MMDA Should Fix Their Footbridges

One morning, as I rush to work, I noticed a bunch of bystanders near the MMDA footbridge located in Litex Area, along Commonwealth Avenue. The bystanders are looking intently on something and this got me puzzled. So I stopped walking and looked at what they are looking. I am surprised to know that they are looking at this:
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MMDA Footbridge, Litex, Quezon City

The bystanders are looking through the gaps of the stairs of the footbridge. They are looking through the gaps because they are trying too peek at the ladies who are wearing skirt and are climbing the footbridge to cross the Commonwealth Avenue.
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Stairs with gaps.

I sent a message to the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) through e-mail telling them of the problem that skirt-wearing ladies must endure whenever they use the Litex footbridge. However, it is more than a month now and the the MMDA has no response. Nothing was changed on the Litex footbridge and the gaps were not covered.

The next day, I noticed that the pervert bystanders are nowhere to be seen near the footbridge. I don't know the reason why they're gone. I hope that they don't return. I also hope that the MMDA construct better footbridges for the sake of Filipinas using their footbridge.

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Mayor Bistek is Scarier than the MMDA Sign

If you are living in Metro Manila or if you have visited Metro Manila, then it is possible that you have seen this sign:

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The sign reads: "BAWAL TUMAWID MAY NAMATAY NA DITO"

Translated in English it reads: "Crossing is prohibited. Somebody already died here."

The above photo was taken last May along Commonwealth Avenue. The said signage is just the second version of the anti-jaywalking signs posted during the time of MMDA Admin Bayani Fernando. The original signage read: "Walang tawiran. Nakamamatay" ("No crossing. Deadly).

Last month I was surprised that the MMDA anti-jaywalking sign was replaced with this:

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The signage reads, "Bawal Tumawid" (Crossing is prohibited) with the smiling photo of Quezon City Mayor Bistek. For those who are not familiar with the Philippine showbiz, "Bistek" is the nickname given to the former actor Herbert Bautista.

Why was the MMDA signage replaced by this signage of the smiling Mayor Bistek? The possible reason why the MMDA was replaced because it is not that scary to jaywalkers anymore. Quezon City officials thought that they could scare jaywalkers from crossing Commonwealth Avenue by showing a "killer" smile of Mayor Bistek.

Well, the second photo shows that their thinking was wrong. The jaywalker in the photo was not "persuaded" by the smiling Bistek not to jaywalk.

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Metro Manila Bus Operators Must Pay!

This morning, I was amazed with what's happening along Commonwealth Avenue. It is a Monday, the first day of work, so it will be normal if there are hordes of people waiting/fighting for a ride on buses, jeepneys, taxis, and other mode of public transport. However, I noticed that the number of people along the avenue is way to many than the normal number of commuters on a Monday. They are too many (and impatient) that they already occupied half of the west-bound lane of Commonwealth Avenue.

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Waiting for the bus that never comes.

My amazement grew when I saw Army trucks plying along Commonwealth Avenue. Is there a coup d'etat? I guess not since the Army trucks are carrying civilians, not soldiers. I had a hard time riding a bus because there are very few bus that are passing by. Those few bus are already full to the brim and many commuters are holding precariously on anything that they could hold on at the edge of the door of the bus.

Luckily, I got the chance to run after an empty bus and managed to ride on it, even if I will stand from Quezon City to my destination in Manila. My fellow commuters ranted about the "tigil pasada" (transport holiday) of bus operators in protest of Metro Manila Development Authority's (MMDA) number coding scheme for public utility buses.

Actually, I am not mad with what they did this morning. I am just amazed and appalled at the effect of their tigil pasada. What ticked me off is the bus operators' palusot (excuses) as voiced out by Claire de la Fuente. See the video at gmanews.tv to see her palusot. Her message is at the end of the video.

These bus operators are saying that they did not do a tigil pasada. Their drivers was just confused and thought that there is indeed a strike. Claire de la Fuente said that most bus drivers do not have cellphones. Those who have cellphones have weak batteries so the cellphones are off. In other words, Claire is saying that they can't contact their drivers to tell them there is no transport strike.

Claire de la Fuente is treating the public like idiots! Hello, Claire...we have the same, or better IQ , than you do. Just tell us the truth. Just tell us that you are just using the commuters as hostages to make the MMDA bow down to bus operators.

Claire de la Fuente and gang should be punished for this. For a long time, they have been giving the public a disservice. First, they are not giving fair benefits to their drivers and this make them work overtime or force them to take shabu just to keep awake and drive - thus resulting to many accidents. Second, they do not give just compensation for those who suffered because of accidents involving their bus. And third, they are not serious about safety because they are not serious in maintaining their bus. All they think about is profit because they let old and dilapidated buses roam Metro Manila.

