They say nothing dies harder than a bad idea. That saying is nowhere truer than in the Philippines where bad ideas replace one bad idea after another. What’s worse is that the bad ideas often come from government agencies that affect millions of Filipinos and make their lives a living hell. No wonder international best selling author, Dan Brown referred to Manila as “the Gates of Hell”.
Ill-conceived idea left thousands stranded.
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It was reported that thousands of passengers coming from Cavite and Batangas were stranded and helpless on the first day MMDA implemented the operation of the Coastal Bus terminal this week. I can imagine them weeping, wailing and gnashing their teeth while waiting for something or someone to save them from the nightmare. Who knows what happened to those passengers? I wouldn’t want to be in their shoes considering it was raining and they had to wade through muddy if not flooded streets.
It was evident that the public was not properly consulted before the bus ban was implemented. Neither was the public adequately informed of alternative public transport vehicles that would replace the buses that brought passengers to their usual destination. According to another report, the only people who were consulted were the Cavite mayors who conveniently forget what passengers go through when using the country’s decrepit public transport system.
Unfortunately, a mass and a ribbon-cutting ceremony held during the formal opening of an integrated provincial terminal at Uniwide Coastal Mall in Parañaque City for buses from provinces in Southern Luzon was not enough to pacify angry commuters who thought the coordination skills of the government agencies like MMDA and DOTC sucked. Obviously, the MMDA was good enough to organize things for photo-ops but were not good enough to organize communicating the new system with the commuters.
Banning the buses seemed like a good idea until one realizes that there is no alternative public transport system that would adequately replace the buses. The MMDA and the mayors who agreed to this scheme probably thought the commuters would accept their fate without complaining. They obviously assumed that the commuters would have no choice but to suck it up.
The banning of the provincial buses from entering EDSA would leave commuters exhausted, frustrated and disillusioned from simply trying to get to and from work. This situation will not be good for the productivity of the workers. No wonder more and more Filipinos end up quitting working all together. The simple task of going to work becomes an adventure in the Land of the lost. No wonder more and more men are becoming “tambay sa kanto”. They might as well stay home until the government agencies involved start using their common sense.
To be fair, the DOTC and the MMDA were just following orders. It seems someone from the top wanted to take the credit for fixing the traffic problem before his term ends at all costs and at the expense of the commuters. It seems President Benigno Simeon “BS” Aquino signed the order without asking if it will cause bigger problems during implementation. The executive order mentions the establishment of Interim Transport Terminals in three sites for the North, South and Southwest lines. However, nothing in it says anything about addressing the problem of how the commuting public will continue their journey after getting off at the said interim transport terminals.
Clearly, this is another case of “bahala na” attitude on the part of the government agencies involved. Indeed, how the commuters will get to their destination is not their problem anymore. As long as President BS Aquino’s orders are implemented, it’s all good to the agencies involved. It is useless to ask the question “what were they thinking?” It is crystal clear that the safety and convenience of the public are the least of their concerns.
The more important question to ask is this: How did the government agencies particularly the DOTC, the LTFRB and the MMDA allow the problem the buses are creating on major roads get this far? Just like the squatter problem, they did not nip the problem in the bud. Instead, they issued permits to bus operators indiscriminately and allowed bus drivers to wreak havoc by behaving like kings of the road. Now, faced with the enormous task of solving the Metro Manila’s traffic problems, they want to reinvent the wheel. Their solution is to pull the plug on the buses without thinking of the consequences of their actions.
Another irony here is that MMDA chairman Francis Tolentino is petitioning for a P2-fare reduction for bus passengers from Cavite and Batangas. Meanwhile, the Executive order states that appropriate fees for the maintenance of the bus terminals could eventually be collected from the bus operators. With the fees from DOTC and the loss of income from passengers, the bus operators will surely be unhappy with Tolentino’s petition. If anything, they could ask for compensation in the form of a fare hike.
The new scheme did not receive a thumbs up from some advocacy groups. A militant transport group, Piston has labeled the policy “anti-poor”. Another group the National Center for Commuter Safety and Protection claims that the policy is doomed to fail:
“This just shows the lack of preparedness and study by the MMDA,” says Elvie Medina, president of the National Center for Commuter Safety and Protection (NCCSP).
“Because there is no effort to really analyze what causes Metro Manila traffic, schemes like these will fail and will cause inconvenience every single day while MMDA implements this central bus terminal scheme, “ Medina added.
Medina is opposing the scheme because there is no developed intra- and inter-city modal system that would support a centralized bus terminal scheme. She says that provincial buses, which roughly consists about 6 percent of overall vehicular traffic along EDSA, is not the problem.
