A GREEN ISLAND IN A SEA OF CONCRETE & STEEL

IT WAS A SOMBER EVE before the feast of the Sinulog.  I am sitting on a steel bench inside the Cebu Country Club in the early evening of January 18, 2014, my attention is on the picket line of displaced caddies, nursing their placards and their unsteady future along the sidewalks outside the exclusive golf course.  I am personally supervising my wards enforcing the club’s policies and help maintain peace and order here after yesterday’s tension.

Gliding unhampered now are Cebu’s elite and expatriates with their flashy cars and expensive SUVs making their way among the open parking slots.  Tonight is the awarding ceremony of the prestigious Coral Invitational Golf Tournament which had ran for two weeks and was unexpectedly terminated on the last day when the caddies blocked access to the golf club.  That picket line is now gone after a peaceful dispersal and negotiation.

The parking lot is full but, as minutes tick by into hours, it had thinned slowly, allowing me to ease my watch.  Some of my wards are astride these battery-powered golf carts, doing their rounds of patrolling the fairways, invisible from view, right here on the parking lot.  They came to pick up their packed meals that the club provided free to the security detachment, which gradually increased since January 5, because of the caddies’ forced strike.  

It would be good for me to take a ride on one of those golf carts and do a night survey on the farthest reaches of this 18-hole golf course.  The night is cold.  Winds stirred by a tropical depression off Surigao made it colder still, adding to the cold that the northeast monsoon winds usually bring in from Siberia at this time of year and I had enough of it on the parking benches, even with my thick Alburqani jacket.  I need to stretch my legs and the fairways is a good option.      

I had never done a thorough survey of the golf course in daylight but I had conducted inspection on some parts of its protective fences from the outside.  The golf course is 55-plus hectares in land area with the main part of its lot belonging to Kasambagan, Cebu City where it is accessible at its main entrance located along the busy Governor Mariano Cuenco Avenue.  The rest of it is within Subangdaku, Mandaue City.  

The Mahiga Creek partly runs through the fairways and becomes part of its boundary with Gentle Breeze Subdivision.  The golf course is bounded by several plush subdivisions, high-end condominium projects, an international school, a heavy equipment yard, a furniture factory, warehouses, commercial buildings, a spa, a temple, a techno bar and some individual residential structures.  

Cebu Country Club used to be part of the Banilad Friar Lands which had been expropriated by the Americans after the Spanish-American War of 1898 and sold to a private individual named Luis Cabrera.  It was a choice lot then considering that it is on a high ground surrounded by marshy areas, places where the Mahiga Creek used to fill in when it overflowed.  It is a pleasant rolling terrain conducive for ranching, farming and recreation like horseback riding.  It changed ownership and it belonged to the golf club now.

A subordinate offered to drive the golf cart for me and tour me around the fairways.  It is a perfect moment to check the guards stationed along the perimeter and to stir them from their ennui caused by this cold night.  Another golf cart with two armed guards offered to provide escort.  As soon as we left the bright lights of the clubhouse’s greenfront, it is dark.  The golf carts do not have lights and I use the hand-held LED torch issued to each cart for navigation along the concreted cartways.  

The path weaved among the greens, the sand traps and the putt mounds.  Rows of pine trees (Local name: maribohok) lend an air of coolness, its needles whistled when stirred by the cold night breeze.  Growing also here are mahogany, eucalyptus, gmelina, India berry, ashoka, acacia, rosewood (narra), Mindanao gum (bagras), sweet tamarind (kamantsile), Malabar almond (talisay) and other trees which I could not identify due to darkness.  I saw an ancient strangling-fig tree (balete) standing mighty and proud – a source of imaginary fear.

We pass by several ponds, part of the design and obstacle for struggling golfers.  The ponds contained carps and tilapia and forgotten golf balls.  I saw toads hopping on the grass and I believed I saw fleetingly of what looked like a molted skin of a snake snagged underbrush.  Then the path wind beside the concrete fence lighted by nearby houses until we reach a break in the fence and a foot path lead to a solitary house which the club left alone as it is standing on a small creek easement, considered government land.    

It is silent save for crickets and the ripples of water.  We made a detour and resume the path that follow the course of the Mahiga until we cross a small bridge and continue on to the bank across us where a small man-made lake is located.  A palm tree is half-submerged in water, a victim of Typhoon Yolanda.  Nearby is a pen for domesticated ducks.  These are released during daytime but are driven back into the cage before dusk.  A canal feeds the lake with water and, for the fishes, morsels of food coming from the clubhouse.

The fairways are off limits to enterprising outsiders, who enter surreptitiously to collect stray balls and sell these to members.  It is also forbidden for anyone to catch ducks and fish.  Hunting of birds and other wildlife are not allowed.  Long ago, there used to be marshlands nearby and had been the roosting and feeding grounds of migratory birds but it is gone now and these birds alter their habits to the present ponds.  Although sometimes a nuisance for golfers, the club let it be.  Two guards are stationed here with a golf cart for mobility.

Driving on, we proceed and the carts easily maneuvered about between mounds and among a copse of mango trees.  We stop by a closed restaurant in the middle of the greens where two shotgun-wielding guards are stationed and a cart parked alongside.  Nearby is a coop for Guinea fowls.  Just like the ducks, it is freed at daytime and herded back before nighttime.  These fowls are utilized by the guards as a natural alarm system.

We leave that station and I saw a lot of debris arranged on the side of the fence.  These are broken branches or remnants of some of the surviving trees growing on the fairways which were downed by Yolanda’s 215 KPH winds.  In a little while, we will be back to the clubhouse but the cart failed to accelerate on a high grade and conked out.  We changed carts with our escorts and the driver maneuvered into the front driveway where I alighted.

The Cebu Country Club is a verdant island in a very crowded metropolis of concrete and steel that has diminishing green spaces.  It nurtured a micro ecosystem that had developed through the years under the noses of the very people who made the fairways their playground and of another set of people who made the golf club their livelihood.  The caddies, the gardeners and the security guards may have noticed plant and animal life in their midst but their knowledge are limited.  However, a survivalist sees everything.

