Saturday, October 8, 2011

Bad for Tourism

I joined my daughter on her class field trip to Luneta last Friday, 7 October 2011. I was quite surprised at the number of tourists. There were busloads of students from as far as Bulacan and Laguna, pre schoolers, grade schoolers, high schoolers and even a group of college students. A few foreign tourists were also present, mostly Asians in small groups of ten or so.

The mood was colorful. Kids playfully mimicked the march of the honor guard. The horse carriages and wheeled trains took smiling guests around the park. Vendors vibrantly peddled all sorts of goods, from balloons, to hats to photography services. It was fun, it was festive.

 But there was one big eyesore: The Luneta Park Tourist Police. There were about a dozen of them. And they were all huddled in and around their outpost, chatting, texting, sleeping and even getting a massage!




We were in Luneta for more than 30 minutes. And during the entire time we were there, the tourist police never budged from their comfy corner. Man, what a life these guys have. They seem to be enjoying more than the tourists they're supposed to watch over.

Wasn't it not too long ago that the head of the Luneta Tourist Police was sacked because their outposts were not manned? Well, apparently they learned their lesson for this outpost was certainly manned. By no less than a dozen lazy bums!

This is not good for tourism.

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Who he?

I was in Starbucks Tomas Morato this morning enjoying my usual grande cafe mocha when in walked a not so tall yet regal looking man surrounded by at least six burly, baron-clad men, some with bulging clutch bags, a few holding folders.

It was the senator who not too long ago was released from military detention for his coup de etat attempts.

It was not a pleasant sight. Not that the senator was pushing his weight around. He didn't have to. His entourage took care of that. By their sheer size and number.

Was this his security detail? His friends? Or his fellow co-conspirators who were expelled from the military for what they did?

I was never a fan of this senator or of the military group he represented, Though I sympathized with their cause, I never agreed with the way they took the law in their own hands. No matter what, the end does not justify the means.

And as I left the coffee shop I spotted four more security men outside. It looked very much like a war zone.

How ironic. The man who spent so many years under strict guard now moves around with his own phalanx of men.

Friday, August 19, 2011

A World Turned Upside Down

Alas our world has turned topsy turvy. Thanks to the machinations of past powers who still yield considerable influence in the country.

Just a few weeks ago, the ex-president's spokesman, a lawyer by profession, diagnosed and announced that his principal was in "critical condition" and was to stay in isolation in the hospital.

Just yesterday, the lawmaker brother of the former First Gentleman said that his doctors will decide on whether he was going to appear before a Senate committee.

Yes, only in a country long suffering from the greed and lies of the past administration does a doctor decide on legal matters and a lawyer diagnose medical conditions.

So what's next? Do we now let some clergymen run for office or lawmakers decide on moral issues? Oh sorry, that too has long been happening.

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Reel or Real?


I witnessed this early this afternoon as I was taking my daughter to school. This was in front of Odds.com Internet cafe on Tomas Morato in Barangay Sacred Heart, Quezon City. There were at least two video camera crews training their sights on a cordoned off Honda Civic. Several uniformed SOCO men could be seen inspecting a car ala-CSI. At first I thought it was another film shooting. But then I recognized someone who looked like a TV reporter. So was this a real crime scene or was the TV reporter doing a cameo for yet another TV serial?

Tomas Morato and what is referred to as the Scout area in Quezon City is a virtual studio lot of both ABS CBN and GMA 7. A number of soap operas and telenovelas are filmed in the streets, establishments and houses in the area. Thus it's not uncommon to have shootings in the area. 

Just the other day, a police chase was filmed across our building, a five or six hour shoot featuring Robin Padilla and Diether Ocampo. The guns and uniforms used seemed genuine. And except for the two lead stars whom one would never mistake for ordinary PO1s, the extras looked like real cops, moonlighting as bit players.


So was the scene I witnessed today real? Unfortunately, I will probably only know if I watch TV Patrol tonight.

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Beware! Shadows Lurk Beyond the Turn


I call them the Hounds of New Manila, these yellow- or sometimes blue-clad traffic personnel from both the MMDA and the Quezon City traffic management group who man E. Rodriguez Avenue  in the New Manila area in Quezon City. They prey on unsuspecting motorists making a left turn from Tomas Morato into E. Rod.

They accost an average of four cars an hour, more during the peak times of 8 to 10 in the morning and 5 to 7 in the afternoon. Almost always the offense cited is "swerving" or changing lanes when making the left turn. Once they have the motorist stopped, the well-rehearsed script ensues.

And if you insist to just be given a ticket they will stall and try to convince you to change your mind.

"Sir, baka mahirapan pa kayo. Matagal ang proceso..." they chant, as if they were even doing you a favor.

In the end, they usually prevail. And end up with at least a hundred pesos per car.

So much for the new administration's vision of a graft-free government. What ever happened to "ang matuwid na daan?"

Not too long after the new MMDA chairman assumed office last year, the following press release went the rounds advising motorists against abusive MMDA officers. Only when we re-read this do we realize that sadly, not much has changed in this office.

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Tools against abusive MMDA officers
Source: MMDA Personnel Officer Antonio Pagulayan

If any of these abuses seem familiar to you, Mr. Antonio Pagulayan (Personnel Officer) has asked that you call either the MMDA hotline (136) or call the METRO BASE at (0920) 938-9861 or (0920) 938-9875 and ask for an Inspectorate.
They should send inspectors to the place where these MMDA officers are extorting, even while you are arguing out of your apprehension.

1. MMDA officers are not allowed to group together in order to apprehend. They are not even allowed to stand together in groups of two or more. The only time they are allowed to work together is for special operations (probably when they apprehend groups of buses for smoke belching)

2. Swerving IS NOT a traffic violation. Moving from one lane to the left or right is not swerving, no matter where or what road. And it is even less of a violation when you do it with a signal. Swerving is defined as shifting two or more lanes very quickly. You can argue your way out of this or call the Metro Base for help.

3. Sadly, using the yellow lane is a traffic violation and will get you a ticket. However, buses are really not allowed to get out of the yellow lane, so if you see selective apprehension of private cars only, you may complain.

4. MMDA has confirmed that your license MAY NOT BE CONFISCATED at a traffic apprehension. The only time they can do so is if you are part of an accident, or it is your third violation and you have not settled your fines yet. They are only allowed to give you a ticket, which you can contest. Pagulayan recommends actually receiving the ticket in some instances, so that you can report the officer who did it.

5. Also, you are free to ask any of these officers for their "mission order" which is written by their supervisor. If they apprehend you for a violation that is not in their mission order for the day, you can report them and they will receive disciplinary action.

Thursday, January 6, 2011

How Blatant Can One Get!

Total strangers coming up to you and asking for "pamasko" is nothing new. We get it from our garbage collectors, the village guards, the newspaper boy, even the street children at every intersection on the way to work. Some make an effort to even sing a few lines of a Christmas carol, some do a Wowowee inspired dance, still others just stick their hands out, as if we owe them. None of this is new. We're all used to it. But what totally caught me by surprise this past Christmas season was this note on the change platter given to me by a waiter in Luk Yuen.


 What brazenness! And so instead of giving my customary 15% tip, I took every single centavo of the change. Maybe the waiter should just have been a little more attentive, shown a little more of a spirit of service for his customers to reward him with a bigger tip. Brandishing notes like this will not get him any merry wishes.