideration was our health and wellness. That meant a full scale hospital in the event of an emergency. In the end we concluded that if the emergency occurred in the middle of a traffic jam, there was no way you could get to a nearby hospital. It is guaranteed you would be dead on arrival. Our plan went out of the window unfortunately. I have driven all over America, some parts of Central Europe and Scandinavia. Spain and Italy are a bit challenging. Admittedly, I can't drive in my former country. It seems to me everyone drives to put one over the next guy. The absence of courtesy and defensive driving is unheard of. That is just my observation, not an accusation. In conclusion, the enormity of bad road design and bad planning resulted in congested traffic, inefficiency and overall productivity impacting peoples' lives, businesses and progress of the country. Thank you, Tony, for writing about things that matter, warts and all. Oscar Apostol, (by email), Rocklin, CA, April 30, 2009 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Tony, I wish a great leader, in case PGMA may not have time as she is winding up things, supposed to be anyways:), would implement a plan for aesthetics in general for the look of at least Metro Manila. The government should hire you for the common sense PLUS the aesthetics. I was in a car with newly arrived a bit walang hiya na foreigners who immediately said the route from the airport to Makati was UGLY. Why can't we improve? I have artist friends -- we're so artistic but for lack of a plan... no rules. When Paris was being made beautiful, even Voltaire had his aesthetic contributions. We need a Haussmann to be hired by PGMA. Sana you.:) Wow more tourists. More dollars and euros for us... Sana at least all overhead cables and wires would be all placed na underground! to start out with. We should have an "aesthetics" marshall in each barangay, really really. Kudos for your work:) Best, Genevi�ve Beatrice Huang, (by email), April 30, 2009 (Thank you. In the 1990s, when I was writing on infrastructure design and traffic management, I wrote one column lamenting the jungle of overhead wires and cables that uglify the urban landscape of Metro Manila. The chair of MMDA then, Peng Oreta, who liked what I was writing, called me to a meeting with representatives of Meralco and PLDT to discuss what can be done about those ugly wires and cables. But nothing transpired after that one meeting. Only a direct presidential order will force these people to bury their wires and cables underground. Aesthetics is a low priority with them. ACA) wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww You are right. Common sense isn't that common and sometimes none of it at all in these agencies. What may be common only are how the bigger profits that get into contractors and to you-know-who could materialize. And never mind about considering the bigger picture. Much of the thinking goes into that plan. Victor Ma�alac, (by email), April 30, 2009 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Yes, indeed, when you see the city centers of other countries and compare them to Metro Manila,---it makes you angry, sad and in despair, for you realize that Metro Manila is such an ugly city. It has no ambience, no soul, no beauty... Nonoy Yulo, (by email), April 30, 2009 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Hi Tony, Maybe the real reason for being stubborn and neglecting any advice is very simple: It is the permanent mentioning of "yes, the Filipino can do it" and praising any common happening as "world class, AAA, super, state of the art etc. etc.". If a Filipino pupil wins a contest of kindergarten level anywhere in the world, it is a first page report for many media, as proof of the superiority of Filipinos. The passers of final exams, in contrast, are often less than 50%, even the requirements are permanently lowered. Ot the other hand, our son studied at a private college which time and time reports 100% passing bar exams. It is only that they send less than half a dozen graduates to these exams, not mentioning that they are the remaining few out of 100 and more students starting the course originally. Offering courses like aircraft maintenance, maritime engineering for example, without any real matters of these professions and teaching practically "on paper" only, it is no wonder that such graduates later are engineers but when employed abroad, start like an apprentice because of total lack of real, practical knowledge. And instead to blame their educators who try and try to boast of highest efficient teaching, they blame the foreign employer of down-putting the "super skilled" Filipinos. This really stupid manner of telling about the superior knowledge and abilities of Filipinos causes a poor image abroad where most of the graduates later have to find jobs. The real victim is then the employed Filipino who has to sacrifice since he or she did never know at home how low leveled is their education. Schools usually want the biggest number of passing students, instead of trying to produce the best educated graduates. Instead of "the Filipino can do it", it should rather be "yes, the Filipino could do it, if...." Considering how many parents have to work, make credits, sell or pawn their land for to afford their kids education, it is already criminal what the kids then often get for that. Near the whole educational system is focused at the careers of absolvents from the few high grade but also high priced elite schools. Unfortunately, a majority of the more common schools work more or less like diploma factories. At the end, leaving their students with high grade diplomas but