An abandoned fairways is a safe refuge of a surviving individual if ever SHTF comes to Cebu in a magnitude comparable to that of Tacloban City after the onslaught of Tropical Cyclone Haiyan and could sustain a small community of survivors in the long run.  The soil is clay loam underneath Bermuda grass and a thin layer of sand.  Water can be sourced underneath the ground while rain water can be collected on the existing ponds or channeled to a future reservoir.  

The ponds can be enlarged and converted into small-sized rice fields; the open fields can be planted with corn, rootcrops, vegetables and fruit trees.  The ducks and Guinea fowls may have been bred there for a purpose by the club and can provide regular nutrition.  Drinkable water can be had from even a shallow well if you know where to find it although it had to be treated well since golf courses are known to use abundant fertilizers to keep their grass perpetually green.  Firewood are plenty.  

The creek and the ponds are a magnet for migratory birds and these are another source of protein.  Flowering plants growing along the periphery of the fence should be left alone and these attract pollinators and supply beehives of nectar.  Stones can be placed in warm open areas to lure small mammals and reptiles by its excreted mineral salts.  Pygmy coconuts may have to be grown to supply oil, fuel, food and vinegar.  Other bamboo varieties can be introduced to provide housing materials, fuel and food.

The golf club’s location is, without a doubt, conducive for conversion into a survivor’s redoubt.  It can be protected against intruders since it has an existing fence and it is on high ground overlooking east with the Mahiga Creek partly functioning as a moat.  Rooftops of houses along the fence can be used as observation posts and, possibly, sniper nests.  The weak spots along the fences can be plugged by propagating spiny bamboos (kagingkingon), bougainvillea and rattan palms.

There are endless possibilities by which you could harness the fairways to your advantage.  I doubt if club members have not noticed this, especially those who are into prepping.  I understand it is a rich boys club but when SHTF comes, it would be abandoned, I am sure of that, because the property is collectively owned under a corporation.  No individual owns 51 percent of the stocks.  Not even 10 percent.  Besides, they have their own private properties and businesses to take care of and this is the least of their worries.

Document done in LibreOffice 3.3 Writer

A TALE OF TWO SUPER TYPHOONS

TROPICAL CYCLONE HAIYAN is touted to be the strongest storm ever in the annals of Earth’s modern climatic history. It will churn winds at a velocity of 215 KPH with gusts of more than 250 KPH. It will traverse a wide swath of the Pacific Ocean before targetting the central islands of the Philippines then proceeding on to Vietnam. Once it enters the Philippine area of responsibility on November 8, 2013, it becomes Typhoon Yolanda.

I have survived countless typhoons and weather disturbances on land and on sea and Typhoon Yolanda will be the strongest so far that I will experience. In my mind is Typhoon Ruping which visited unexpectedly on November 13, 1990 at 205 KPH. From sunny weather, during that time, Cebu was gripped in howling madness in just a few hours, causing untold destruction and suffering.

Here in the Philippines, typhoons are rated from ONE to FOUR. At Signal No. 1, a typhoon will spin winds of 30 KPH and above. At Signal No. 2, over 80 KPH winds are expected to howl. Signal No. 3 bring winds of 120 KPH and above as roof sheets are blasted away from houses. A Signal No. 4 is the ultimate typhoon that raises winds of 180 KPH and beyond. When it arrives, it will not bring a lot of rain but the ferocity of its wind will level houses and uproot trees.

Because Typhoon Yolanda is approaching, I will try to reconstruct the events when Typhoon Ruping visited Cebu on that fateful day and the obstacles faced weeks after, especially in the city where I lived. My house is located beside a creek and across mine is a public school with Gabaldon-type¹ buildings with a warehouse shielding me from the south. I was not at the house when Ruping struck for I was training in Lahug as a police recruit.

The training center then was located near a small airport which is now converted as the Cebu IT Park. It was an open field then and very exposed. I remembered it was a very hot afternoon. We were cleaning the marching grounds with our hands and the day ended uneventfully. During supper, it came. Everyone ate their meals hurriedly and discipline vanished quickly as each man left the dining table on his own instead of as one unit as was practiced.

We all went to the barracks for safety and to weather the strong tempest. Rain pushed by gusts of wind entered through the rafters, near the doors and windows and, once these gave way, all those near it transferred to the drier side. My cot was located in the middle and so I was safe and dry. Everyone tried to sleep it away but the winds rocked the roof and the wooden building. All felt threatened by the intensity of the winds and all transferred to the mess hall.

By 1:00 AM, Typhoon Ruping uprooted the very posts supporting the roof of the barracks and lifted it whole from the ground and then it crashed on the bunks splintering the wooden roof beams and the cots emptying the damaged barracks of whatever occupants. We stayed at the sturdy buildings which still have roofs on it and waited for daylight. Nobody dared to venture outside and I thought of my wife and my 10-month old son in my old house.

In the morning the storm still raged. Peeping from the windows, I could see roof sheets flying in spirals as tree branches, already deprived of leaves, danced in the air, got broken, while those that not, got twisted grotesquely. Despite that, we were dry and able to eat meals. Presence of authority in camp seemed to vanish after lunch and I gambled to jump over the fence and decide to travel on foot to my residence, three kilometers away, at 2:00 PM.

It was raining hard and visibility is not that good. I need to be very careful with those falling debris and toppling trees but I also had to keep an eye of my trainors who are known to patrol the camp vicinities. I had to be cautious and hope the rain will shield me. The streets were almost deserted except for a few intrepid people clearing debris yet, amidst them, were falling branches, toppled electric posts and those flying roof sheets that came from nowhere.

I ran by way of Camp Lapulapu into Torralba Street then turning left to Salinas Drive where it led down to San Jose de la Montaña Street and then Mabolo. From there, I follow MJ Cuenco Avenue and straight into my home. The Lahug Creek was swollen but, seeing from the sides, it had overflown some hours ago and my house, especially the lower part, was still inundated with flood water.

