Showing posts with label Concrete Barriers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Concrete Barriers. Show all posts

Thursday, November 06, 2008




LET HIM DREAM

Bayani Fernando is stealthily encroaching on the whole archipelago with his silly new term - Metro Philippines. Whatever that means, soon, his MMDA engineers will be constructing slippery, elderly-unfriendly pink and blue steel foot-bridges right from the door of his MMDA office to the door of the presidential palace. After all, he now boasts that no less than former president Fidel Ramos has hinted that an engineer could be the next president of the Philippines. Fernando was quick to claim that FVR was alluding to him (Fernando) because he is an engineer. Now we see what goes on in BF's so-called mind these days. Endorsements, silly slogans and the presidency. And what better way to spin this lust of his than to take advantage of his position as MMDA chairman, to put his face on posters bigger than the message. We should all be enraged at the behavior of this engineer who promotes 'kaayusan' and 'disiplina,' and yet he himself doesn't have those two in his character. He says that "engineering technology" is the answer to boost livelihood for many Filipinos in the south, Mindanao in particular. He says that the country's inadequate housing program and the dismal economy is in dire need of his technology to solve the many problems there. Well, more than the poor economy, it's the economist, stupid! - his lady-boss who to this day unlawfully occupies the very office he salivates for. Naglalaway na siya maging presidente! To be more 'street-legal,' atat na atat na siya maging presidente ng 'Pinas! Fernando says that being an engineer, his solution to the Mindanao conflict is really simple: through "technology warfare," he will solve it, and with this Mindanaoans will protect their infrastructures instead of doing other things. I think he's on drugs or on something. Talk about dreaming. He further stressed that based on the statement of FVR about him, he has a big chance of becoming the next Philippine president. Remember when the same FVR endorsed former Speaker Jose de Venecia to be the ruling party Lakas' official presidential bet against former President Joseph Estrada? Well, JDV lost a poor second after Erap won the presidency by a huge margin. The Ramos endoresement is really nothing for BF to jump about and announce to his whole Metro Philippines. It's more of an empty recommendation from a not-so-clean-himself ex-president. It would bring more damage to BF than good, not to mention his 1% acceptable rating among Pinoys. Well, on that note, the reason probably why Fernando wants to bring infrastructure to Mindanao is the fact that there's really nothing else that he knows except that - a disguised "engineering technology" which would really just boost his steel business when they start building steel bridges, pink fences, concrete barriers and all those ghastly MMDA contraptions which to me are the silliest pink ideas for any urban area. His plan to reach the south and possibly the whole archipelago is a selfish motive aimed at enlarging his territorial clout needed to feed his insatiable ambition, kasi, sirang-sira na siya dito sa Metro-Manila. But that's really not the answer. The wiser answer to the problems are food production, job creation, peace and order, and respect to other faiths such as Islam. And speaking of respect, Fernando needs to have that within his people. People like those sixteen MMDA employees assigned to the Sidewalk Clearing Operations Group (SCOG) who were arrested recently for stealing PhP 5 million worth of LRTA vertical clearance posts which they eventually sold for scrap. These are the same people who see and salute his pictures more than absorbing his 'fine-printed' messages on a daily basis, simply because of the sheer size of the former, and instead of the more important message which isn't really the MMDA's priority. The same people who have been found guilty of running away with the goods of sidewalk vendors - vegetables, fruits, chickens, fish, DVDs, slippers, socks, umbrellas, ballpens, combs, briefs, and even dentures of vendors, etc. You name it, they stole it and took them to their homes! Geesh. They should all be wrapped with BF's posters, re-painted with black and yellow stripes and then use them as humps along EDSA to slow down all those killer buses with their 'shabu-head' drivers sporting BAYANI stickers. So, what really is Metro Philippines? Sounds oxymoronic to me. I've heard of Metro Cebu and Metro Davao and of course Metro Manila, but Metro Philippines? What is that? Perhaps to Bayani Fernando, since he thinks that the MMDA programs and projects he has instituted have been the best thing that ever happened to our urban cities, he probably wants now to take the whole country by his Metro-Gago, Tao-Ginago/ Urbanidad pero que barbaridad slogans. And since he has openly announced his intention to run for president in 2010, he now realizes that Metro Manila is just not big enough in terms of the electoral populace to usher him to Malacanang. And so, the solution is to simply transform the whole country's perception from the public mind with just two words: Metro Philippines. Of course, this is all just strategy and spin, and it stinks. Building steel bridges to connect the whole archipelago is a positive move - for his steel business. Then, transforming the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) into the Metro Philippines Development Authority (MPDA) under the Office of the President (OP) is also positive - for the the successor (if any), since all the secret and unbidded-out deals will still continue. Imagine, if the whole country is transformed into Metro Philippines, then that would mean 7,100 plus more small Metro Manilas in terms of voting strength, budget and political clout, enought to kick one upstairs straight to Malacanang Palace. But with his 1% rating conducted by the SWS just recently, Bayani Fernando still has a good chance to be just a 'nuisance candidate,' joining the ranks of Ely Pamatong, Eddie Gil and Co.
(Image from http://daylife.com/)