without the real knowledge which belongs internationally to such diplomas and academic titles. As a solution example, there should be the same apprenticeship system as in nearly all industrialized countries so that professionals have theoretical and practical knowledge and skills, instead to "study" a profession at universities without any practical facilities belonging to the courses offered. Then, professionals would really have professional abilities instead of "I know how to do". And colleges would have less crowded classes where now a teacher often has not even one minute average time per student during a subject. And it would not be that surprising to foreigners when for jobs like sales personnel college graduates are requested. For sure, Filipinos could do it, but first they should have the chance to be adequately educated. If a foreigner from industrialized societies can see schools, classrooms and especially. the books used, the impression is like 20, 30 or more years back in the past. Is it a surprise that at least 90% of OFWs have to work low level jobs, often much lower than their diploma level? It does not help much, or rather contradict jobs abroad, if the government then wants to meddle and tell foreign employers how much they have to pay as salary and selling that as "protecting OFWs". Give them a good education and they will automatically be employed in better jobs with better salaries. Then, probably, your mentioned cases "out of common sense" would not have happened. Kurt Setschen, (by email), Kloten, Switzerland, April 30, 2009 Swiss resident of Bohol wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Tony, It's sad, pathetic, and outright a sham that this beleaguered nation is held hostage by a bunch of nitwits in the echelon of the command centers on key quarters of the state that common sense does not reign in the minds of those appointed leaders whose egotistical and individualistic agenda are pursued without thorough assessment or consultation from experts and stakeholders whose interests and lives are directly and indirectly affected. The vicious mismatch of infrastructure and systems in the metropolis is a glaring example on the impact of poorly planned design that result in gridlocks and daily encounter of mismanaged snarls and stresses which ultimately showcases our sorry state to the rest of the world. If only this republic can elect a truly honest and sincere visionary president who emulates and exemplifies the rule of the people, for the people, and by the people, influence the rest of his/her cohorts to follow suit would probably make this homeland once and for all, great. Is the citizenry lacking with these qualifications? There may be thousands out there unfortunately, the missing ingredient for them to rise is popularity as more often than not, they either shun from the mad circus of politics and governance or they are simply ill-equipped. (Name withheld on request), April 30, 2009 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww HA HA HA!!!!!! Architect Jose A. Miranda, April 30, 2009 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Well said, Tony. I'm an engineer by profession (in electronics) but I cannot help but wonder why these so called civil engineers lack basic common sense. Mind you, not in the design of roads or flyovers but in simple analysis of the traffic situation. C-5-Kalayaan intersection is the latest and grandest example of stupidity in our road works. This portion of C-5 will forever be a bottleneck. Marvin Valido, (by email), Pasig City, May 01, 2009 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Tony, It would make interesting reading and therapy for the writer if you would offer a "Pot-Pouri," wherein your fans could air their greatest grievance. You touched on mine when you discussed road conditions. As a private car driver on Commonwealth Avenue in Quezoin City I am forced to cower to the edge of the highway when near-empty busses race to pass each other leap-frog style, vying for passengers. There have been deaths and injuries due to the road raging of these drivers, yet the carnage continues. R. Stager, (by email), Quezon City, April 30, 2009 American resident of Metro Manila wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Sir Tony, With regards to the Villamor area - the service road under the "Sales bridge" should be solely for vehicles going south via the service road (Merville, Sunvalley, etc) but is compounded by the fact that vehicles headed in four other directions need to pass that fork in the road. It should be that vehicles going towards Taguig, Pasong Tamo Ext and Villamor should pass the first road passing in front of the Villamor Golf and country club instead of under the Sales Bridge. Once at the top of that street, vehicles can easily turn right into Villamor, left towards Pasong Tamo Ext and Taguig. Vehicles bound for the Merville area won't need to compete with all those vehicles and eventually clear up the clog at that current entrance. My question is - how come that road (that passes in front of Villamor Golf and Country Club) isn't open for public usage? How come vehicles can't turn left to go to Pasong Tamo/ Taguig from that road? Why does everyone have to pass through that small fork under the Sales Bridge? Plus, how come no U-turn is allowed on top the Sales Bridge to go down into the north- bound lane of the SLEX and everyone has to go down and around and exit on SLEX itself? As far as VOLUME studies are concerned, there obviously was nothing done on studying and observing the volume of vehicles plying this route. A well respected news anchor once said those who designed the traffic scheme