It’s Monday so it’s time for the next installment in my 12 Little Things series. As I mentioned, this is commentary on a book I found, written by a Filipino for Filipinos … but very applicable for all of us who live in the Philippines or who have family/loved ones here. I’m in the process of getting distribution rights and a stock of these books for PhilFAQS, keep 
your eye on this spot if it interests you,. because I am certainly going to make it available in the future.
Without further ado,
Follow traffic rules. Follow the law.
Sounds simple, doesn’t it? Almost simplistic. Unless, that is, you recognize one of the deficiencies that holds Philippine commerce back as much as any other issue … you can’t get any place reliably and quickly. That means if you want to move passengers, move cargo, attract shoppers, provide health care, almost everything that involves getting clients to a supplier or stock to points of sale, you have a problem. Congested streets costs the Philippines literally billions per year in lost commercial opportunity, not to mention a considerable amount of excess pollution, traffic deaths and so on.
Of course a modern road network is a particle cure, and that costs money. Thankfully some great progress has been made and is being made as we speak, but guess what?
You can build all the roads you want but if you let the very users the roads are made for abuse them and clog them up, you could never build enough roads, even with Obama’s money-spending skills.
In particular, the average driver’s penchant for refusing to stay in lanes, dodging off to the shoulder to try to pass, and then having to squeeze back into line, and the idea that Jeepneys and tricycles can use the public roads as their private terminals any which way defeats any chance of ‘getting well’ on this issue. The picture was taken through my windshield a couple days ago on Maundy Thursday, approaching the toll gate at the Subic end of a brand new, fully world class toll way that only opened last year. Clogged up to beat the band … two hours to go the last two kilometers … due in large part to people who insist on passing on the shoulder and then squeezing back in when they come upon a stalled car (the reason the shoulder was built in the first place).
There are not enough traffic police in the whole world to cure this endemic problem of self-inflicted congestion … only the will of the Philippine people can cure it. It’s a very important point when you think about it.
There’s another reason, I think, that this is the first of the 12 suggested steps. Following the law is an important habit. It has effects far beyond simple traffic rules. As they say, integrity is the practice of doing the right thing even when no one is looking. Make a habit out of teaching your children, by example to follow the small laws, and the bigger ones will take care of themselves.
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Just got back from Manila. Boy, the heat there is really something. I find it so amusing that whenever I am there planning to go out, I must plan my day with everybody. The whole household must plan together re going out. Why? To find the most efficient way of using only one car due to traffic, only certain license plates allowed out on the roads that day, and because metro manila is huge. It usually runs like this – “I will drop you there, then I will go to here and here, come back for you, then go off to pick up who and who.”
Once you are out the door, forget about coming back home until very late in the day or in the evening. Dinners are usually around 8 pm. That is super super late for me! In fact, that is already way past my bedtime!!
Back to traffic, you are right. The amount of time spent in traffic is horrible – just imagine the productivity and opportunities missed because you are stuck in traffic.
Yes, Ellen, it is truly amazing how lon g it takes to get anywhere in Metro Manila. People who know I kive close to manila are always amazed at how infrequently I go anywhere in MM … it takes one heck of an attraction to make me decide to go to the city. And places I thought I would visit often, like Tagaytay, on the “other side” of Manila? Forget it. No telling how much business is lost this way.
The government is working on a number of expressway initiatives as well as improving and connecting the currently disjoint rail systems, but none of that does any good of there is no one with the authority and the guts to keep tricycles where they belong, keep Jeepneys from clogging the roads at will, etc.
That’s why I am interested in and will be supporting Atty Lacson’s (no relation to Ping, BTW) book. The World Bank or some other outside organization can’t fix this, only people (of all nationalities) who drive … and walk … everyday. Somehow the message has to become internalized … if it to be, it is up to me.
Philly,
Just out of interest, where does the responsibility sit for road and transport projects ? I’m guessing that it’s centralised.
Hi Laurence,
responsibility for highway projects is a lot like it is back in the USA. National, Provincal and Local govrnment units all share in th epie … literally according to some.
What is kind of unique are the public/private toll road partnerships, like the SCTEX in the picture. The roads are ultinmately owned by the government but built and operated by private corproations. The ajoing NLEX has been privatized about 4 years now, works oretty darn well and the owning corporation has dropped tolls twic e now to stay within government-mandated profit ceilings. The parent corp are building about 6 more segements in the next two years ago, and located where they are, in traffic bottleneck points, they can’t help but earn a profit.
After driving for 7 years in Puerto Rico and over 12 here in the Philippines I now understand that the other driver does not want to make me angry, they just don’t know any better. Thaffic rules are almost never enforced, and I can’t remember ever seeing a Police car on the road, unless it was full of people heading to the market. Visitors to Puerto Rico learn to smile and think to them self “He got me!” and quickly forget about it. Because it will never change. As a driver it is up to you to protect your car and person by staying cool, and avoiding road rage.