More transport terrorism
By Paulo Alcazaren
The Philippine STAR 09/02/2006
I’m
still getting a lot of e-mail about that Palawan misadventure and taxi
terrorism. It hit a nerve among a lot of people. First, here’s an
update on the Palawan issue. BEH e-mailed to say that a few days after
the article came out, Palawan authorities contacted her and informed
her that all tour operators were warned to police their ranks and
ensure public safety. The DPWH was tasked to look at rationalizing
transport access and other stakeholders informed that the province has
to address these issues immediately. BEH was also informed that the
tour operators in question had their license suspended for three
months. Other owners and operators of hotels and tour companies assured
me that their outfits do ensure tourist safety and that visitors should
check on the reputation of the outfits they choose.
Well, that is all and good but, of course, the incident should
not have happened in the first place. We have far too many tour,
travel, and transport mishaps every year to blame it all on bad luck or
fate. We have got to really achieve levels of safety acceptable in all
other sane countries. This is true of all provinces and cities.
On the terrorism of taxis – many wrote in to expand the axis
of transport terror to include tricycles and jeepneys. Here is a
sampling of the many e-mails I received.
"I just finished reading your column about the horrific
experiences of both foreigners and locals in taxi rides. Let me share
with you another monster in the Philippines which causes both traffic
jams and undiagnosed hypertension (undoubtedly due to anger) to private
car drivers like me. It is the jeepney. The mongrel vehicle is
considered a colorful part of the Philippines’ history and a reminder
of its American ties. Because of this, the country promotes the jeepney
ride as a great experience that cannot be found elsewhere in the world.
The lavish descriptions of jeepneys on Philippine tourism websites make
foreigners want to ride in them, completely unaware that the difference
between the photographed jeepney and the actual jeepney in Philippine
reality is like black and white, earth and sky – you get my point.
"First, let me point out that most pictures of the said pest
of the Philippine roads in tourism-promoting media are ‘fake’ –
colorful and creative images featuring smiling, polite drivers. How can
I say fake? Well, heck, has any one of us seen an artfully-decorated
jeepney on Manila’s roads in the past decade? Flags, colorful lights,
and even paintings were once used to beautify the simple jeep, yet
today, most of what you’ll see is scratched aluminum, broken lights,
black smoke emanating from mufflers, and drivers shouting at passengers
to hurry up to get on or off their vehicles. Where is the creativity in
that? I won’t fly 10,000 miles to see an ugly moving wreck, much less
trust the sweaty, shouting driver with my life.
"The jeepney drivers’ undisciplined ways are not ignored by
foreigners. This can be evidenced by the phrase ‘only in the
Philippines,’ joined by a pitiful description of the uniqueness, or
shall I say "weirdness," of the Philippines. One description I
encountered from a foreigner friend was: ‘Only in the Philippines will
you find innumerable road signs which end up as graffiti canvases
because motorists ignore them.’ It may be funny, but then, as you have
said, promotion of tourism is best shared through word of mouth. What,
then, are the impressions of other foreigners who have set foot on
Philippine soil?
"They were once icons of the Filipinos’ creativeness and
ingenuity, but today they are more like symbols of Philippine
corruption, undisciplined ways, and plain stupidity. They stop
anywhere, and even have the nerve to suddenly cut in front of you with
no warning whatsoever, and if they find themselves in a situation
wherein they get your car wracked up, I assure you that their answer
would be ‘Sorry, Ma’am, pero wala akong pambayad (Sorry, ma’am, I don’t have money to pay for the damage).’
"My conclusion for all this is that we should first fix our
country before we promote our beautiful islands to the world. Not only
would foreigners be disappointed when they set foot on our land, it is
also beyond a doubt that they will experience horror stories that
should have been a great family vacation in the tropics."–PC
Yes, PC, jeepneys may have started as a stopgap solution to
post-war transport needs, but it has been over half a century since and
we have not progressed to a saner, safer mode of transport. Another
e-mail adds tricycles to the ring of terror:
"The problem mentioned about taxi drivers is not just isolated
to taxi drivers. I have been living in the US for over 27 years and
whenever I come back to Manila and ride taxicabs, the drivers always
pretend like they don’t know the place at all and they will play a game
with passengers and take you for a ride all over the place. Another
terror is tricycles. Their drivers play a similar game and when you
take a ride and ask them how much it will cost you to go from point A
to point B, they will tell you ‘I don’t know.’ For goodness sake, these
guys ply the same route day in and day out, and they don’t know? The
word for these people is ‘mapagsamantala.‘ They take advantage of unsuspecting passengers.