and routing in this area are either grade one graduates or they are totally clueless as to proper traffic routing... ergo: "No el sentido com�n que sea." If nothing comes out of this article of yours, "rumors" might be believed that there are portions of the roads in this cloverleaf that some retired generals refused to be heavily used so that they won't be hampered going to and from their golf games. And since we're on the topic of this area - I'd like to report that MMDA traffic enforcers are often seen attending to their texting or hiding in the shade while traffic runs amuck from both ends of the Sales Bridge intersection, or none at all, they allow jeeps to WAIT for passengers on the entry towards Taguig and the SLEX exit causing traffic to build up atop the intersection and for the Pasong Tamo extension entrance - they allow FX taxis to wait and use that area as a terminal as well. But I do would like to commend a lone MMDA officer who's a bit aged compared to the youngsters who text all day - who stays at the entry way of the service road directing traffic even at 11PM at night. I don't know his name, but if MMDA ever finds out who this gentleman is, kindly give him a promotion, if not a good raise in his salary - because he's dedicated to make sure the traffic in the service road at that hour is running smoothly. Regards and God bless us all. Jenifer Xavier, (by email), May 01, 2009 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Oh, well, I've learned to understand long ago that bureaucrats are no engineers, even if they claim they are professional ones. You've not only come up with an unpleasant criticism of our bureaucrats, Tony, of course on the constructive side as is your style, but also provided us with a fitting definition of them, "Philippine bureaucrats - are government people who do not want to be told what to do, even when they do not know what to do." Have a nice day, Ogie Reyes, (by email), May 04, 2009 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww On MMDA's plan of action at the intersection of C-5 and Buting and Makati. MMDA turned off the traffic signal light but did not open the U-Turn slot/bridge that will take its place at that busy intersection. I witnessed a funeral waiting at the intersection and could not cross. MMDA has one traffic enforcer but did not do anything until a member of the funeral procession got and bravely dealt with the traffic problem. Why did MMDA do that. Are they waiting for a major accident to happen? Up to now, no traffic light is on. Motorists turning left to C-5 towards SLEX have to play "patintero" with motorists coming from SLEX. The same thing when motorists try to cross directly to Makati! The intersection is too dangerous. And to remind the MMDA that my brother-in-law met an accident there and died eventually at the hospital. Tony, thru your column, I hope the traffic management of either MMDA or Makati be made aware of this predicament. Thank you. Renato Santos, (by email), May 04, 2009 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww They are not inherently stupid Mr. Abaya. They just want to make more money and for the contractors to recover their losses from the "commissions" taken by DPWH and other government officials. That's the reason for that "I don't care" attitude, like what you wrote: " ..two lanes on the overpass but one lane at ground level which conflicted with traffic on Buendia and Edsa..." The PCIJ or the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism recently published a scathing report about the DPWH and here are some portions of it: BEFORE SHE bids good-bye as president � an event that is supposed to happen next year � Gloria Arroyo had planned to spend P2.03 trillion on infrastructure projects between 2007 and 2010. By all accounts, she is hoping that these projects would earn her the legacy she so covets, as well as the gratitude of a people she would have served for nine years. Wala nang party sa ganyan, puro partihan na lang," an ex-legislator said, making it clear that this is not a positive development at all. Yet, it�s not as if the opposition politicians are meant to benefit from any windfall their districts get. "Sometimes they (the administration) prefer to put more money in opposition areas, especially where the politician does not interfere in biddings, because that�s where they can manipulate the process," explains the former congressman. "Mas malaki ang kita kasi hindi na kasali �yung congressman sa hatian.". More often than not, opposition lawmakers are surprised when told their districts had received a considerable number of public-works projects. FROM 30 TO 40% After all, contractors and procurement officials have long offered a common narrative: From budgeting to construction of projects, particularly during the bidding of contracts, politicians exploit the weaknesses of the system to solicit and accept bribes. Contractors and congressmen alike affirm kickback figures quoted in previous PCIJ reports, including the 2003 book The Rulemakers. "Easily 30 percent," says one contractor, referring to the percentage of kickbacks from the total project cost. He says the number could even go as high as 50 percent if the contractor is a politician in the project area. Narciso Ner, (by email), Davao City, May 04, 2009 (In the infrastructure cases which I cited � built mostly long before Gloria Arroyo �became president - the reason is inherent stupidity. The project costs, and the alleged kickbacks, would have been substantially the same if the overpasses had been built, correctly, across the width, rather than, incorrectly, along the length, of the main