MEDIUM RARE
Jullie Y. Daza
The good news is that traffic on EDSA has been reduced by six percent or 25,000 vehicles.
The bad news is that traffic on EDSA has been reduced by six percent or 25,000 vehicles.
Either way, MMDA is closer to its wish to remove 40 percent of vehicles from EDSA, going by its skewed mindset that the way to solve traffic congestion is to limit the use of private property legally acquired and for which taxes have been paid.
The ever escalating cost of fuel is no longer the exclusive problem of private car owners. Look at the 2-km long queues of commuters waiting for a ride on the bus or jeepney; by the time they’re able to elbow their way into a seat two hours later, they’re too tired to begin the day’s work. Some jeepney drivers have stopped plying their routes. Should fares go up, how many of their passengers won’t be able to afford the ride?
The President-to-be has yet to name his nominees for DOTr, LTFRB, LTO, MMDA, a task no one envies. (PBBM should be careful of those applying for those and similar positions: Are sadists and masochists normal people?)
Speaking of the Land Transportation Office, its license renewal office at Robinsons Galleria mall in Pasig continues to be a pleasant surprise. When I applied for a driver’s license five years ago, I was taken aback by the courtesy and efficiency of its staff. Some days ago I went to the same office to apply for a new, 10-year license, and what do you know, the same crowd size, the same orderliness, the same business-as-usual atmosphere.
I picked up a brief conversation with two guys seated beside me, hoping to hear their gripes but no, they said they were happy with the pace and flow of work. My companion timed my visit – registering, optical and medical testing (urine sample no longer required), biometrics, paying, until finally, the license encased in hard plastic. I was in and out in 45 minutes.
There was just one mystery. The facsimile of my face on the old license appears (again) on my new license. No, I don’t mind looking years younger on a license that’s going to be good for the next 10 years!