Rowdy, Rugby Boys

Young boys sniffing what appears to be solvents, prey on cars and jeeps that stop at the intersection of Tomas Morato and E Rodriguez Avenue in New Manila, Quezon City.They harass the passengers, rudely asking for money. And when they don't get what they want, they hurl insults and even throw stones at the vehicles when the light turns green. And this happens in plain sight of the traffic enforcers who man the intersection. Who are too busy mulcting motorists.

Shame On You, Mr. Barangay Official!

Spotted this service van of Barangay Kristong Hari, Quezon City, with plate number SKE 153, beating the red light at the intersection of Hemady Street and E. Rodriguez Avenue.

Shame on you, Mr. Barangay Official. I assume of course, that the driver was a barangay official on official business because after all, it is the property of the barangay and is not for personal use.

And to think the words "Barangay Service" are emblazoned on the van. Together with a local politician's name which only happens to have B.S. as initials.

BS indeed! The least service you can do to your barangay constituents is follow simple traffic rules!

Signs of the Times

It seems we ignore even the most blatant signs. Is it because we can't read or are we just pathological law breakers?

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.

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.

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.

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.