It is time to break the stranglehold of these bus operators to Metro Manila commuters. LTFRB and MMDA must punish Claire de la Fuente and Gang.

MMDA Male Urinal is Clean and Fragrant

I had been aching to take photos of one of the refurbished MMDA male urinals, which are scattered all over Metro Manila. These MMDA male urinals are the novel idea of the former MMDA chairman Bayani Fernando. During Fernando’s term, these urinals are pink in color and are famously called as “pink urinals.” The new MMDA chairman decided to change the pink color of the urinal into green.

For those who do not know, MMDA stands for Metro Manila Development Authority. The role of this agency is to beautify the metropolis and ease the flow of traffic.

Finally, I got my chance during my brother’s entrance exam in UP. I took the photo of an MMDA male urinal located along Commonwealth Avenue across the Ylanan Road entrance of the university.
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 Ooops! Somebody’s inside. :-P

Well, I have wanted to take a photo of the MMDA male urinal because I saw this interesting adage:
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The words printed on the MMDA male urinal says: “Ang urinal na ito ay malinis at mabango” (“This urinal is clean and fragrant).

Funny claim huh? But in fairness, that urinal is indeed clean and not that odious. However, I do not know the case for other MMDA male urinals. Many people complained about these urinals. They said that it is unsanitary. Others defended the urinals, especially the jeepney and taxi drivers that its usual users.

How about you guys? Are the MMDA male urinals really “malinis and mabango?” Or should we remove them for health reasons?

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Another Use for the Pink Fence

Bayani Fernando implemented great and innovative ideas as the chairman of the MMDA. The famous of his many ideas is the MMDA pink fence.

In his stay as Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairman, presidential aspirant Bayani Fernando built many pink fences throughout Metro Manila. There are pink fences on the sidewalks, on the streets, on the islands and in any place within the Metro imaginable. Aside from the usual use of fences, that is to serve as boundary between two areas, Bayani Fernando thought of many ways to use it. In Cubao and other areas, his pink fences serves as a tool to herd commuters and public buses like cattle. It also serves as a blockade to the pesky jaywalkers all throughout the Metro. The fences also serve as blockades during rallies. It was even used by MMDA as public bulletin boards where MMDA can notify the public of the latest concerts of their chairman.
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MMDA Pink Fences along EDSA, Cubao, Quezon City

I also have a novel idea for Bayani’s pink fences. My idea is to use the pink fences as a prison. The form of the pink fence prison can be likened to the pink fence below:

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My proposed pink fence jail.

This will discipline the Filipino drivers. Instead of just issuing tickets, all the MMDA officers and traffic enforcers have to do is to lock – up each traffic violator for thirty minutes for each violation. Motorists, commuters, and pedestrians can be imprisoned inside the pink fence. If a jeepney driver unloads/loads passengers at “no loading/unloading” area then he can be imprisoned for thirty minutes inside the fence. Jaywalkers will also be imprisoned for thirty minutes inside the fence.

Imagine the inconvenience of the time lost for traffic violators and also the shame of being imprisoned publicly. This scheme will deter traffic violators and make traffic more bearable.

I know that this is still impossible to implement in the current settings. However, if Bayani became the president, I believe that this is possible since he will rule with an iron hand.

Hope that the MMDA peeps will read this post. :-)

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One of These Days I’ll Punch Bayani in the Face

You are a simple employee doing a hard day’s work. After your shift, you pack your things and leave your workplace to go home. You are tired and stressed, all you need is a bus and then it is home at last. But no --- you still had to contend with Bayani Fernando’s wonderful system of herding passengers to their bus: The pink fences. So what if you are tired, you had to follow Bayani’s iron rule. Or you could imagine punching the MMDA lord in the face while trying to figure out how to pass through a throng of people and get to the bus you want

I am, of course, lamenting about MMDA’s pink fences in Cubao. According to the powers that may, those fences were placed so as to organize the people loading and unloading on the public utility buses. I don’t know if that’s the truth or they just want to make things hard for the people. I, for one, find it hard to follow their so-called system since I had to climb their metal barriers so as to reach the bus I need. The place is miserable, and Bayani’s pink fences are an added ugliness.

There are many of these fences all throughout the Metro and there are some which seems to be useless and a total waste of money. The pink fences along Commonwealth Avenue are examples of this. No one uses those fences. It seems that Bayani earned millions of pesos from those fences.

Those fences needed to be tore down or else, I may not stop but punch dear Bayani out of the face of the Earth.

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