I saw my wife sweeping away the muddy water and how I am glad that she was alright and I hugged her. My son was asleep upstairs and tears of joy stream into my cheek seeing him unaffected and warm inside his crib. I went down and cleaned the lower floor while my wife prepared supper. When my task was done, it was almost darkness. I hugged my son when he awoke and we all ate dinner under the candlelight.

She said my father brought her a lot of canned goods, rice and candles two days ago and she find it funny why father have to go the trouble of bringing these items since it is very sunny and very assuring. She had not experienced a terrible storm before since she is from Zamboanga del Sur. She later knew that father have known better and had monitored their situation in my absence. I would have felt the same about father too.

I wished I could stay long. Everything is black outside. Once my son slept, I kissed them both and left for the training camp. It was painful to leave them alone yet I have to fulfill my commitment as a provider for my family. It was 10:00 PM. In darkness, I walk very slow. Lights coming from people with flashlights illuminated briefly the streets giving me some ideas where I would walk. It was cold in the dark as the rains had not abated.

I slip back in camp undetected. I noticed a makeshift barracks was hurriedly built and

candlelight shone from inside. When I went in, another police trainee met me at the entrance but he was on the cold floor doing the “snake crawl”, a physical punishment wherein you have to crawl from Point A to Point B several times on your stomach, wriggling forward without using hands which are clasped from behind.

It was too late as the most hated training staff came into view and caught me when a troop count was ongoing. Right then and there, I was ordered to join the one on the floor but the other guy was dismissed outright and I got the full brunt of the punishment. I have no misgivings. The punishment was worth it. I have accomplished my personal mission and came satisfied with the thought that my family was safe. For two hours, I was cleaning the whole danged floor with my belly.

In the morning there were no morning exercises and it was now sunny. We spend the whole day cleaning the center of debris and mud while some of us were called to do repair work on the houses of the training staff. This particular day was the start of the day where all our meals were served with pork running for a whole month. It was kind of a luxury for the first few days though but when it becomes routine, all wished to subsist on even the lowliest of dried fish.

On the the third night after Ruping had left, I escaped after supper and returned to the center before the bed count had started. I had now developed the strategy based on the routine of how the staff ran the training. Two nights after that, I escaped again, and then more. I never made a run on a Sunday or a Saturday because, I knew, the staff would make a surprise head count from out of nowhere!

The following week, we recruits were used during relief operations, helped in cleaning the city streets, donating blood, etc. Then we hit the road again after a hiatus of fifteen days. We welcomed the road runs and it helped release all the stress we had of being cooped up in a place without news of our loved ones and a time to shed off those fats which we got by eating pork three meals a day!

In all that time, several relief operations were conducted by volunteer groups, foreign humanitarian missions and non-government organizations in Cebu. A United States Navy carrier group was even sent here to help in the rehabilitation effort. Power lines were re-strung and waterworks were slowly connected. For a whole month, Cebu was enveloped in darkness but flickers of light slowly claimed its place. Open wells became the source of water for a lot of communities.

One headline that gets worldwide interest was the loss of zinc anodes attached to a US Navy warcraft overshadowing the damage that the Mandaue-Mactan Bridge got from a cargo ship during the blowout. It turned out that it was stolen by adventurous locals and got sold in a junk shop. How these locals got past layers of sea patrols and high-tech detection gadgets bespeaks of the Cebuanos ingenuity to overcome obstacles and difficulties.

Normalcy returned to the streets of Cebu before Christmas and it was the extreme difficulties experienced right after Typhoon Ruping that Cebuanos shelved off their petty differences and worked together for the common good. Although all faced hunger, thirst, cold, heat and uncertainty, there were no lootings. Peace and order did not break down. Neighbors helped each other out. The dead were not left behind on the streets to rot and the injured taken cared of.

I was just amazed at how fast Cebu was able to recover. The governor then was Lito Osmeña and the mayor of the capital city was Tommy Osmeña. Both are first cousins and both worked hard to make Cebu the best place in the country to invest in. Both did not relied help from the national government. Instead, Cebuanos here and abroad rallied to help their fellow Cebuanos. After that, Cebu boomed!

After a year, Typhoon Uring pummeled Ormoc City in Leyte but their fellow Cebuanos did not turn their backs on them. The Cebu Provincial Government and the Cebu City Government were the first to rescue the people of Ormoc from starvation and disease. Malacañan Palace did not know what to do and our people took charge.

As Typhoon Yolanda hit Samar, I braced for its effect. I still lived on the same place but I am at home now unlike the last time. I had already accepted the fate of my roof but I have prepared the contingencies that would ensure my family’s survival. I stocked food, water, candles and batteries; charged full the cellphones, my radio and LED torches. I made sure that all family members are home. We just had a scare from that 7.2 earthquake three weeks ago and all now know what to do.

As the winds whipped the trees and houses, I noticed that the winds just skimmed high above the city’s airspace. Rain was just light and did not cause flood. The creek beside my house turned brown but it refused to go crazy. I leave house and proceed to the office where I worked astride a motorcycle quite confident that this weather is just a temporary nuisance. I brought my survival and first-aid kits with me along with my knives and a two-way radio to monitor the situation.

In just a matter of a few hours, Yolanda hit its third and fourth landfall in Northern Cebu and Bantayan Island. The glass door of the office rattled as the wind increased its ferocity. Meanwhile, my wife becomes worried about the wind strength and messaged me on the cellphone to immediately come home. I did not budge and kept on observing the wind velocity. Her second text implored me to stay at the office as it is dangerous to travel.

I did go home at 2:00 PM. I passed by the church in Mabolo and one of the ancient acacia trees fell towards its courtyard. When I arrived my neighborhood seemed normal except that there are few venturesome individuals. The foot bridge beside my house is full of people. A huge strangling-fig tree growing beside my neighbor’s house fell towards a public school, blocking the creek. Some people are chopping away the limbs but it is hard work and too few hours for the day.