"Filipino workers in the US are the most sought-after group of
workers because we are hardworking and honest. At home is a different
story. We are dishonest even to our fellow kababayan. If they
can do it to their fellow men, then it is easy to do it to a foreigner,
especially when they don’t know the language. In Tokyo, taxis have
upholstery in white and the cab drivers have uniforms. In the
Philippines, taxi drivers even wear tsinelas (flip-flops) and
the cabs are falling apart yet they are still allowed on the road. The
ACs are not working and trunks are held shut by pieces of twine." – MTT
What can I say, MTT? I wish I could slap these drivers silly with my tsinelas (or
actually take a number of them to jail as my niece was mugged by one of
these trike bandits, who even ran over her after snatching her cell
phone!).
Another horror story from a late-night taxi user:
"I just read your article yesterday about taxi drivers and how
horrible the situation is. I had an experience once with my wife after
a college reunion. After the party, we decided to queue for a taxi. It
turned out to be a nightmare. Our driver was an old manong and
we went into the usual discussion on the best route to our house. I got
a little sleepy because of the night’s revelry, but my wife was still
alert and noticed that the meter was running fast. She woke me up and
warned me. We were talking when we noticed the taxi was swerving like a
boat. My wife freaked out: The driver was sleeping at the wheel! My
wife noticed that he reeked of alcohol, too, so we demanded he pull
over but he refused, saying: ‘Relax lang, I’m okay, hindi pako nababanga at nahuhuli at lalong lalo na hindi ako lasing (I
won’t crash the taxi or get caught and I’m not drunk)!’ Thank God we
arrived safely although the crazy driver charged us twice the fare.
Something has to be done about drunken extortionist drivers who prey on
the public." – GA
Yes, GA, something has to be done – but no one will claim
responsibility. It is not only drunken taxi drivers that are a menace
at night but drugged-out cargo-truck drivers. I try not to go out at
night anymore.
Finally, an e-mail with disturbing news of a travel advisory circling the globe about the Philippines:
"We always enjoy your writing. After reading about the taxi
situation, what can one say? There is no enforcement of the taxi trade.
In the United States and elsewhere, they have taxi enforcement units,
but that’s not why we are writing. The problem is much greater than the
filthy Filipino taxis. I just read an e-mail that is going around the
world advising tourists not to travel to the Philippines. Before I
continue, let me state that we are happy campers here. I am European
and my wife is Filipina. We have a son – a mestizo Pinoy. We have
happily been living here for 20 years, but it has been difficult. Let
me quote the highlights of the e-mail:
"’Never trust the police. They appear to actually be behind
the organized crime in the islands and are linked to murders, robberies
and cases of extortion. Better to forget requesting assistance in event
of a problem. Best to arm yourself.
"’All government employees are corrupt. Better believe that.
Everyone wants ‘grease’ to perform even a simple task. Children see
their teachers sell overpriced sweets and food in the classroom for
better grades.
"’Never build a house. Why? Because that process will expose
you to the corrupt permits people and all sorts of shakedown artists.
"’Never invest in anything in the Philippines. Rules change.
You are the loser. Long-term education/insurance plan providers simply
close down, leaving hapless parents stranded with no government
intervention whatsoever.
"’The government, from the top down, stinks of corruption.
They estimate six million Filipinos go hungry every night (although the
truth is it is closer to 20 million). Every caring country in the world
has given billions of dollars to help lift the Philippines out of
poverty, but none of it reaches those in need. The funds go to corrupt
politicians’ bank accounts.
"’Final advice. Trust nobody in government. Keep to yourself
and mind your own business. The Philippines is a banana republic of the
worst kind, ruled by corrupt leaders and an inutile corrupt legislature
and judiciary. But nevertheless, enjoy this country. It has lots to
offer and the Filipinos are the warmest people. Sad to say, they have
had nothing but bad government for four administrations.’
"Well, Paulo, I have to say that I agree with this e-mail 100
percent. I personally know of many ex pats who have just given up and
left in disgust. Getting simple things like a driving license,
electricity service, broadband connections or telephone service is a
nightmare for expats. ‘Grease’ is everywhere. We, as an expat family,
have survived and want to stay because we love it here – we just have
learned to avoid the sharks in the water." – MGG
That’s it, MGG. All this makes me want to do a Jim Paredes and
give up hope for any change in this country. Not that I have done as
much as Jim – and I don’t blame him or the hundreds of thousands of
fellow-middle class Filipinos like him who have made a choice to fend
for themselves or their immediate families. And what can we really do
when terror is everywhere anyway. But oops – I’m late for my next
appointment. Taxi!
| * * * |
Feedback is welcome. Please e-mail the writer at paulo.alcazaren@gmail.com
December 15th, 2008 at 10:55 pm
Funny foto here