‘Body language’ says it all

According to someone present at the “prayer meeting” called by Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle with the three prospective presidential candidates – Vice President Jejomar Binay, Sen. Grace Poe and DILG Secretary Mar Roxas – it was apparent the VP and the DILG Secretary were uncomfortable with each other. Despite some laughter and several light moments during the meeting where less than 10 people were present, one could tell from their body language the geniality was quite superficial as if the two were just being “civil” to each other.

Everybody knows there is no love lost between Mar and Jojo, with the former accusing the latter of cheating during the 2010 elections when both ran for the position of vice president. The Vice President, on the other hand, has accused the DILG chief as being behind the “smear campaign” against the Binay family with the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee taking the lead in accusing the Vice President and his son of graft and corruption.

Only Grace Poe appeared to be the most “natural and neutral” during the entire meeting. The Senator considers the Binays as family friends, aside from the fact that Jojo was the campaign manager of the late action king Fernando Poe Jr. who ran in the 2004 presidential elections. Grace has also maintained friendly relations with both Mar and Noynoy who is still hopeful that Grace will be Mar’s running mate. 

Only someone like Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle could have pulled off such a near-impossible feat of bringing the three presidentiables together for a prayer meeting and Bible-sharing session, advising them to elevate the level of campaigning. Cardinal Tagle is very well respected and loved by the people. He is known to be a text mate of Pope Francis himself and they speak by phone on a regular basis.

Time for a traffic summit

The sudden heavy downpour last Tuesday caused monstrous traffic jams along EDSA and other major roads in Metro Manila, causing thousands of commuters to be stranded with many finding themselves forced to walk home – drenched to their shoes – until the wee hours of the morning because everything was at a standstill.

The rain made several roads un-passable for light vehicles especially at the intersection of Santolan, causing gridlocks both for northbound and southbound vehicles that lasted for five hours. No doubt the high water levels (28 inches in some areas) exacerbated the already bad traffic situation, but when the waters subsided, people expected traffic personnel to become visible and untangle the mess with cars, vans and buses going helter-skelter on the streets.

What happened last Tuesday highlights once again the gravity of the traffic problem in Metro Manila, and it’s becoming clear the government must show strong, uncompromising political will coupled with a sense of urgency to solve the traffic mess. Everyone is afflicted and it will take cooperation and the collective, unified effort of people to help solve the problem that afflicts all of us. The government could initiate a two-day traffic summit as suggested by business groups, with the participation of NGOs and other sectors to discuss possible solutions and suggestions on how to resolve the infernal traffic. 

But while there are short-term solutions that can temporarily help ease the situation, we need long-term solutions such as a good public transportation system, wider roads and better infrastructure to improve mobility of people and goods. For instance, the interconnector road project that has been gathering dust and languishing for five years. 

Perhaps the only good thing that has come out of this whole traffic mess that is becoming unbearable is that more and more people are showing their willingness to cooperate and in fact, are giving suggestions – and some of them sound practical and doable – on how to improve the flow of traffic. However, it also requires sacrifice on the part of the people.

Noel Mallari suggests a variation to the odd-even scheme where vehicles with plates ending in odd numbers will be allowed on the streets between 6 a.m. and 12 noon, while vehicles with plates ending in even numbers can ply the roads from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. All we need is to sacrifice for half a day of being carless, but imagine the time saved and the lessened pollution, with students and ordinary workers as the main beneficiary of the suggestion, Noel says.

There are also several suggestions from Raymond Tumao, among them the clearing of parallel roads alongside EDSA from the Mall of Asia to Balintawak. Three wheeler vehicles (pedicabs and tricycles) should not be allowed on main and secondary roads, which will be defined in a master plan. In clearing the parallel roads, identified choke points should have CCTVs to video-record traffic movement 24/7, and patched in to a traffic command center, he added.  

Other proposals include regulating the sale of brand new cars to those who have sufficient parking space at home, while many are also reiterating calls to remove the bus terminals along EDSA especially in Quezon City. One other practical suggestion – and many agree with this – is to locate businesses, factories and other commercial establishments in the provinces – away from Metro Manila – to decongest the metropolis and at the same time boost the economy in the countryside because new jobs will be generated with the locals given priority for employment opportunities. Like we have said, it will take our collective and unified effort to solve the gargantuan traffic problem that is choking Metro Manila to death.

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