Thankfully, the new house resisted another calamity and all the roofs are intact. We did not have electric power though as the line was cut when that huge tree fell. We do have ample supply of water and candlesticks. Candles lighted our first night until the fourth night. Dark nights made staying at the living room a must and conversations glowed giving my home the warmth it needed. The children played checkers or chess instead of PSPs and TV.

All that time, I am ignorant of the chaos in Tacloban City and the situations on the rest of the Visayas where Yolanda passed until power was restored in my home. Then I promised to myself that I will do my best of what can I do to the people of whose homes were ravaged by Typhoon Yolanda. Cebuanos are a people dedicated to their faith and, with that, of their veneration of the Señor Santo Niño.

Document done in LibreOffice 3.3 Writer

 

1Single storey wooden buildings that were constructed in the 1920s up to the advent of World War II. It is a type of architecture that was adopted in all public school buildings.

SCARY RIDE INSIDE A MINI-BUS

I DO NOT LIKE to ride in mini-buses. For many reasons. These are notorious for extremely tight seat spaces, meth-laced drivers, overspeeding and collisions. Lots and lots of collisions and quite nasty! I could be too general but, hey, this is the Philippines. Impressions always come true.

As much as possible, I will ignore riding a mini-bus even with the prodding of a friend. Just like today, July 21, 2013, I let two mini-buses pass by while I and my friends were waiting infront of the San Nicolas de Tolentino Parish in Pardo, Cebu City on the early morning. I don’t mind missing a few minutes just as long as I am cozy and so I opt for the Ceres Bus instead which have wide bodies and comfortable seats. We were then going to Carcar for a visit.

Mini-buses, my dear Virginia, are actually Public Utility Jitney (PUJ) on steroids. These are not considered a bus by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB). These look like regular buses but do not be misled. These have designated route numbers which are painted on their front, back and sides which the whole of Cebu is adapting since 1978 and that is a dead give-away that these really are PUJs.

Route numbering improves the public transport system and prevents PUJs to operate beyond their designated routes and for “trip-cutting” as these will be identified outright by traffic policemen and its auxiliaries. Also, it gives convenience to commuters with poor eyesight as they have only to read the numbers instead of the full Monty. Below are the common and most used route numbers and their respective routes:

CEBU CITY AND SUBURBS

      01 – Pier Area to Urgello-Private and vice versa

      03 – Downtown to Mabolo and vice versa

      04 – Downtown to Lahug and vice versa

      06 – Downtown to Guadalupe and vice versa

      07 – Downtown to Banawa-Englis and vice versa

      08 – Downtown to Tagunol and vice versa

      09 – Downtown to Basak and vice versa

      10 – Downtown to Pardo-Bulacao and vice versa

      11 – Downtown to Inayawan and vice versa

      12 – Downtown to Labangon-Tisa and vice vera

      13 – Downtown to Talamban and vice versa

CEBU CITY AND NEIGHBORING CITIES AND TOWNS

      20 – Cebu to Mandaue and vice versa

      21 – Cebu to Mandaue-Estancia and vice versa

      22 – Cebu to Mandaue-Ouano and vice versa

      23 – Cebu to Mactan Island and vice versa

      24 – Cebu to Consolacion and vice versa

      25 – Cebu to Liloan and vice versa

      26 – Cebu to Compostela and vice versa

      27 – Cebu to Danao and vice versa

      28 – Cebu to Carmen and vice versa

      41 – Cebu to Talisay and vice versa

      42 – Cebu to Talisay-Tabunok and vice versa

      43 – Cebu to Minglanilla and vice versa

      44 – Cebu to Naga and vice versa

      45 – Cebu to San Fernando and vice versa

      46 – Cebu to Carcar and vice versa

      47 – Cebu to Sibonga and vice versa

I was able to ride one at around 7:15 PM when I thought it was a yellow Ceres Bus since it is also yellow. It was dark and quite late already if you are in the countryside. I just stepped into a mini-bus and I could not believe it and I grudgingly take an empty seat behind the driver. Mini-bus construction and seat arrangements follow the blueprint of a standard bus and that is where space congestion, uncomfortable seating and great inconvenience of a commuter starts.

Although I have the seat to myself, my legs do not fit in to that very narrow leg space. I sat with my back propped to the open window with my spine painfully pressed against the bottom part. While all were facing to the front, I was facing sideways to my right and, somehow, I know I need to transfer to another seat or someone else will do that for me when the mini-bus starts filling up with people. The conductor did.

I sat on the front seat, which someone shared for me, right across Mr. Driver. Then it rained. The water poured outside of the windshield and I have never seen water so thick streaming down hard as if we are just parking. Mind you, the mini-bus was running and the water should have parted or have streamed away by the dynamics of a moving body of solid mass. But it did not. Credit this to an imperfect design as it is a locally-assembled vehicle or just an improvement from an original surplus.

From my side, it was zero visibility but, thank God, the driver’s side has a functioning wiper. When we got past of Carcar the rain stopped and then the driver took control of the highway. The road in the province is dark and a lot of motorcycles use the road. I could barely distinguish a motorcycle’s presence except for that small red glow on their tail which really is a dot from where I sat. I also drive a motorcycle and I shivered at what I saw.

Then Mr. Driver started using the horn. It seemed like the horn was erroneously placed as the sound seemed to be directed to the insides of the bus instead of the outside which, by the proximate location of my seat, was annoyingly loud! Mr. Driver then begins to press hard on the accelerator and he honked here and honked there and seemed intent to shoo away his road competitors for space.

Everytime he is behind a motorcycle, a tricycle, a bus or any vehicle, he honk and honk and honk until it will give him space. Those that do not, he overtake to the left or to the right, never minding the tight squeeze he is in with his horn blasting all the time. The mini-bus travel so fast on the dark highway and I begin to look for a seat belt which I do not found. The windshield is wide and I fear that when he applies a brake or collide with another, it would hurtle me forward past the glass and open space so I wedge a foot infront of the bus console to prevent myself from being thrown if he has to brake hard.

