BECAUSE two bus drivers, one bus company and a host of government officials decided to forget about public safety, all hell broke loose along Edsa one early morning while most of us were asleep, and we lost a beloved brother.

But Toto, civic leader, youth organizer, entrepreneur and dedicated eye health service provider, was the latest fatality of chaos on our roads in our family. We lost two others in the past, and recently almost lost another.

Are the killers of our kin still in possession of their professional drivers’ licenses? We think so. They, and others like them, still probably ply the streets, hitting a car or person every now and then with hardly a care, since their bus operators and/or protectors regularly bail them out and just assign them another trip, as if nothing happened.

Maniacs on buses

In spite of the fact that people have been dying on Edsa, Commonwealth Avenue, South Luzon Expressway (Slex), North Luzon Expressway (Nlex) and C-5, nothing much has happened to change the way these thoroughfares are managed. Commuters and travelers have no recourse but to use these roads at their own risk, especially at night, even if maniacs on buses and trucks are allowed by authorities to defy the logical rules of safety that supposedly govern these public spaces.

Who own and operate these public utility vehicles? How many of them are military or police officers? How many are connected to politicians? How dare they earn a living in a way that put our lives in danger.

But would the Land Transportation Office (LTO) or the Land Transportation and Franchising Regulatory Board (LTFRB) dare to stop them, confiscate their licenses, cancel their franchises and throw them in jail? Would the people in power dare shackle their own?

Avenues of death

We think not. That is why road kill comes with the territory. Toto was just another of so many thousands of victims. More Filipinos die on Philippine roads than they do in gun battles.

Apparently, for those who must use these avenues of death regularly, moving across Metro Manila is like going to war. But instead of getting hit by bullets, one gets hit by speeding buses and dilapidated trucks that make him or her somersault before he or she ends up as fuel inside a burning car.

Stimulants

Could it be that public utility vehicle drivers would not be able to earn a decent wage if they followed the rules? Why do transport unions focus only on fuel prices and fare increases? Why don’t they complain to authorities about unfair labor practices? Why do drivers have to take stimulants and “energy drinks” to keep themselves going?

In the domestic transport industry, public utility vehicle drivers are usually not given wages like most workers. As far as we know, under this system (referred to as “boundary”) drivers do not receive salaries from the owner. Their day’s earnings are what they get in excess of what they have to pay for the “rental” of the vehicles they drive.

Considering that the hundreds of buses plying Metro Manila’s thoroughfares have to compete with each other for passengers at the same major intersections, it is no wonder that bus drivers treat the roads as if these were theirs alone to use: death be to those who stand in their way.

And to whom can anyone report a traffic violation? To the media. Why not? People in media do their jobs efficiently and enthusiastically.

Driving hotline a farce

The LTFRB’s “how’s my driving hotline” is such a farce. If one succeeds in getting someone to pick up the phone, his or her report probably goes into a black hole, never to see results. Forget the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA). Public safety isn’t the priority of its boss these days.

So, tell us: which government agency, which government official is accountable for the loss of Toto’s life? Who should we file charges against? Is just one bus driver and one bus operator responsible for his death? Who really runs this horrible mess called Philippine roads and highways?

One more thing: as a family of vision specialists, we can’t help but notice that major roads with “no speed limit” lack sufficient lighting. Traffic signs—if there are any—are not always readable from afar, are often dimly lit, and are sometimes hidden behind other visual obstructions.

Often, traffic enforcers are more ready to apprehend rather than guide or direct drivers of private vehicles who can’t see those signs.

We will continue to help keep Filipinos from getting blind. We have done that for over a hundred years now. But if we have to descend into the madness of Metro Manila’s avenues every day, even the best pair of lenses can only save our eyes, not our lives.

Keeping us safe while we travel is the business of transport companies, the LTO, LTFRB, MMDA and the Philippine National Police. But can they do their jobs well enough to keep the rest of us alive?

Collective voice

We now speak in a collective voice with the families, loved ones and friends of those who have suffered similar losses to what have been called “road accidents,” and demand that action be taken immediately on the following:

Impose and enforce realistic and appropriate speed limits on Edsa, Commonwealth, Nlex, Slex, Slex service road and C-5.

Recall and review the franchises of all bus and truck companies that have figured in road accidents since 2006, and cancel (not just suspend) those involved in two or more fatal incidents.

Cancel permanently the licenses of all drivers who have figured in two or more fatal accidents.

Reveal to the public all names and addresses of bus, truck and jeepney operators, and the details of their franchises.

Rationalize and reduce the number of deployed buses and trucks on Edsa, Commonwealth, Nlex, Slex, Slex service road and C-5, and cancel permanently the permits of buses and trucks that are dilapidated and mechanically unsound.

Double the number of traffic and safety officers assigned between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. on Edsa, Commonwealth, Nlex, Slex, Slex service road and C-5.

Alcohol, drugs

Enforce laws that ensure the safety of motorists and commuters on Edsa, Commonwealth, Nlex, Slex, Slex service road and C-5, especially laws pertaining to driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs, and the use of cell phones while driving.

Institute a citizens’ traffic reporting system that works 24/7.

Put up more lights on Edsa, Commonwealth, Nlex, Slex, Slex service road and C-5.

Put up more directional road signs that are visible and clear on all major thoroughfares.

Retrain traffic enforcers to be service-oriented toward citizens and to be safety-oriented toward public utility vehicles.

Require all bus and truck drivers to undergo psychological testing in psychology departments of public hospitals assigned by the Department of Health.

(Francisco M. Sarabia Jr. was killed when the car he was driving burst into flames after it was hit by a speeding Joanna Jesh Transport bus on Edsa on Oct. 21. Send reactions to Mark Sarabia Gorriceta at mgorriceta@gmail.com or 0918-9236247.)

• RP’s malls attract Vietnamese tourists
• Playtime
• Christmas comes to Read-Along
• German by birth, Mangyan by vocation
• Abus free aid worker; ransom paid
• Thousands flee as wildfires hit LA
• Rebellion in the eyes of the young
• Differ without being difficult
• The two-year rape of Raymond Manalo

• Abaca industry
• Grades of hand-cleaned Manila hemp
• Uses of abaca fiber