Don’t you just hate it? This is the title of Lester Dizon’s article two days ago in the Motoring section of Philstar.com. Most of the time I visit this site to check reviews of places to go, people behind the motoring scenes, and of course test drive reports from the stereotyped Korean vehicles to the dream cars such as the BMWs and Subarus–most of the time I’d wonder who happens to afford such luxury in this third world country. Hopefully, none of them are politicians.
Anyway, when I read this one yesterday, I can’t help but share it. (If by any chance this reaches the original author, please advise if you want this blog modified or removed)
“Don’tyou just hate it when you get stuck in rush hour traffic and see some MMDA traffic enforcers just chatting at their posts and the only thing they could do to direct traffic is to lazily wave their hands?
Don’tyou hate it more when, to cope with the spiraling fuel prices, you trade your mid-sized sedan for a sub-compact car only to find that they consume the same amount of fuel because of the heavy traffic?
Don’tyou hate it even more when, to cope with the spiraling fuel prices and to get through the heavy traffic, you trade your car for a motorcycle only to get stuck in a traffic gridlock caused by floods and a sudden downpour at a time when you didn’t bring your raincoat because PAGASA predicted good weather?
Don’tyou just hate it when some driving schools seemingly teach their stu- dents the wrong driving habits like driving slowly on the fast lane and park- ing against the flow of traffic among other traffic violations?
Don’tyou hate it even more when most of the instructors of these driving schools aren’t even certified and that their students contribute to the grow- ing number of discourteous and undisciplined drivers on the road today? Don’t you just hate it when jeepneys, FX taxis and tricycles use the corner of a busy intersection as their terminals and block traffic for more than a kilometer?
Don’tyou hate it more when these jeepneys, FX taxis and tricycles use that corner as their terminal and cause traffic under the watchful eye of an MMDA, police or a local traffic enforcer? Don’t you just hate it when heavily-tinted vehicles with the number “8” on their front plates, which are reserved for congressmen, bully their way through traffic using their sirens, the unauthorized use of which in vehicles other than ambulances, fire trucks and police cars in an emergency has been declared unlawful by the Presi- dent in an Executive Order? Don’t you hate it even more that some of these heavily-tinted vehicles with sirens and the number “8” on their front plates are not actually driven or ridden by congressmen but by their immediate families, their staff or by cronies, who act as if they were the ones elected to public office?
Don’tyou hate it even more when Congress needed to “remind” the LTO through a press conference about the unauthorized use of these number “8” plates and the apprehension of drivers using these official plates instead of purging their ranks of abusive congressmen, congressional personnel, family members and cronies?
Don’tyou just hate it when a government VIP convoy consisting of a heavily-tinted vehicle with flashing lights and sirens, two back-up vehicles filled with armed goons and a couple of motorcycle police escorts bully their way through traffic and violate all known traffic laws that they were sworn to protect and obey?
Don’tyou hate it even more when this bullying VIP convoy is merely escort- ing an abusive government official or a crony to his luxurious home, which was funded from the corrupted taxes of the road users they bullied along the way, just so they can get through the heavy traffic that they caused with their graft and ineptness anyway?
Don’t you hate it even more when these road projects are merely repairs or repaving of existing roads and not the design and construction of new ones to alleviate the worsening traffic in the metropolis and the slow traffic flow around the country, which is choking trade, commerce and the national economy?
Don’t you just hate it when Thailand and Vietnam had licked most of their traffic problems with the construction of new roads or multi-tiered highways and are on the road to economic strength while we couldn’t even get our anomalous road repairs done right?
Don’t you hate it more when Singapore and Malaysia are implementing plans to combat the greenhouse effect of air pollution while the bright boys at MMDA are cutting down healthy trees, which can help minimize air pollution, because these plants “interfere” with the overhead electrical wires and cables?”
Well Mr. Dizon, include me as one of the haters. And of course your article awakened some more personal hatred.
Don’t you just hate it when you hear that Vietnam and Malaysia’s economy is growing while some of the senators are trying to become either CSIs (by doing investigations, most of it fruitless) or hotel wreckers instead of enticing investors for the benefit of every Filipino?
Don’t you just hate it even more when these countries pose a threat to your job as your company builds more factories there while the one they have here in the Philippines gets ignored?
Don’t you just hate it when you’ve been reading the motoring section religiously when in fact you don’t even own a car yet?
Don’t you hate it even more that because of the bickering of these politicians, your chance of owning a car gets slimmer and slimmer?
Patience, patience, patience my friend.
Marcus Can Blog 