Mr. Driver almost hit a lady on a motorcycle while doing his zigzag pattern and I stared at him for so long intending to bark a complaint but I withheld it at the last second. I stared at the road and the vehicles and back at him a lot of times to get his attention out of the corner of his eye but Mr. Driver either ignored me or maybe high on amps. One time, with his noisy horn, he almost hit a parked pedal-powered cart and I could see the facial features of the owner turn to white even in dim conditions.

When it approached Tabunok, I thought he would slow down, but he kept on speeding and honking up the flyover and down towards Bulacao then Cebu City. Since it was a Sunday, there were no traffic people manning the streets. The mini-bus swerve left and right and, once, cross an intersection at Tres de Abril Street, disregarding the red light which already blinked when the mini-bus was some 50 meters away yet.

The mini-bus ply the Cebu City-Sibonga route and its route number is 47. I tried to photograph the driver surreptitiously without a flash but the image is dim so I alighted when it arrive at the Cebu South Bus Terminal and use a flash on the back of the mini-bus where the plate number is and on the side where the route and route number are painted. Here it is:

I hope the owner of this mini-bus take action on their very very reckless driver and apply for a regular bus franchise instead and get rid of their mini-bus (and those ill-disciplined drivers) as it is not a very safe public transport and does not conform to safety and comfort standards. I hope the LTFRB make good of their boast to disenfranchise all buses and mini-buses that are made in the year 2007 and below.

I hope also that the LTFRB and the Land Transportation Office (LTO) would happen to read this article and take action. This mini-bus or PUJ bears a plate number GXR-964 with a Cebu City to Sibonga and vice versa route. This writer’s scary ride driven by this very very reckless driver occur on July 21, 2013, Sunday, between the time of around 7:15 PM and 8:00 PM, more or less.

I do not like to ride a mini-bus and I was forced to take one out of circumstances beyond my control. If I knew it was a mini-bus, I would have persevered and waited for a regular bus. How many lives have been wasted caused by mini-buses? The vehicle could not have been possible for past road accidents as there is a driver steering it. True. But the tightness of the spaces inside the mini-bus and its lack of safety standards aggravated these incidents and I do not want to be a part of that. I take my chance instead to sidestep riding in one or evading them if I happen to use the same road they are using. Travel smartly.

Document done in LibreOffice 3.3 Writer

STREET SMART AGENDA: Knowing & Avoiding Road Sharks

THIS ARTICLE IS ABOUT the road-use situation in the Philippines and the modes of public transports plying therein. I am not an expert but I can say my piece of mind basing upon my own direct experience as a road user. I would discuss about what type of public vehicles you would come across; the habits and behaviour of their drivers; and how to evade these.

For those who had been driving and commuting our roads for a long time, this essay is so familiar based on their observations and experiences. For those who are new to driving and/or commuting the roads, this piece may come very handy and would give them added knowledge to preempt future road accidents and “road rage”.

For those who are non-natives or foreigners, this effort is something to get acquainted with the different system of public transports plying the country’s roads, streets and highways and the behavior of local drivers. The situation here is not at par from where they came from and, perhaps, too chaotic or amusing for their own comfort.

This write-up is about being smart on the streets especially when using the road. I write this article from the eyes of a motorcycle driver. As we all know, the motorcycle is the most vulnerable mode of transport not only here but also in other parts of the world and I always see it on the losing end of a vehicle collision.

Anyway, for those who are not yet aware, there are many modes of public transport in the Philippines. The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board or the LTFRB is the one government agency tasked to regulate all public land transports. Main office is in Metro Manila but there are regional offices scattered around the country.

Regulated public transportation are buses, jitneys, taxicabs and vans-for-hire. There are other modes of transport that are regulated by cities and towns like the tricycles and horse carriages; and there are those that cannot be regulated and are illegal per se but have been tolerated by the authorities with a blind eye to ply the roads and these are the motorcycles-for-hire and the pedal-powered tricycles.

Basically, you cannot drive a vehicle if you do not have a driver’s license issued by the Land Transportation Office or the LTO. There are two types of driver’s license issued to any individual and that is the Professional and the Non-Professional. A special license called the Student’s Permit is issued to those that are still learning the rudiments of driving and to those that knows how to drive but have not reached legal age yet.

Anyone could apply for a driver’s license. It doesn’t matter if you are a PhD or unschooled. Just as long as you are a Philippine citizen; of 18 years old and above; physically fit; of good eyesight; and do not use illegal substance. Driver’s license applicants are also directed to attend a half-day traffic seminar conducted by the LTO.

Now here’s the problem. A lot of “professional” drivers – the ones driving high-speed vehicles like taxis, jitneys, motorcycles and buses – do not have good reading comprehension. The Philippines adopt the English language for traffic directional aids and signboards and have an equal translation in local dialects below these. Even if these signs are explained in vernacular during that short seminar their retention of instructions are suspect.

Most of these kind have shunned the classrooms at an early age by factors which this writer do not have the liberty to expound and which is out of topic anyway. The competence of these drivers to ply the road are questionable for they lack sound instruction-retention skills and a basic understanding of grammar learned while young.

Another problem are the “short cuts” in acquiring the driver’s license. Fixers compound that problem in the past. There are now less fixers but you can fix yourself to be tested in suspected medical clinics and drug-testing laboratories which are in cahoots with enterprising government employees. Sometimes, you do not have to trouble yourself to attend those short seminars if you know (or have been instructed to by) someone inside to know your way around.

Now, we come to the modes of public transportation that you need to look out for and avoid, which also includes the unregulated. I will start with the most dangerous and end with the most interesting.

TAXICABS: Taxi, for short, these operate in big cities like those found in Metro Manila; in Metro Cebu; Cagayan de Oro and Metro Davao. A long time ago, they come in many colors according to the whims of their owners; but now they are painted white with big bold numbers painted on their sides and back windshields indicating that these are registered and regulated by the LTFRB. The name of the taxi is also indicated.

