Change is coming…‘daw’

P3.5 billion lost to traffic? 

If you think that’s bad, I just learned that most of the country’s “produce” or business is coming out of Greater Metro Manila instead of being served or manufactured nationwide. So it’s no surprise that we are losing 3.5 billion a day given that we spend and average of 3 to 5 hours commuting and stuck in traffic. The question is what can we do about it?

Maybe we can just banish the top 1000 businessmen and women outside of Metro Manila or send them back to their roots or provinces so that their entire posse, household staff, sidekicks as well as businesses can then be relocated with them? It may be a joke but for as long as the rich and famous of this country insists on residing inside Metro Manila, chances are, so will their business operations and headquarters.

Secretary Art Tugade was actually right in pitching the relocation of government offices outside Metro Manila and just living satellite units in malls to better serve the public. The DOTr wants to stay in Clark, maybe the Department of Agriculture and attached agencies can move to Los Baños. We can also relocate major hospitals, the Philippine Senate and the House of Representatives to places that are more accessible to their patients and constituents. Many major corporations in the Philippines are now placing all their offices under one roof or in a single sight for operational efficiency, to cut down on renting other locations, and to avoid traffic and minimize travel time.

I know for a fact that our major hospitals in Diliman, Quezon City are running out of space, have started to build up but even that option is slowly running thin. The Heart Center for instance should really have more space to build a bigger and better facility. The same goes for the NKTI and the Lung Center.

Why should members of Congress be physically present at the Batasan when they can actually do half of their work or their legislative work through the Internet, mobile phone or delegate to a smaller staff while the bigger crew stay in their respective congressional district! For the longest time people have been talking about relocating the PNP and AFP headquarters along EDSA and placing them north and south of Metro Manila.

Before we can take off on the program of Federalism maybe we should try baby steps such as trying to relocate colleges and universities, integrating government offices etc., outside Metro Manila. We don’t have to cut things up or dislocate the system we simply need to stretch things further out than they are currently located. We should also look into removing factories in Metro Manila and having a plan to actually relocate our piers from Manila to locations outside Metro Manila.

The truth of the matter is that we have outgrown Metro Manila and it is time to spread everything out so that the entire country can take part in the growth and development of the Philippines. Don’t just “Build – Build – Build” ; Let’s “Grow – Grow – Grow.”

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What happens if the change we are hoping for turns out to be painful, costly and useless? What happens if the change ends up benefitting big business that has money, power and influence on government officials and policies?

“Change is coming” they say and we can assume that it will happen in Boracay, the Jeepney Modernization program, the MRT rehabilitation, etc., etc., etc. But I just realized that in all of the above, the entire picture has not actually been presented. We know that Boracay needs to be cleaned up of illegal structures, illegal businesses, and most importantly have an island wide sewage collection and treatment plant or facility. Boracay also needs wider roads, more footpaths and an actual Master plan that is based on a professional, culturally sensitive and impartial process. 

The focus right now is on the sewage system and demolition of illegal structures, but what about the ambulant vendors, transients or people who don’t have a Boracay business address? Will it be “Sewers today” then tomorrow big business takes over island life? I am all for what the President wants to do with the island but I also know that Big Business is pumping big money into Boracay with the vision of making it “more global” and consequently less local or unaffordable for local Filipinos. This early, I sound the alarm and the warning that Boracay should remain accessible and affordable for all but most especially for Filipinos.

Let’s all make sure that the Mega Developers and Chain retailers don’t call the shots or direct the course for renovation or restoration of Boracay.

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Bad habits acquired in a lifetime, cannot not be purged by simply removing dilapidated Jeepneys. For some strange reason, the DOTr is not picking up on suggestions that all Jeepney drivers should undergo a thorough and continuing re-education as public utility drivers. The usual one or two-day seminars given to arrested drivers by the I-Act or MMDA is too short and applies only to those arrested and did not get away with bad driving!  Perhaps the reason the DOTr is not talking about it because it will open up another can of worms regarding the fact that many Filipino drivers did not learn from a certified or accredited driving school or training center.

Instead of investigating Bong Go and the frigate deal, the Senate should be investigating how the Philippines produces thousands of drivers every year who never even enrolled in a formal school. This is the more important and relevant matter for public safety and transport modernization and not just selling or making look-alike Jeepneys!

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