Third district Councilor Conrado Baluran, who chaired the Committee on Transportation and Communications, reported a total of 154,916 traffic violations recorded by the City Transport and Traffic Management Office (CTTMO) from September of 2017 up to July this year, or an arrest of at least 230 traffic violators a day for the last six months.
The figure excluded those violators arrested by the Land Transportation Office (LTO) which also implements national traffic laws.
I am not surprise on the CTTMO report as we all know that Pinoy drivers are among the most abusive in the world not to mention many of them drive with unregistered vehicles and even without driver’s license.
The 230 traffic violators a day may even double since not all city streets and barangay roads have assigned traffic enforcers. And road accidents in these areas may occur most often as no one is watching those erring motorists.
The proposal of Councilor Baluran to criminalize driving without license may be a good move. But before we go to it seriously, check why these unauthorized drivers were able to drive unregistered vehicles when we have the LTO that is too strict in processing motor applications and its enforcers also strictly watching motorists on the road.
Maybe, the problem starts in the processing of application and becomes even worse when the vehicle is already on the road! Need not to explain further.
I was driving a vehicle since I arrived in Davao City in the 60s and until now. Councilor Baluran knows this as we are family friends since the early 70s.
My more than 50 years experience as motorist opened my eyes to the fact that there will be no abusive driver or unregistered vehicle if there are no crooks in government that allow crazy people to drive on the road.
The CTTMO report also includes arrests of some 5,079 pedestrian violators. On this, I also have a suggestion to our traffic enforcers.
Aside from arresting people crossing the street outside of the designated pedestrian lanes, why not include people tickling on their cell phones while crossing the street unmindful of the rushing vehicles. People of their kind may not be crazy but to me, I will call them hambog, or ignorant of the road safety.
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It seems that I am beginning to lose track of US politics that I only learned yesterday that President Donald Trump is facing impeachment proceeding from Democrats-controlled House that investigated Trump’s alleged attempt to arm twist the Ukrainian president into providing dirt on one of his main 2020 presidential election rivals, Joe Biden.
Trump called his fight with the rival party’s attempt to impeach him from the White House a “war.”
“We’re at war. These people are sick,” Trump said.
While President Duterte and the US President have many things in common in running the presidency, there is one thing that is different. Trump is fighting for his survival to remain in office while Duterte is waging an all out war against illegal drugs, including the ‘ninja cops”, to save the country.
Again, do I hear it right that the US Senate is thinking of not giving travel visas to people who will support the Duterte’s relentless drive against illegal drugs and continued detention of Sen. Leila de Lima? Ay ambot!
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Today will be my 45 days of my planned 300 days trip here as a “balikbayan”. My reentry trip to the US by spring next year is now ready and incase my schedule will not encounter any hitch from this end, I am expecting that I can still see the exchange of blah, blah, blah, and counter blah from both political titans and will able to vote on November US polls.
Admittedly, there is only one hindrance that may spoil my return trip to the US next year and plan my retirement there for good. The long flight!
Yes, the almost 20-hour flight from Davao-Manila, Manila-Los Angeles, then LA-Chicago O’Hare International Airport last April 20 and again back on the same flight routes only last Aug. 14 almost took my strength as I can’t move my body for almost a week upon arrival on both trips due to jetlag.
Maybe it’s time for me to decide what to do by now so as not to be caught with my pants down when that day will come.
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Buying residential house in a posh Damosa Fairlane? Contact 09156987421, or tel. 2952034 if interested. Hurry, owner leaving for abroad.