Taxis are efficient modes of transit and could go anywhere and quick but, unfortunately, they have the most undisciplined drivers. Their drivers drive fast and stop at a corner at the last minute and just a few uncomfortable inches from you. They are unpredictable and they change lanes as fast as you could imagine without even the benefit of using signal lights.

They drive their taxis as if they are driving motorcycles and would force their way into tight spaces especially at the rightmost lane thereby blocking passage of even motorcycles and bicycles when these want to take a right turn. They do not practice road courtesy and would take advantage of any open opportunity, even how tight, just so they could not be stuck at street corners and crossings.

They stop anytime and wherever they choose to when they think prospective passengers are ahead and they don’t give a damn of who is following them. They overtake you near corners and suddenly take a right turn, closing your lane and leaving you only two choices: either you collide with the taxi or evade and crash in the sidewalk or ditch.

Do not ever follow or tail a taxi. Do not even race with a taxi. Leave them if you are able else let them pass by. When you see something white with the unmistakable roof accessory that indicates that it is a taxi, take immediate evasive maneuvers and get away from these as fast as possible. Monitor them closely on your mirrors. Just imagine how chaotic and traumatic it would be if they were still in different colors.

JITNEYS: Officially, these transportation is called the Public Utility Jitney or PUJ. These are common in all cities and provinces of the country. These are garishly decorated and painted in all color imaginable. They follow a specific route and the names of places are indicated on the sides. Types of PUJ come in different shapes and sizes; from big-engined 30+ seaters to 15-seat Suzuki Multicabs, which I love to call “public utility midgets”.

The first PUJs were made from original surplus World War II-era Willys Jeep and converted to carry passengers, eight a side plus driver and two passengers on the front seat. Later on, local manufacturers like Baisac, Sarao, Lawin, Armak and others copied this durable transportation. These are mostly used in Metro Manila. In Cebu, PUJs are bigger, more modern looking and travel fast using engines from Fuso or Isuzu light trucks.

Automotive technology is far from perfect. Parts used are surplus components coming from Japan or Taiwan and their mechanical problems are a constant nuisance for commuters and other road users. Their headlights don’t shift from high to dim; it remain at high and causes glare to other motorists. The drivers don’t use signal lights and brake lights are intermittent. The reason: inferior automotive-wiring system. Blame these to the LTFRB for giving these franchises.

When a PUJ stops to pick up or disembark a passenger, most likely they would slide to the side, but not entirely. Most often they stop where they are, leaving the lane impassable to other vehicles. They do this because they want to make sure that other PUJs would not overtake them and pick up more passengers up ahead which should have been theirs. Other times they would stop right on the middle of the road and on street corners. When a PUJ stops, everyone stops behind it and always cause traffic. Remember that!

Nearing street corners they would crawl at one kilometer per hour and time their stop when the red light glows to the consternation of the ones following them. Or they would race at each other and jockey for position so they could arrive first and pick up the most number of passengers and woe to those found in the middle. It’s like swimming among sharks in a feeding frenzy!

Get away when they are in a feeding mode. Do not follow them. The rightmost lane is their domain. If possible, identify the streets where there are PUJ routes and evade those. Take another street instead where there are no jitneys. Simplify your day this way so you will not be stressed.

BUSES: Known also as a Public Utility Bus or PUB, it is the main public land transportation in the country and travels long distances to the northernmost tip of Luzon and to the southernmost tip of Mindanao. They are in different colors according to the name of the bus liner. They may be airconditioned or not and a lot of these buses ply on or pass by EDSA in Metro Manila.

They have certain routes and they occupy the left lane when travelling in provincial roads then shift to the right when picking up or disembarking passengers. If you are in a hurry, you cannot overtake on the right else they close it suddenly. You have to wait when they move to the right. They function like PUJs, but bigger and emit more black exhaust fumes!

They block the lanes just like the PUJs. If PUJs are sharks, PUBs are orcas and certainly more dangerous when you are caught in between. They travel faster and you should be concerned when PUBs are racing with each other and are behind you. Surrender immediately the lanes to these PUBs and let it overtake you while you can.

Avoid routes taken by buses so you would not be inconvenienced or in the line of danger. Most often these buses are found on national highways but they may be found on city streets because bus terminals and their garages are located in there.

VANS-FOR-HIRE: There is only one country-wide franchise given by the LTFRB for these kind of transportation. I don’t have a problem with V-Hires when competing road space. My only problem is when I become a passenger in it. Just imagine a 10-seater passenger van converted as a public transport and operates to accommodate fourteen people. Their airconditioning system cannot cool the interiors and people are packed like corned beef.

TRICYCLES: This is a motorcycle with an improvised side car. Cities and municipalities give franchise to these. They have big bold numbers at the back and they have routes to follow. They are slow-moving and they service narrow secondary streets. They are banned along national highways and along primary streets and so it would not be difficult to evade these. When you follow one on a very narrow road, it is torture for those with appointments.

ANIMAL CARRIAGES: These mode of transportation are remnants of a vanishing era but city administrators and cultural sentimentalists retain these as tourist attractions. These are given special franchises and have their own special routes. Only the cities of Manila, Cebu and Vigan allow horse-driven carriages to make a living ferrying passengers. The bad side about this is the horses are more often influenced by illness, fatigue and heat and would go berserk when not in the mood. I would not want to be near that when it is in that temper.

MOTORCYCLES-FOR-HIRE: Locally known as “habal-habal”, these are rampant in the countrysides and slowly made themselves felt in the big cities. While these could access the most remote corners of the farthest hamlets, which is good; maintaining these as modes of transportation in cities is dangerous. For one, the drivers do not respect traffic laws and do not have knowledge about safety. They don’t wear helmets and they deny that as well to their passengers.

They are illegal and therefore, cannot be regulated. They cannot even police themselves. There are too many of them and competition is stiff amongst them. They do not give premium to a good night’s rest for they are awake for the most part of the day and night just so they could earn to pay for their motorcycles which they loaned from money lenders. They charge you high if you are not from their locality and they would take advantage of that and seemed to enjoy it most of the time.

