N.B. – This was published in The Lobbyist (May 17) where I write a column (Subtext).
It took a prominent person’s tragic death to bring to the government’s attention the urgent need for effective traffic management on the widest street in Quezon City, notoriously dubbed the killer highway.
As of this writing, government officials are floating various ideas through the media – crackdown on erring bus drivers, putting speed radar guns on Metro Manila Development Authority’s (MMDA) motorcycle units, presence of mobile patrol cars on selected areas of Commonwealth Avenue (particularly the TechnoHub where UP Journalism Prof. Lourdes “Chit” Estella-Simbulan died), stricter licensing and franchising requirements, reimplementation of the “contact policy” (erring motorists will be flagged down by traffic enforcers instead of the current practice of just sending them notices of their violations), the list goes on.
At this point, I just wonder why the focus of government efforts is just on Commonwealth Avenue when in fact the reality of that street is just a reflection of the lack of effective urban planning nationwide. Yes, statistics show that that particular street has had the most accidents in recent years but it doesn’t mean that other streets don’t have their fair share of road accidents (even fatal ones).
There seems to be a culture of tolerance with regard to the conditions of roads, as well as the kind of vehicles that are allowed to ply major thoroughfares. One cannot deny the existence of a culture of corruption as both traffic enforcers and erring motorists negotiate “alternatives” to getting a violation ticket. And don’t get me started regarding implementing the full force of the law: As I write this, there are reports that the bus firm involved in Estella-Simbulan’s death is plying its routes despite a one-month suspension order. The excuse given by the bus operator is that the company has not yet received the order. If this is true, then the fault lies in both parties – the government for being slow in enforcing rules and the bus company for having the audacity to ignore the public outcry.
Don’t get me wrong: There are honest traffic enforcers and well-meaning motorists (i.e., defensive drivers) out there but they are apparently outnumbered by the corrupt and reckless ones. The fact that every good deed on the street hogs the headlines simply shows the “oddity” of honesty, a situation that is unacceptable for an administration that claims to be on a righteous path, compared to the crooked ones of the past.
I can only hope at this point that the government efforts toward road safety are not just knee-jerk reactions to the public outcry as a result of Estella-Simbulan’s tragic death. Her death should not be in vain. Justice should be served.
Casiño pushes Congress to address root cause of bus-related accidents
(May 18, 2011)
Bayan Muna Rep. Teddy Casiño today aired an appeal to the House leadership to immediately tackle a bill to fundamentally address the continuing spate of bus-related accidents in the metropolis, the latest of which claimed the life of UP journalism professor Lourdes “Chit” Estella-Simbulan.
“Congress should immediately take up House Bill 3370 that mandates fixed wages and working hours for bus drivers and conductors. This will benefit the industry, address transport workers’ woes at the same time help reduce traffic jams and bus-related accidents,” Casiño said.
House Bill 3370 or the “Bus Drivers and Conductors Compensation Act” aims to abolish the quota or commission-based salary system that currently prevails among PUBs. This has made bus transport workers compete with each other to get more passengers, even at the expense of their own and their passengers’ safety.
“The death of Prof. Estella-Simbulan is another low-point in government’s failure to address the problems confronting our country’s bus drivers and conductors who are forced by the prevailing commission system to race for passengers to increase their earnings. Improving the plight of drivers and conductors will go a long way in making the industry stable, safe and efficient. Its time we reform the decades-long exploitative and even dangerous working conditions that bus transport workers are made to endure. I also appeal to our bus owners’ conscience so that we can stop these road accidents that endager and claim lives in the name of profits,” Casiño said.
“We are eager to dialogue with the South Luzon Bus Operators Association of the Philippines (SOLUBOA), Provincial Bus Operators of the Philippines (PBOP), Integrated Metro Bus Operators Association (IMBOA) and other associations with regard to this bill and other concerns and reforms that they may want brought up in Congress. We are also open to discussing possible reforms in the franchising and fare-rating systems that are among the concerns of bus owners,” Casiño said.
HB 3370 will mandate at least the monthly minimum wage for PUB drivers and conductors to be paid direct in cash at least once every two (2) weeks. The benefits and incentives as stipulated in the Labor Code and related laws, and/or in collective bargaining agreements, shall also be accorded to drivers and conductors.
The bill also aims to fix the working hours of drivers and conductors to eight (8) hours inclusive of a one-hour rest period and ensure a two-shift system to ensure that workers do not compromise passenger safety by exceeding working hours.
“Drivers, conductors and bus owners will gain on the long-term if HB 3370 is passed into law. The difference here is drivers and conductors will get enough rest while operators will spend almost the same amount for salaries, thereby improving conditions in the industry. Operators will also gain as it will also redound with the reduction of fierce competition on the road and will lessen accidents since the drivers and conductors are better rested and have security of tenure. This will also be encouraging to the ultimate beneficiaries of an improved transport industry – the riding public,” Casiño said.#