Medina says that city buses, colorum jeepneys, bad driving habits and lack of a more expansive road network contribute to EDSA traffic.
The implementation of President BS Aquino’s Executive Order No. 67 will definitely not solve the underlying problem of lack of discipline in Philippine society. The absence of the provincial buses on EDSA will not change the fact that ordinary drivers still ignore road rules. This is because most Filipinos including commuters and drivers have this baseless sense of being more important than everybody else. It is why you see people cutting you off on highway lanes on the road or pushing their way in lines ahead of the rest in a queue. As long as Filipinos put their own interest first before other people, the traffic chaos on the road will not be solved.
Bad ideas are just like bad excuses. Some people will never run out of it. That’s because they refuse to accept that they are part of the problem.
[Photo coutesy Adobo Talk.]
In life, things are not always what they seem.
Talking politics with my Philippine neighbor I mentioned that Estrada should have just enforced a Bus, large vehicle lane and had his officers out on the streets writing tickets..generating revenue from those that break laws he mentioned to me that the police will only take the money and the laws won’t be enforced, lol. So then I thought of a public rail way system without to many buses out to the Provinces and other area’s N and S he said the politicians don’t want this or end up messing with the money, it’s nice to talk with a Philippine citizen that can speak English and has the views right or knows what’s going on.
Trains alone will not solve Metro Manila’s traffic problems
London has 14 mainline railway stations that service every major town and city in the U.K
London underground has more than 400 km’s of track.
London also has 7,500 buses that carry 6 million passenger a week.
Manila just like any other city needs all forms of transport and modern infrastructure not half baked ideas that always fail.
I doubt an underground system could be built in Manila due to earthquakes, but 55% of London underground actually runs above ground.
Elvie Medina sums it well. Even Chariman Tolentino mentioned that the turn of events was unexpected.
I’m commuting every weekdays from Bacoor, Cavite to Manila prior the establishment of the South West terminal and I always take jeep or ordinary buses (buses without air conditioner) to Baclaran because provincial buses from Dasmarinas and Imus are already full. Essentially, come SouthWest terminal, I’ve just move connection point.
What really irritated me is that as a commuter, I’m clueless on where to take city buses. You have to sort things out. No wonder commuters from Cavite are really pissed off.
Anyway, I give MMDA a month to sort things out, after all I’m fine with limiting the provincial buses to outskirts of the metro, I just don’t like how MMDA manages the transition.
Chairman Tolentino ISN’T managing much of anything. When complaints about the chaotic situation reached him, he simply shrugged it off saying that it was just a matter of “habituation.” In other words — GET USED TO ALL OF IT. The long queues of provincial buses waiting to get into the terminal, the lack of immediate city transportation available, the exhausting walks travelers will have to endure to continue their journey into Metro Manila. The sooner commuters accept the new arrangement, the sooner Tolentino and his bosses in Malacañang can declare that everything worked out fine and gloat for the TV cameras. It’s amazing a riot didn’t break out in the confusion last Tuesday.
@OnesimusUnbound
There will be more of you now using the jeepneys going to your destination. Good luck elbowing people. 😉
Well, hopefully it all works out for your sake. Let us know after a month.
Cheers!
It will take time about one week for commuters to adjust from this new scheme. Let us appreciate this because the executive is reducing traffic congestion in Metro Manila. Clap clap
Nandito na naman ang maingay na kambing na ito’t parang hulog ng langit para sa kanya ang “solusyon” na pinagmamayabang nya at ng kanyang politico de patola.
*slow clap*
It would take Einstein a lifetime to understand your stupidity. crap,crap
Einstein got it half right. There are TWO universal constants: the Speed of Light and bida kapamilya’s flaming stupidity.
another constant is bida kapamilya’s extremely flawed yellow propaganda that will NEVER convince anyone here.
LOL! Don’t ever broke the Peter Principle, bida kapamilya!
Unless you live in Cavite or Batangas and commute every day via this route, shut your damn mouth. I made a trip up there yesterday to see it for myself, and the situation is absolutely appalling and has made the traffic situation even worse. So until you make that journey, and can post pictures of yourself smiling in contented “adjustment” to this hare-brained scheme — which is damn fortunate not to have resulted in somebody being killed or seriously injured yet, since Tolentino’s idea of a transit point is a wide spot in the road — SHUT. THE F. UP.
and yet again the yellow moron shows his retarded face. When will you ever realize that nobody here will believe your stupid propaganda you dumdum?