They are so ill-disciplined and so rude, probably, most of these kind graduate to drive taxicabs one day for they have the same mindsets. But not all. A lot of them die young. Watch them when they drive past you and watch them how they swerve and close the lanes right after overtaking you. So James Bondish yet so near to an out-of-body experience. They throttle at racing speed and they do not understand motion dynamics, much more so, reading a road sign. Just let them pass and do not race with them but watch out for them coming from all the other directions.

PEDAL-POWERED TRICYCLE: A folk favorite, especially in small towns, this is actually a bicycle with a side cab. Fondly called as a “trisikad”, these are slow-moving modes of transport that are given franchise in some towns because of the lack of modern transportation system or that these are politically expedient for the powers that be. These do not have head lights, tail lights, brake lights and signal lights and take any directions and turns as they wish when empty. Do not follow these for they retard your movement. Take main arteries and highways instead when you happen to find yourself in a sleepy town.

Document done in LibreOffice 3.3 Writer

STREET-SMART MOTORCYCLING

I RECENTLY WENT to Gaas, in the highlands of Balamban, Cebu, Philippines last September 2011 to be reunited with my visiting sister, who just came from the U.S.  She is staying temporarily with my cousin.  Going there is expensive since there are no bus routes along the Transcentral Highway.  There are only two alternatives:  the vehicle-for-hire and the motorcycle-for-hire.

It is a Saturday and it is 6:30 PM and I gave up the four-wheeled transport when a lot of passengers are stranded at the Ayala Terminal due to shortage of V-hires.  I transferred to JY Square to look for motorcycles.  I found many.  I negotiated with one and I need to ride without sharing a seat with another and I was charged 250 pesos.  Fair enough.

You know why I don't want to share a seat with another?  It is for my own safety.  The motorcycle run only on two wheels and is already placed at a disadvantage before other bigger vehicles on the road.  By wonders brought about by the laws of physics, it could stand on its own on the road provided there is a driver to steer and maintain its balance.

Motorcycles-for-hire are a dime a dozen and they are not strictly regulated.  Although it is not classified as a public transport yet people prefer to ride on one.  It could access the most remote mountain trails and cross rivers where no four-wheeled vehicle could.  It could travel anytime you would wish.  It has a following of its own and no government regulations could stop it. 

Motorcycles-for-hire are illegal per se.  The drivers behind are an ill-disciplined lot and they break every traffic rule as fast as you could type your name on the keyboard.  They don't put premium on safety and they deny that as well to their passengers.  They are there on the road plying their trade at very long hours.  Some took amphetamines to extend their waking time well into the early mornings.  

If circumstances forced me to ride on one, then I should be responsible to that risk else I could express my prerogative like not sharing a seat at my expense or insisting to wear a safety helmet to the driver's detriment.  I know how to drive a motorcycle and I know where I stand.

Steering a running motorcycle demands great concentration especially if you are negotiating on a mountain road like the Transcentral Highway with a passenger or passengers.  The lesser the load the better are your chances of survival.  Motorcycle brakes cannot absorb the force during downhill turns at a fast speed and would likely cause wheels to burst or flop the motorcycle forward.

Driving a motorcycle demands great responsibility as well.  The word that comes to mind is SAFETY!  Safety cannot be compromised or replaced by anything else.  The best item to describe this is the safety helmet.  It is not something to hang at your steering bars or worn lackadaisically above your head to comply with the law.  It should be worn with workable strap locks and do not separate from the wearer during a road accident. 

If possible, wear long pants and shoes.  Long denims give some protection to your knees and could absorb the heat of the muffler when you keel over to the right with the motorcycle on top of you.  The shoes would protect your toes and would complement the brakes anyway as people tend to use their feet when slowing down as if they are riding a bicycle.

Do not race with another or be challenged by one who just overtook you.  Survival on the road is not a race.  Regulate your speed and enjoy the moment.  The slower you are the more inclined are you to control your motorcycle provided you are on the rightmost lane reserved for slow-moving traffic.  

Do not overtake at the right especially when you are following a bus, a jitney or a taxi.  Drivers of these public modes of transport do not take consideration of who is following them and are more concerned of profits.  The rightmost lane is their domain but, most often, they stop at the middle of the road to take in passengers.  Their levels of discipline are just as worse with motorcycle-for-hire drivers.

When you do overtake at the right, like taking advantage of a slowdown in traffic or during a stoppage, flash the right signal light and drive slow else you might hit a crossing pedestrian that appear suddenly from amongst vehicles or get snagged by a just-opened door of an expensive SUV.  As a rule, I don't tread upon these tight paths that limit my evasive options either only to the curb or to the canal.

Always overtake on the left.  Make your intentions known by flashing the left signal light.  When I say “make your intentions known”, I mean you do it as early as possible particularly when you are making a left turn or a right turn.  (A U-turn is already considered a left turn in the Philippines.)  It is very important then that other drivers notice your intent and you should flash the signal lights from 80 meters to 100 meters before a corner.

If possible, refrain from making hand signals unless you just know one of your signal lights is busted or out of order.  It is very important then to check your head lights, your tail lights, your brake lights and your signal lights regularly, in that order, before speeding away else keep the motorcycle parked.  Complement your visibility by wearing light-colored clothes and switching on the headlights even during daytime.

Do not drive with one hand.  I have seen insane drivers speeding on the road using a cellphone, smoking a cigar or even licking a melted ice cream.  What's worse is that they got passengers riding behind them, to include children.  These kind of drivers are the worst kind of people and are dangerous to commuters.  I hope their stupidity would only consume them and exclude other people.

Keep both hands on the steering handles.  Concentrate on the road.  Glance in a while at your rear-view mirrors to be sure that a vehicle on the loose is behind you and take evasive actions.  Use your signal lights when overtaking and changing directions.  As much as possible, run on a straight line.  Avoid weaving in and out of traffic or blocking other vehicle's path by your constant swerving. 

