Proof of life

We are now at an age when failure to connect or answer a phone call is taken as a possible sign that a storm, earthquake or terrorist attack has been so severe or that whoever is being called has become a potential victim if not a fatality. Time and again we have heard testimonies of friends and relatives who felt or had a premonition that someone had died or was killed simply because they stopped answering calls. Thank God, there have also been great stories of people being found or rescued simply because their mobile phone was on hand and managed to call or be reached because the telecoms signal kept on going. A call or signal from a mobile phone is now part of the “Proof of Life.”

DZMM radio anchor Ted Failon shared an interesting observation yesterday morning when he pointed out that one “sign” of good news that one or more of the northern provinces was OK, is the fact that the province of Isabela actually had a “signal” from one of the telecoms companies after Super Typhoon Lawin hit the region. Failon reminded his audience that when Typhoon Yolanda hit the Visayas, the areas hit lost both power and telecoms signal. Two weeks after Yolanda, I know that Globe had sent a team up a mountain with a portable stand alone “cell site” or transmitter. I know of this because everyone who volunteered to help in the relief operations were looking out for each other and the worry for the Globe team was there was not enough food to be found way up the mountain and getting the equipment up the mountain was their team’s priority.

Until you find yourself in a situation where the ability to communicate determines your survival you probably won’t understand how indispensable cell sites or towers are. In spite of all the arguments versus such towers, I actually invited Globe to set-up a tower in our second home which is in Lipa City. Because   of its red glow at night, we have nicknamed the tower “Megatron” and when toddlers and kids see it at night their eyes grow big in amazement while saying “WOW.” The tower is there because I want to be part of the group of people who want to increase the odds that in the event of a disaster, “Megatron” might make the difference in giving people proof of life and helping others to save lives.

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I have to laugh at the ridiculous practice of the MMDA and the HPG, or is it now the IACT or Inter Agency Committee on Traffic, that tows vehicles all the way to Tarlac etc. When their impounding lots in Metro Manila started to fill up they should have realized that towing and hauling to impounding areas was not the solution. Yes, the fear of inconvenience, fines and travel may scare people to obedience, but what about the fearless, stupid, or ignorant? They continue to be towed and now the Tarlac impounding area is reportedly getting crowded.

The MMDA could simply remove the plates of the vehicles in violation instead of complicating the process for all concerned especially the IACT. If the government really wants to teach offenders a lesson, then fine them a whopping amount. Sorry but even the towing companies will end up like funeral parlors that fill up to the brink, run out of space and can’t collect fast enough! The only reason this practice would continue is because someone is obviously making money but not for long!

More and more people have been asking why the MMDA and LGUs have not been enforcing the “Yellow Box” rule that penalizes drivers for blocking the intersection or the Yellow box. Is it because the local traffic enforcers don’t stick around all day and therefore don’t see the problem? Apparently that is part of the problem but not all of the problem. It seems that with too much to look after the MMDA and LGUs end up forgetting or setting aside rules on the yellow box as well as the rule for motorcycles staying on a dedicated lane. In other words, ningas cogon or flash in the pan enforcement until people start screaming for them to do their job.

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“What goes around – comes around.”

Congressional suggestions to impose a 60 percent excise tax on brand new cars remind me of a time when car manufacturing lobbyists convinced former finance Secretary Purisima to impose a P500,000 excise tax on used or second hand imported vehicles. Their target were the Subic Bay importers but the small number of vintage car collectors got caught in the crossfire and became collateral damage. While I don’t support the huge excise tax, the idea serves as a lesson to corporations that the weapon you use against others may someday be used against you.

I don’t support the excise tax because it will end up being a pro-rich solution that ultimately backfires but won’t really solve the problem. When MMDA imposed the “number coding” system, the rich merely bought second vehicles. To by-pass the Truck ban, business people simply switched to smaller delivery vans. The excise tax may slow the flow but it won’t solve the traffic. Another way of regulating the inflow and still be democratic would be to study and investigate the various financing schemes being offered to consumers not just for cars but ESPECIALLY for motorcycles where dealers make windfall profits from recycled or foreclosed units! Many vehicle buyers are not financially literate to understand interest charges etc. Other don’t have the savings and income source to sensibly and logically sustain down payments or purchase vehicles, but since the promos are so low, people grab them that’s where regulation should take place and not in the form of taxation. The excise tax idea will surely backfire on government because they are profiting while depriving others.

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