Everyone makes mistakes now and then — as the saying goes, that’s why they put erasers on the end of pencils.
Unfortunately for us Filipinos in the time of Covid-19, when we make mistakes we are very public and usually very costly — in a healthward and, sometimes, reputational sense.
So, in no particular order, I thought we’d take a look at some decisions, with regards to commuting and motoring, where we might want a do-over if given the chance.
And, with few exceptions, the people in question would likely never admit to these decisions being mistakes at all — nor would many who heeded to those. Regardless, sometimes things just don’t work as planned.
The LRT social distancing fiascoSeems the LRT and the MRT lines as a whole is cursed in Metro Manila.
Just recently, the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT3) suspended its operations for a week following the surge in employees who tested positive for the coronavirus disease. Two hundred and two (202) MRT personnel were infected.
Then just a few days ago, this happened in the Light Rail Transit (LRT) line. The image and excerpt is taken from a
GMA news report.
"Several Light Rail Transit-1 (LRT-1) passengers were dismayed over the lack of physical distancing inside trains, despite months of health and safety preparations amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Commuter Renz Cada Beroy took to social media to air his disappointment after entering a passenger-filled wagon at the Monumento station.
Beroy had hoped for the strict implementation of social distancing at the LRT-1 after enduring more than one hour of queuing."
In response to this gaffe, which was absurdly short and indifferent, the LRT management said, "The photo may have been taken during our peak hours. As an extra measure and to help us monitor compliance, we have deployed roving train marshalls during peak hours," said Light Rail Transit Authority Corporate Communications Head Jacqueline Gorospe.
Whatever.
Back-riding shields Can’t see the logic here.
Married (or live-in) people sleep in the same bed, sometimes even sharing dinner on the same plate so back-riding shields to separate them when riding a motorcycle don't make sense.
On July 10, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) started allowing back-riding in motorcycles for couples and live-in partners with a condition that they install protective shields between both riders in compliance with the guidelines set by the Inter-agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-MEID).
But, after a week since its implementation, at least six motorcycle riders and their pillions were already involved in accidents, according to experiences and photos shared with motorcycle rights group,
Motorcycle Rights Organization (MRO) and motoring website
Motopinas.
A motorcycle rider by the name of Dla Cruz posted on social media regarding the accident she had while utilizing the plastic barriers. “Yung barrier na basagbasag hindi po sya safe. Please lang wag na po sana mag barrier,“ she said over their accident in Cubao, Quezon City on Friday.
Five more accidents were reported in the metro, where according to eyewitness accounts, sudden gusts of wind blew on the the shields and acted like a sail, caught the wind and threw the riders off their balance, thus the accidents.
The barrier shield was a big swing and a miss, which must have cost people money better spent on something else.
The MMDA concrete barriersThe Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) is a well-known name in the metropolis, with strong on-the-road visibility and performance gaining it a solid, stone-hard reputation.
And so is its concrete barriers.
So it wasn't odd when MMDA decided to put up concrete barriers along EDSA to mark a demarcation line between the Busway and the private vehicle lanes.
As of June, there have been a total of 31 vehicular accidents along EDSA since concrete barriers were put up on June 1, killing at least one, but the MMDA said most of which were self-accidents and liquor-related.
According to MMDA spokesperson Celine Pialago, the incidents were drunk-driving accidents, and some entered the wrong lane, while one motorcycle rider was killed when he slipped at the busway and hit his head.
"Hindi naman kasalanan per se ng concrete barriers dahil po ito ay reflectorized na. Hindi po tayo naglagay ng mga concrete barriers na hindi reflectorized," she said during a virtual briefing and emphasized that the agency has put up additional markers that motorists can see far away.
"Maiiwasan po ang aksidente kung tayo po ay mananatili lamang sa ating lane, hindi po tayo mag over-speeding kapag madaling araw at 'yun po 'yung dahilan kung bakit nagkakabiglaan po doon sa mga nasabing concrete barriers," Pialago said.
The MMDA had no plans to remove the barriers. "Wala po'ng kasalanan ang concrete barriers," Pialago insisted.
As I write this post, buses and cars are still spinning their tires along EDSA, trying hard not to hit those barriers.
Locally stranded individualsLess a mistake, and more an act of government "oopsie".
A new Covid-19 nomenclature: “Locally-stranded individuals” or LSI gained traction when a woman was found unconscious at an EDSA footbridge in Pasay City after reportedly waiting for days for a bus ride to Camarines Sur, and died as she was being rushed to a hospital.
So, the government created a program to beat this, unconsciously putting public health in the provinces at risk.
Here's what happened.
Metro Manila hosted thousands of migrant workers, as well as students, construction workers and tourists who were stranded when the government imposed a lockdown on Luzon in March to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
The government helped them return to their hometowns by providing them with transportation and coordinating with local governments under its LSI assistance program.
But COVID-19 cases rose as quickly as returnees were sent to provinces.
Richard Gomez, Ormoc mayor, said his city was tagged as one of the emerging hot spots in the spread of the coronavirus in the Visayas. This developed after the national government agencies started bringing hundreds, including locally stranded individuals, back to their home provinces.
Some of the returnees turned out positive for Covid-19.
He lamented the lack of coordination in the return of stranded OFWs or LSIs to the provinces.
"Mabilis 'yung pagdami kasi mabilis din 'yung pagpapadala nila ng mga returnees, 'no, coming from Manila and Cebu," Gomez said in a
GMA News interview.
"Ilan 'yung darating in particular para hindi overwhelm lahat. And all of this, it's not just in Ormoc City. This is happening all over the country. Hindi lahat ng LGUs kaya ang pinapadala nila," Gomez added.
Repatriating LSI's, though a good deed, was a PR blue for the government. It has paid a heavy price in many ways.
Any thoughts?Share your ideas by commenting.Images from PNA, GMA, MotopinasIf you have read this blog post here, I like to inform you that the original post is at
https://emongsjournals.blogspot.com