When overtaking a vehicle, do not swerve right away and close the lane of the one you have just overtaken.  Chances are the driver behind you would (a) apply an instant brake and get bumped from behind; (b) swerve instantly to avoid hitting you and collide with another; or (c) bump you hard.  Be sensible when using the road and think of others.

Be a responsible parent.  Do not allow your small child or children ride a motorcycle even if you are the ones driving.  What you have overlooked or ignored is that children have short arms to embrace you, small hands to grip you, little strength to offset the natural forces of dynamics and has short attention span where, most likely, would doze off without you knowing.  Please, ensure their safety by having them ride a healthy four-wheeled vehicle instead.

Whether you like it or not, driving a motorcycle is very stressful.  Take a lot of rest so you could possess an alert body and mind.  Avoid taking very long trips.  Sitting in one position for a very long time take its toll on the body and that makes you less alert.  As much as possible, park the motorcycle when you think you have traveled for an hour-and-a-half, at the least; or feel drowsy and tired. 

If you think you feel bored, look for something at the roadside that would attract your attention and replenish your vigor.  It may be food, a local cultural festival or something odd and rare.  When you do this, catch every moment with a camera.  Taking pictures and exercising your lower limbs is an absolute elixir to defeat ennui.   

Do not play loud music on your earpiece when driving.  It is best that you are aware of your surroundings that is beyond your field of sight.  The collective hum of engines is your best indicator that it’s time to go or not else you get a jolt from the collective blare of horns behind you.  What you cannot see is best served by hearing.  Enjoy music but keep it low.

A motorcycle is a very convenient mode of transportation and consumes less fuel.  Starting first a motorcycle at a parking area and then back yourself out by foot before speeding away once you face the road defeats fuel conservation.  I have seen many motorcycle owners do that.  What you do not know is that the amount of fuel used during that maneuver could already result to about 200-300 meters worth of fuel.  That measure would already save you pushing an out-of-gas motorcycle to the next refueling station.

The motorcycle is the only ones I could afford.  I do not want to be distracted by any pretty face and any attention-catching gestures from the sidewalks and I do my best to keep my eye on the road.  During fuel-crunch time, I am assured that my motorcycle can ply the road because its fuel consumption is very low.  If I am astride another motorcycle that I am not driving, I see to it that safety is religiously followed at my behest, of course.

Personally, my being on a motorcycle is the best form of my own interpretation of freedom.  My notion of freedom accentuates with the flow of the wind or the lope of a herd of deer.  My Native American cousins call this “unimpeded freedom” and I embrace it very much without any reserve.  Your freedom is best enjoyed by your own set of parameters and not by wanton or reckless abandon. 

BE SAFE ALWAYS and bless each and every journey by saying a short prayer of protection.  We Roman Catholics make the sign of the cross just like Manny Pacquiao do before each and every fight.  Have a safe journey, my brothers.

Document done in Libre Office 3.3

THE POLITICS OF WALKING

WALKING, ACCORDING TO my good friend, Dr. Abe Manlawe, is the best exercise. It is most perfect when you walk 6-8 hours everyday. I could do that on weekends only. On the mountain trails of Napo to Mount Babag with a weight on my back. Yes. The sweat, oh, it streamed like a river, especially on a hot day. And I feel good after that. Go, ask Boy Toledo how he felt. You should see him scream with delight.

Seriously, I will walk as long as I am able. I am gifted with a pair of strong legs and would use these in every possible chance. Even walking exposed to the elements like the sun, the wind, rain, dust, even smoke from cars. For that, I am fit and I developed a stamina that my vehicle-driving neighbor have never had dreamed about. The color of my skin is my indicator that I am in the best of health. It is reddish brown; the color of the earth.

The walking allowed me to view the scenes around me in slow easy motion. It allowed me to socialize and greet people with a smile or a nod. I could change my pace – from leisurely to brisk – depending on my schedules or those that walk with me. A flat road surface is ordinary for me and a gravelly and uneven trail suits me fine too. I could walk in any road conditions, in any weather and in any pace short of running. In short, I always burn calories whenever and wherever possible when I walk.

Everyday I walk a kilometer from the highway to my place of work and another kilometer from my office back to the highway; the rest of the distance to and from my home, I commute. When I walk, I am always on the safe side; on the opposite direction where I could see the oncoming traffic. Not even the cool shades on the other side of the street could tempt me to change places. The sweating, I don't mind, as long as I am alive and well.

When I walk, I carry things with either hand. Even with a heavy bag that has shoulder straps. That way, I could also use my arm and hand muscles in tandem with the legs. Convenience is far away from my mind. I would optimize all my movements – my walking – as a form of exercise. This exercise will be of use to me someday. And I am ready for any kinds of emergency – be it calamity or war.

My walking is one of my preparations for war. War will knock anytime at our door and I don't want to be caught in a very bad shape. That would be the ultimate embarrassment. The world today is at peace and we are blessed that pockets of conflict are far away from our doorsteps. We also are so blessed that we still have plenty of that most important natural resource that nations are now fighting for – WATER; a resource that we need in our walking to keep us rehydrated.

I do not know the mileage I have accumulated walking through the years, but I'm pretty sure that mine is well above that of the average human being. For a week, I would average a distance of 20-25 kilometers. More if I am on a backpacking trip of two to three days. Walking on a trail is different in walking on a city street. The latter cannot be applied in the former else you will develop sore muscles and injured toes. There is a whale of a difference in the gait you will use.

It is best, when you walk, that you use both eyes and both ears. Expect always a stray vehicle behind you and be alert. Calculate every moving object as you yourself is moving and change direction and pace often as you would to prevent yourself colliding with another. Walking everyday will develop your motor reflex.

And, lastly, take good care of your feet and use the best-fitting shoes available. It should not be too small and, at least, one size larger. It should be breathable but not compensating the safety of your feet. An able feet will take you anywhere. Enjoy your walking.

Document done in OpenOffice 2.1 Writer