EDITORS DESK
There’s no shortage of topics to complain about when it comes to driving in the Philippines. Whether it’s the traffic, bad drivers, or the blatant disregard for the rules of the road, it seems almost every Pinoy driver is guilty of something.
We’ve brought up many of these issues in the past, but sadly, it often falls on deaf ears, or perhaps never even reaches the people who need to hear it. There is one person, however, who might just have the clout, the influence, and the reach to convince our errant drivers to make a change for the better. That person is, quite surprisingly, comedian Michael V.
Over the past couple of months, Michael V’s hit comedy sketch show, “Bubble Gang” has turned its attention to the terrible driving habits of e-bike drivers, kamote riders, and most recently, new car owners.
Bubble Gang to the rescue
One of his earlier sketches hypothesizes that there must be some driving school for e-bikes (specifically the slow-moving e-trikes) driven by those without licenses. After all, as the teacher in such a school, he lectures the students about how drivers of these vehicles do not need road discipline. In fact, they are free to occupy any lane, drive under 20 km/h, and turn across traffic at will. He even chastises one student that suggests the rules of the road apply to all.
In another sketch, he serves as the host to a trivia show all about road rules for motorcycle riders. A contestant is quizzed on the proper road etiquette for motorcycle riders. To his surprise, actions like riding on the side walk, turning without looking, or even counterflowing are allowed when one is on a motorcycle. He yells at the contestant for suggesting otherwise, even telling him he doesn’t deserve the “golden kamote trophy” because he is not a kamote.
His most recent sketch features a couple eyeing a new car but reconsiders because they don’t have a garage. Playing the shrewd salesman, he tells them that all of the road is their garage. In fact, they should buy the car soon, if not buy two, before someone else takes the empty patch of street. It’s not a matter of legality, he explains, but how one claims the space — with ferocity, confidence, and a car cover.
Parody or documentary?
His recent sketches have highlighted the rather selfish mentality of these vehicle operators and how their self-centered way of thinking only makes the roads worse for everyone else. If any other newspaper columnist were to complain about the same topics he brings up, the article would probably get the occasional nod of agreement and perhaps a re-share on social media. Occasionally, someone’s feelings are hurt and it triggers a long and defensive post about why they behave that way.
Michael V’s sketches, on the other hand, trigger raucous laughter, knee-slapping, and multiple re-shares with friends even tagging their friends who they think are guilty of that kind of behavior. The parody videos are widely shared, and within a matter of weeks, practically the entire country has seen the sketch. You won’t see any strongly worded letters of protest to his videos here. Perhaps it’s the oft-repeated pinoy phrase, “Bato-bato sa langit, ang tamaan, wag magagalit,” that stops them. After all, they’re clearly parody videos, based on our very unfortunate reality.
Bato-bato sa langit
It’s nice to see that even he sees the absurdity and gaps in logic of e-bike drivers, motorcycle riders, and new car owners. Perhaps he’s even become somewhat aware of how his sketches have struck a chord among the frustrated law-abiding public.
In his more recent videos, he encourages viewers to like, share, and even tag friends who viewers think behave the same way. It’s all gentle ribbing, after all. Yet we do hope that they can make a change for the better.
I’ve seen many educational videos of road rules, but few are as well-circulated and universally agreed upon like these sketches. Perhaps these are the kind of educational videos we really need.
I salute Michael V and the writers of Bubble Gang for their clever way of highlighting Pinoy drivers’ truly bad habits. I firmly believe that they too want to see more disciplined streets. Finally, I look forward to more videos, so I can tag some of my friends whom I think are guilty too.
(Iñigo S. Roces is the Motoring Editor of Manila Bulletin)