arteries. ACA) wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Her Royal Majesty Gloria Tony, I see Her Majesty is off on another trip. Is she ever home any more? With all these trips, especially to the Middle East, maybe there is some hope that she will get kidnapped. I wonder how many Filipinos would contribute to a fund to pay "room and board" to free her? Jay Brundage, (by email), Ridgefield, CT, May 01, 2009 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww More Reactions to �Predictable Gloria� (April 23, 2009) Dear Tony, This may be a small point, but his name is spelled MacArthur and not McArthur. I tend to agree with your readers' responses to Mr. Brundage, whose perspective seems to be shared by many, if not most, Americans I know. Mr. Patterson is apparently an exception. In any case, as students of history, none of them bothered to check how MacArthur spelled his name. All the best, Juan G. Collas, (by email), San Francisco, CA, May 04, 2009 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Sir Tony, Sorry this is a bit late, been very busy that I haven't been able to catch up. With regards to the article "Predictable Gloria", the way a suspicious mind would go - all it takes is a switch or an open password to change the results of the 2010 elections. I wouldn't be surprised if a "failure in elections" be declared due to "faulty election machines" or a "glitch" in the system. Either that, its easy to blow up an electric generator and not have electricity to run the machines. Worse case - someone's password gets leaked out and there goes the results. Nothing much has been said about the machinery to cheat - who owns it, who holds it, who runs it and who declares the results... I don't trust the lot of them. So it won't take much to continue - a failure of elections would probably mean an extension till 2012 until "enough funds" are once more sourced to have "another" election. But that's just suspicious minds at work.. can you blame people for being so suspicious nowadays? Best regards and God bless you. Jenifer Aquino-Xavier, (by email), May 05, 2009 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Mr. Abaya, The Race is On! Who is actually guilty of bringing disrepute to our democratic aspirations? The power-hungry politicians who invoke the democratic notion of representation as a scheme to continue pursuing their crimes? Or the revolutionists who respond in the only way they know how, replacing any similar arrangement with a transitional measure committed to a visionary, pragmatic, just, and accountable leadership? We need to address this question in all objectivity because the race is on between �predictable politicians� and �audacious revolutionists.� The finish line is one year away! Who will win out will depend first on whether we as a people will remind ourselves again of the fate of those who once abused and corrupted us. And second, it will depend on whether we as a people will momentarily entrust to no-nonsense leaders and non-TRAPOS the transformation of our republic toward a truly democratic system. The race is on, the future is upon us. Efren Padilla, (by email), Hayward, CA, April 24, 2009 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww More Reactions to �Why Dubai, Inday?� (April 21, 2009) Dear Tony, I am a bit late responding to your excellent article but I wish to express my comments. I am a Filipino and I find it surprising that social and discriminatory attitudes among our own people remain high in this day and age. Inday to me is an endearment name, a sweet and innocent person from Visayas. A close Cebuano friend of ours refers to all ladies 'Day, which I thought was wonderful. My father came from Leyte and my mother was from Albay. We grew up unaware of a regionalistic attitude most of our countrymen seem to harbor to degrade our own kind. I grew up thinking Filipino period. I discourage and not tolerate even now Filipinos glossing their importance by degrading another Pinoy. If we practice this intolerance we are moving in the right direction. In the 70's as president of Phil-American Jaycees in San Francisco I literally banned prospective members from identifying their region of birth. It was not necessary to be a Jaycee except being a Filipino. Franco is wrong in all counts about respect. Respect is earned and not demanded. Otherwise, it is flawed and insincere. Respect if coerced by force is not earned or given. Now, if he is talking with the office of presidency, that is another matter. Unfortunately, many of the past holders of the office of presidency had desecrated it to the extent there is not even a gray area Filipinos can discern to uphold. Can you blame them? Of course not. Has anyone reported the Arroyos' total ill-gotten wealth? I read one many years ago. It would be interesting to see an accounting of their plunders. Perhaps they had invested it in Dubai, as any smart investor might do. Therefore, the frequent trips are necessary. The only problem, these trips appear to be presidential, at the taxpayers expense We have so many Indays sa buhay natin. Ang isang ito by far does endear herself. Oscar Apostol, (by email), Rocklin, CA, May 04, 2009 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Mr. Abaya, this is in reference to the reaction of your reader from down under. That evil bitch Gloria Arroyo, who sits as an illegitimate president, can be hardly called a lady (n. A well-mannered and considerate woman with high standards of proper behavior) and we must bear in mind that respect is earned. According to Webster's, it is a "high or special regard." It is also "the quality or state of being esteemed." In essence, to be respected, a person must be