Troll harder, you stupid sack of shit shit
“It will take time about one week for commuters to adjust from this new scheme”
And it will take YOU an eternity to think of a better propaganda you stupid sack of shit.
Your president’s days are numbered, you better be prepared to eat your words.
What if after one week, di pa maka-adjust? Eh di palpak.
Didn’t even considered the extra fares that the low-earning citizens will burden.
You can’t even call this scheme, stupid. It waaaay lower than that.
Just return everything to normal, then Implement strict loading/unloading areas. You’d have to walk your ass a couple of blocks, but it’s more convenient than what we have now. Survival of the fittest during rush hours. No Pregnant/Disabled/Elderly will be honored.
How can you sleep at night?
“You can’t even call this scheme, stupid. It waaaay lower than that”
Then let’s call it “bida kapamilya” since its waaay too stupid to be called stupid. Its f*cking retarded.
@Mark Peco
Reducing public utility vehicles on the road that are causing chaos is an excellent idea. However, they can’t do it without setting up alternative means of transport. It was premature to implement it. They can’t just abandon the commuters.
Agree. It was too early. They should have pushed through with MRT up to Cavite and so on, before implementing their crappy scheme.
Please help me make a change, help me get the voice of a regular Pinoy commuter be heard.
Please add your voice to mine to get President Aquino to reconsider this scheme.
http://www.change.org/petitions/president-benigno-aquino-iii-reconsider-the-provincial-bus-ban-on-edsa?utm_source=guides&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=petition_created
Thank you!
Chairman Tolentino and his inutile boss, President Penoy, seem to be under the impression that their objective is to clear Metro Manila roads of traffic. This has led them to the dubious conclusion that by clearing the roads of vehicles, they will have solved the traffic mess.
Brilliant!
Banning vehicles from Metro Manila arteries will certainly reduce the volume. It will also inevitably wreak havoc on the Metro’s ECONOMY. People need cars and buses to transport them to their intended destination so they can conduct whatever business they need to accomplish at that location. Somehow, the mayors of Metro Manila, Cavite and Batangas have forgotten this. Or perhaps they never really appreciated what commuters have to go through, considering they usually speed past stoplights traveling in darkened SUVs with a police escort edging other vehicles out of the way.
The MMDA and Malacañang need to have their priorities straightened out. Their job isn’t to grab headlines away from Erap Estrada. They are supposed to provide a mass transit system and enough road space that will enable the fast and efficient movement of people throughout Metro Manila. Anything less simply inflicts more viciousness on an already long suffering public.
@Johnny Saint
Well, the government agencies want instant result and they are trying to achieve it using drastic measures without thinking of the repercussions. We see the incompetence of Phil public servants when they implement ill-conceived ideas.
😉 More like a publicity hungry President Penoy wants quick, limelight-grabbing results. The heads of his agencies are just along for the ride while trying to avoid the possibility of charges from the ombudsman after their term. And of course they still have to push their personal agendas before they leave office. It isn’t just incompetence giving us poor results. A huge part of it is cowardice — the fear these cabinet secretaries have of actually taking some risks in executing the jobs they were hired to do.
Well said, Ilda. The incompetence of public servants is a reflection of the QUALITY of Lawmakers we vote for. Celebrities are just showmen, not intellectuals or skilled engineers.
Philippines needs serious people with serious solutions to serious problems.
Filipinos deserve better, but until we DEMAND the end to Political Dynasties, we have only ourselves to blame for the dim witted, amateurish policies that torture us all.
Help me make a change. Help me get the voice of a regular Pinoy commuter be heard. Please add your voice to mine to get President Aquino to reconsider this scheme.
http://www.change.org/petitions/president-benigno-aquino-iii-reconsider-the-provincial-bus-ban-on-edsa?utm_source=guides&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=petition_created
Thank you!
Typical Pnoy to implement something like this. It’s not like he rides the bus, so how would he know what it’s like to commute to and from the city? It’s just like how the idiot MMDA insists on changing traffic schemes around the city, closing and opening U-turns along C5 at the height of traffic. They have no idea what they’re doing because these people don’t drive cars anyway.
What else would we expect from a clueless twat of a president that can’t even admit his mistakes let alone take responsibility for them?
Only retards like “bobong kapalmukha” here will insist that this retarded scheme is working when in reality, it’s not.
This perhaps demonstrates the WRONG application of political will. It’s as if the government orders you, “Throw yourself over the cliff like lemmings for order.” So this bus scheme needs to be challenged and changes made accordingly.
