Beyond Dismal

In our household, none of us bothered learning how to drive because we never owned a car. Either that — or buying a car was never a priority when none of us knew how to drive anyway.

Quite frankly, if I really want it now and if I’m prepared to do some serious penny-pinching, I think I could afford any from a Suzuki Alto to a Nissan Almera. There are so many auto loans being offered with easier payment terms and low-interest rates these days, which is why in the last few years the volume of passenger cars and commercial vehicles on the road has increased exponentially (thus, the traffic).

My older brother and I came thisclose to getting one, but it just didn’t pan out after careful consideration. Lack of parking area is one; then there’s how we don’t want another responsibility on top of what we’re already paying regularly. We realized that we don’t badly need one, at least not yet, because public transportation is still relatively cheaper (albeit hardly dependable).

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Personally, I don’t care if I can ever learn how to drive or not.  I don’t have the patience to drive on the roads of Metro Manila anyway. The hellish traffic is one thing, but I’d probably die before my time either by stress or in a road accident.

It doesn’t matter if it’s a private or public vehicle, but every day I encounter motorists with a massive sense of entitlement. How many times have you seen a driver honking or counterflowing like he owns the freaking place? How many times have you seen public vehicles stopping in the middle of a busy road to load or unload passengers?  Nothing is more annoying to me than inconsiderate people, especially those who act merely according to their whim.

Filipinos, in general, are bad drivers. Most don’t care about road safety, responsible driving, and common courtesy. If you’ve been watching the news lately, there’s always an accident happening somewhere because most don’t follow the simplest of road signs and traffic lights; many are under the illusion that they are in the Fast & Furious movies.

When they get into an accident however, they usually blame it on faulty brakes — never on human error. But the most alarming of it all is how most of them are either drunk, on drugs, or with an expired license while behind the wheel.

I may not know how to drive, but I have more common sense than most motorists.

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I think it’s only here in the Philippines where 90% of road accidents happen on a pedestrian lane. This was the case recently of a speeding jeepney driver who rammed students crossing a pedestrian lane, killing one, and angered many netizens. A week later, there’s another road crash involving an 18-wheeler truck carrying a backhoe killing a mother and her three-month-old baby.

Both drivers had the same alibi: their brakes failed.

Imagine how easy for these morons to involve anyone in an accident. Being on the road with them means there’s no such thing as being careful because there is always a chance you’ll end up a casualty. The fatalities on both accidents I’ve mentioned are not in the wrong; the students were crossing the pedestrian lane and did so after the traffic enforcer signaled them to. The mother and child were just inside their stall by the road when the truck hit them. 

Every day I see dashcam videos of these ‘kamote’ drivers with zero discipline and it frustrates me so much that they’re even on the road to begin with. 

The thing is, reckless driving resulting in homicide is a bailable offense. Imagine the injustice if you were the victim of these drivers where you or a loved one end up injured or dead — then seeing them out on bail. Some drivers involved in the accidents are repeat offenders; maybe they thought because they were able to get away with it, they can do it again because there aren’t any serious liabilities.

Call to have stricter punishments are often made after every accident, but I don’t see it changing anytime soon.

I blame corruption on this one; from the Land Transportation Office (LTO) and the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), down to the traffic enforcers. LTO, for instance, would issue a license to drivers who are not qualified. The agency has “fixers” who’d process the application for a fee. They are in cahoots with people inside the agency who’d accept money so applicants who failed the test need not retake it. In government agencies like LTO where they issue permits or documents, you can be sure there’s going to be red tape and “under-the-table” going on.

Traffic enforcers accepting a bribe from traffic violators is so common it becomes a running joke. I’ve heard drivers say how the MMDA enforcers would be on their posts right before lunchtime because they need the lunch money. They don’t see the long-term damage they create if they let a violator off the hook in exchange for something as small as “pang-yosi”.

LTFRB on the other hand, still allows old and dilapidated jeepneys, buses and tricycles on the road. I take the Washington-Libertad jeepneys every day to and from work and I tell you, the state of these PUJs are so dismal it feels like riding a tin can with an engine. Why are these jeepneys still on the road? Because Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program is anti-poor according to transport groups. Phasing out these units would affect the drivers and small operators’ livelihood, they said. This is the reason why the government will have a hard time implementing any modernization program because a lot are thinking backward.

In the meantime, to those of us who ride these jeepneys don’t have any other choice but to hold tighter and pray.

I also feel that our government falls short in doing anything concrete to alleviate the situation. Infrastructures and public transport are not very safe; road laws lack enforcement; compliance to safety standards and regulations is a joke. According to World Health Organization (WHO), if we think how the deaths from road crashes exceed any illness, then we can already liken it to a pandemic. But sadly, our government doesn’t see the urgency.

It’s good we have advocates like James Deakin who is very visible in the social media, because at least we get to tackle things head-on just by sharing videos, ideas and knowledge about road safety. He also became the voice of the driving and riding public on all these issues. His speech in the Senate regarding the motorcycle taxi (Angkas) regulation earned the admiration of many because he became the riding public’s spokesperson.

But even Deakin himself has said that if there is no discipline and education, then it won’t work. You see, the road problems we’re having in the Philippines is a complicated, complex issue. And until people’s mindset is changed and road etiquette is strictly followed, then whether you’re a motorist or a mere pedestrian/commuter, there will be no such thing as road safety in this country.

On the same day this post was made, this happened just right outside our office building along Ayala Ave. cor. HV dela Costa St. — a motorcycle accident involving Angkas (motorcycle taxi). Another motorcycle and its rider is lying on the other lane. I'm not sure what happened but they have been lying there for several minutes when Makati Medical Center is just a few meters away.