held in high regard for one reason or another. Those who earn respect, however, generally do not receive this esteem without doing something to gain it. Earning respect is typically based on a person's own abilities, such as a personality trait, characteristic, an action or series of actions. So how can you respect a sociopath like Gloria Arroyo? By the way, there's nothing really wrong being called Inday, the same word my folks affectionately called my elder sister when they were still alive. Here's again the profile of a sociopath and you be the judge. Glibness and Superficial Charm ; Manipulative and Cunning ; Grandiose Sense of Self Pathological Lying ; Lack of Remorse, Shame or Guilt ; Shallow Emotions ; Incapacity for Love ; Need for Stimulation ; Callousness/Lack of Empathy ; Poor Behavioral Controls/Impulsive Nature ; Early Behavior Problems/Juvenile Delinquency ; Irresponsibility/Unreliability ; Promiscuous Sexual Behavior/Infidelity ; Lack of Realistic Life Plan/Parasitic Lifestyle ; Criminal or Entrepreneurial Versatility Narciso Ner, (by email), Davao Coty, May 02, 2009 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww The Inconvenient Contradictions (Fr. Shay's columns are published in The Manila Times, in publications in Ireland, the UK, Hong Kong, and on-line.) http://www.preda.org/archives/2009/r09042901.html The outpouring of public concern and outrage over the acquittal and overturning of a rape conviction and a life sentence by the Philippine Court of Appeals against US Navy Marine Lance Corporal Daniel Smith, was less than expected. The public had been conditioned by the affidavit of desistance of the victim made last 8 March 2009. Soon after that the young woman, Nicole (not her real name), departed to the United States with a special immigrant visa, if not a green card and a generous financial gratuity by way of compensation. A deal had been done. The complainant was neutralized and the court could proceed with the expected acquittal. The Court of Appeals division 11 is composed of three female judges. They ruled that they had ignored the affidavit of Nicole, but that she was not an innocent provincial girl but a woman of �indecorous behavior�. More or less saying that the victim had asked for it and was to blame. The ruling said in effect that the lower court had been wrong in convicting Smith of rape because the evidence showed that it was a �spontaneous unplanned romantic episode�. Indeed! It ruled that semi-intoxicated Nicole, even though she was carried on the back of the marine to a van where the �spontaneous romantic episode� happened, gave her consent. Many have taken issue with this decision. But it was the only �political� decision possible. For many Americans and Filipino officials and business leaders, it is unimaginable for a US marine to be imprisoned for life in a filthy, disease-ridden Philippine jail with criminals, rapists, rats and cockroaches. It would lead to unending protest rallies in the United States, and an end to all US investment and aid to the Philippines. That was the reason the US government insisted on keeping Smith in the US Embassy and not in a Filipino jail. They were right, those jails are unfit for human habitation. They are still the abode of Filipino children and we wish many Filipinos would consider it unimaginable that children would be incarcerated with adult criminals and rats and rally to have them released. But what a campaign it was for the activist groups during the past three years that saw rallies, marches and denunciations of US military rapists and women abusers. There were even calls by some opposition politicians for the Philippines to rescind the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) that allows US ships and planes to use the Philippines ports and airports and conduct military exercises. It was the widespread sexual exploitation of women and children by US servicemen and sex tourists in the honky-tonk bars of Olongapo and Angeles City and elsewhere that led to the campaign to close the bases and convert them to economic zones. That was a ten year campaign that succeeded beyond our wildest dreams. It started the day in 1983, when I discovered 12 children, the youngest was 9 years-old, infected with venereal diseases and hidden away from the public and media in the Olongapo city general hospital by the mayor and US admiral. Not even the Red Cross came to save them. Exposing that nearly cost me my life. The bases are closed since 1992 and hundreds of manufacturing enterprises, hotels, and family tourist resorts employ as many as 80,000 Filipinos with dignified work. While the bases went away, the sex industry did not completely die. It reemerged in 1996 run by the international sex mafia with thousands of European and Australian sex tourists and retired US servicemen enjoying the sexual exploitation of young women and children they once enjoyed. Today, sex slavery is growing and thousands of women and children are trafficked into the sex clubs that proliferate across the land from the cities to the seaside resorts. Child rape, prostitution of children, forced abortions and every kind of sexual exploitation is rampant. There are no campaigns, rallies nor marches for them. Why not? Thousands of foreigners are doing this every day and night in sex bars, clubs and hotels across the land and it is just as evil and wrong and outrageous as what the marchers and protesters said Daniel Smith did to Nicole and there is not a placard of protest to be seen. END Fr. Shay Cullen, (by email), Olongapo City, April 30, 2009 Visit www.preda.org for more related articles. 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