Friday, September 12, 2008


NO WAY, EMEMDEE-EY!

It certainly makes private citizens like me suspicious, knowing that no less than MMDA Chairman Bayani 'BF' Fernando is the alleged owner of BF Steel Corporation, as mentioned by 'The Game' on the comment section of a previous similar post right here, and then at the same time embarks on an aggressive "ironization" of Metro Manila - constructing pink and blue footbridges here, pink and blue footbridges there, pink fences here, pink fences there - and those ghastly looking male urinals that even 'askals' would not dare use to do their thing, not to mention those Toblerone-like killer concrete barriers which, to this day all remain unlit and have maimed and killed a number of motorists under the watch of a presidentiable wannabe who believes so much in himself thinking that Marikina is Metro-Manila, and Metro-Manila is the Philippines. I smell some kind of a conflict of interest here somehow. Does the MMDA bid out its "ironization projects," or are they automatically awarded to the BF Steel Corporation? Can the MMDA please be transparent on this thing since it involves no less than hard-earned taxpayers' money? By the way, while those steel footbridges may be good to many pedestrians concerning their safety, it ain't so totally safe since they're so slippery and dangerous to its users during and after the rains because of its flat and smooth surface, and most especially to the elderly and the infirm. It's hard to believe that a guy like BF, who thinks of the beautification (many call it 'uglification') of Metro-Manila would not prioritize safety, and it sure is not on top of his list. He would prioritize his posters all over the thoroughfares like EDSA, BAYANI stickers on buses and "guwapito-guwapo ads" on LRT trains, but never on safety. Unlit concrete barriers, slippery steel footbridges, askal-unfriendly male urinals, arrogant kotong MMDA blue boys, idiotic slogans and silly color combinations that even Liberace, German Moreno or Mike Velarde would not approve. That's today's MMDA for you. So, is the Philippines ready for a Bayani Fernando presidency? And what, a pink Malacanang Palace? No way, Ememdee-ey!

Monday, December 31, 2007


REMOVE THOSE CONCRETE BARRIERS!

The Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) under Bayani Fernando is one heartless and mindless agency under the Office of the President. A day never passes without a motorist hurting himself and damaging his vehicle while driving at night because of the MMDA's concrete barriers that obstruct our main thoroughfares - EDSA in particular. Trouble is, these solid slabs of cement are never properly lit or to say the least, given a proper reflector for all motorists to see. I have been a victim some time ago and neither was my driver-companion drunk (DUI) or overspeeding. We were simply and carefully cruising along EDSA that night and before we knew it, a concrete barrier - almost invisible had damaged our vehicle. As expected, the MMDA was quick to blame everyone else on the scene except themselves. Short of saying that their concrete barriers were not properly reflectorized, they immediately slapped the driver with a charge of "reckless imprudence resulting to damage to property." Now, I have always identified the word "reckless" to mean with a sense of unmindful behavior, and Webster surely defines the word to mean "lacking caution." As far as i can remember, that was exactly what the driver was doing while he was driving. He was so careful but that darn concrete barrier was like a shadow of death hounding would-be victims on the highway. And we were just one of the many these monsters hurt every single day (night). It's time the MMDA does something about this quickly. How many more vehicles are to be destroyed, limbs to be lost and lives to be claimed before Chairman BF acts on this? This is definitely not his version of Metro Gwapo. This is his reckless job called Metro Gago!