Suggestions and complaints

A number of people have expressed their annoyance about having to pay exorbitant “overnight” charges in hospital parking lots. To begin with, patients or their immediate caregivers should be exempted from overnight parking fees because they have to stay overnight, probably even longer. What really infuriates people is the fact that most parking lots are empty after visiting or clinic hours. The only vehicles there are for the night shift and the patients and caregivers. Why suck P300 more every night? That’s P2,100 a week. The third point the complainants point out is the fact that hospitals collect a large share from the revenues of parking lot concessionaires. Shouldn’t it be part of the service or facilities extended to patients and caregivers given the high charges for room rates and services?

Heck! Most hospitals collect more money than hotels and they still make money from the parking, the cafeterias and cafes etc.! I remember how the Old Man Senator Rene Cayetano attempted to correct the many anomalies in the car park industry but never got to see it through. Lets all post on Facebook and push for Congressmen and Senators to fix such unfair practices pronto! And by the way, who decides how much they charge and when and why they can raise parking fees. Many malls and hotels seem to do as they please to the point that it is cheaper to ride Uber or hire a driver for the day!

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I hope that MMDA Chairman Danny Lim would consider the suggestion that they should make all southbound vehicles making a U-turn in the inner lane near Camp Crame to do the U-turn on the left lane of the service road nearest to Camp Aguinaldo. This was the original version but someone must have lobbied for the benefit of the PNP and now traffic is so much slower. Just require southbound vehicles coming from Katipunan Avenue to stay right next to the bus lane and have a dedicated U-turn at Santolan-Boni Serrano. This way they won’t have to go across EDSA that causes traffic jams. Buses can stay on the rightmost lane of the service road or bypass over the overpass. As for the PNP, they should study the option of opening other gates or constructing a new entrance that works with the traffic flow.

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While driving in front of the temporary or borrowed premises of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board, I was appalled to see several uniformed LTFRB men inspecting and testing a taxi right on East Avenue. It seems that it was not enough for the LTFRB to commandeer one lane of East Avenue and part of the LTO parking area; their people are now occupying the other side for their motor vehicle inspection! Has the LTFRB lost its sense of order and propriety? East Avenue is not an impounding area neither is it your talyer!

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Over on Meralco Avenue, our attention has been called to two principal violators when it comes to obstructing traffic. Both of them represent the law, one local,  the other national. They are none other than Pasig City traffic enforcers who persist on arresting and ticketing motorists who fail to see a sign that tells them “Left Lane Must Turn Left.” For starters most people don’t see the sign. The arrests are legitimate but what’s really annoying if not inconsiderate or downright stupid is that the Pasig TPMO boys will direct their victims to park on the leftmost lane after the intersection coming from St. Paul’s Pasig.  So while the Pasig blue boys are busy explaining why and issuing the ticket, the heavy traffic gets worse because of the TPMO-caused obstruction.

Not to be outdone is the Philippine National Police station in front of the DepEd just a few meters away from the TPMO ticketing area. Here you come across various “police vehicles” and personal vehicles of policemen parked all over the place and almost always occupying one lane of Meralco Avenue. I have written about this inconsiderate behavior and mismanagement but it seems no one at the station reads the Philippine STAR or our column. Perhaps I ought to write a series and send each to Chief PNP Dela Rosa every time he blows off steam at the firing range in our neighborhood in Lipa, Batangas.

Consider this a crazy idea, but maybe the PNP should start working with property developers and mall owners to consider providing decent and presentable police precincts within their facilities. No jails just booking, recording and patrol functions. It would make sense especially since the malls have parking space. Just don’t allow the cops to bring in suspects or burned vehicles.

Speaking of burnt vehicles, does the Quezon City police have any plans of removing or disposing all the cars and trucks involved in accidents that are piling up under the Kamuning/Kamias flyover? For some reason, the QCPD has also been infected with the “squatting disease” of the LTFRB.

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Someone suggested that the Philippine Heart Center should be expanded and relocated. Unlike its neighbors, the PHC does not have the lot area or space to expand without seriously affecting its operations. Yes they can build up but there’s not enough elbowroom to do so. What it needs is to move to a spot like the Ninoy Aquino Park that could be put to better use housing a much needed and respected medical institution. I love parks, I want more parks, but parks can be integrated into the design by landscape architects. Right now, there is a need to triple the current number and capacity of public hospitals.

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