This isn’t political will. It’s vanity pure and simple. Penoy can’t stand the fact that Erap implemented his bus ban first and grabbed the limelight from the MMDA’s provincial bus terminal implementation. Now the riding public has to suffer the chaos at the Coastal Mall as well as hours long traffic jams on EDSA to assuage the president’s hurt pride.
Stop this nonsense of clearing traffic jams immediately! Traffic jams, like brownouts, are signs of a progressive economy. Please don’t remove these signs of hope!
And you better stop living in the lala land with that stupid progressive economy delusion of yours because you are too blind on seeing the real issues.
I think Shimofuri was being sarcastic. 😉
I am certain that Shimofuri was being sarcastic. Traffic jams and brownouts are 1) the result of poor planning and 2) depraved indifference to the safety and well being of the public.
Considering the price for power in Philippines is the highest in Asia, we should have the best, most reliable delivery of power. We get ECONOMY CLASS SERVICE and FIRST CLASS RATES. Thank you. ERC
Regarding the traffic problems, ignorance is no excuse for failure. FIRE THEM ALL and let the Civil Engineering Students solve the problem.
That Noynoy can say the dumbest things. Well, it helps that he is dumb.
Help me make a change. Help me get the voice of a regular Pinoy commuter be heard. Please add your voice to mine to get President Aquino to reconsider this scheme.
http://www.change.org/petitions/president-benigno-aquino-iii-reconsider-the-provincial-bus-ban-on-edsa?utm_source=guides&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=petition_created
Thank you!
Erap and Francis Tolentino are the leaders of the “Gates of Hell.” So naturally, they will create more hell. Obviously, private cars should be banned on the roads. Not buses. Two cars with two people take up the space of one bus with 100 people, crammed like sardines. It’s obviously immoral now to take a private car, especially an SUV, which government officials use.
They are satanic people, affiliated with Freemasonry and other groups who fight for the “greater good” of only themselves. Some of them even post masonic stickers on the back of their car. Countries like Singapore and Japan discourage people from owning cars, but in the Philippines, devils like Erap, Noy, Mar and Tolentino rule. Get rid of the devils whose parents are linked with masonry just like Aquino, Roxas and Zobel de Ayala, and you will have Heaven again. Dan Brown knows this. That’s why he also wrote about Freemasonry.
We even in the province are also suffering from stupidity and lack of foresight of the government. It looks like stupidity can be contagious..http://www.iloilonewstoday.com/libre/index.php/component/k2/item/538-traffic-chief-told-produce-results-or-quit
Even in the province, traffic is also getting in the way of local governance, see: http://www.iloilonewstoday.com/libre/index.php/component/k2/item/538-traffic-chief-told-produce-results-or-quit
I’m actually riding from Imus, Cavite to Shaw and I was only paying 37 pesos (74php for round trip)with the average for 1.15 hour travel time. Now, I’m paying around 200php back forth plus inconveniences of transferring buses and 3 hours worth of travel. 3 hours due to terminal to terminal transition. it will take a lot of time to park and the city buses takes time to fill the fuck up.
I commiserate with you and the thousand others like yourself and I, who are affected by this scheme. Will it be okay to quote you/copy your comment and paste it on my page? I wrote a petition that is asking the President to reconsider this scheme. Unfortunately, I am having a hard time getting people to sign it, let alone read it.
If it helps, perhaps you’d like to sign the petition:
http://www.change.org/petitions/president-benigno-aquino-iii-reconsider-the-provincial-bus-ban-on-edsa
I feel I can make a a constructive way to make the common Pinoy heard by using this platform.
Thanks!
@KateL
Perhaps most of the people who would want to sign that spend most of their time on the road struggling to get from point A to B. 🙁
@lida
I guess that is quite true. I was naive about trying to do something about it in a forum that would allow those who are affected to voice their concern but at the same time try to do something concrete about it. I’m ready to admit defeat. I guess an ordinary citizen cannot do anything about it; I, like the rest of the country, will just have to swallow my vitriol and get used to it.
@katel
Don’t lose hope. All the things that are worth doing takes time. Just look at GRP as an example. GRP started out with just a few readers but now even some members of mainstream media have acknowledged our presence. One day our detractors won’t be able to pretend this blogsite doesn’t exist anymore. 🙂
So keep up with your advocacy!
@Ricky
Oh dear…that just sucks. The commuters who are affected by this scheme don’t even have a choice but to deal with it. I guess we can add them with the growing number of Pinoys who are getting fed up with this administration. Maybe you can have shirts printed with the slogan: “Not happy, PNoy” and sell it at the bus terminal.
Heheheheh. Same thing happened in Manila. So many passengers stranded. Erap didn’t realize that FXs will congest the Manila traffic in the long run too. XD