Comfort and welfare

Whenever I take a taxi ride, I’m always reminded of a 1991 film by the late film legend, Fernando Poe Jr., entitled “May Isang Tsuper Ng Taxi.”

In one scene, Poe’s taxi driver character had just brought then senator Joseph Estrada to the Batasang Pambansa building and at the end of the trip, Estrada asked him for change.

Poe’s character feigns innocence, knowing full well that he owes Estrada, who plays himself in the movie, a P1 change and he either hoped, expected or both that the senator would just let him keep it.

When Estrada insisted on getting the P1 change, Poe gave him the money grudgingly and grumbled under his breath, “Kuripot naman to’ (What a miser).”

Estrada overheard him and shot back, “Sinong kuripot tinatawag mo? Gusto mo i-report kita sa Hotline sa Trese (a TV program he once co-hosted at the now defunct IBC 13) (Who are you calling a miser? You want me to report you to Hotline in Trese)?”

I mention this scene because the most unpleasant part of any taxi ride for me is the time when I make sure that the driver gives me the right change, i.e., the P10 rebate.

The sheer number of excuses that a taxi driver can make for not giving the right change is just disgusting: “Ah sir, sulti man sa LTO (Land Transportation Office) wa man ang P10 rebate kon kuwang 1 km (Ah sir, the LTO said there’s no P10 rebate if the distance is shorter than 1 km)”; sir, wa na P10 gihatagan man gyod ka og receipt (sir there’s no P10, I gave you a receipt)” and some other BS.

Or if the meter reads P92.50 and I gave P100, the taxi driver will either give me P7 and then just looks at me straight in the eye waiting on me to challenge him or stares off to another direction or he doesn’t give the change and looks away staring off into the day or night, whichever time I happened to ride his taxi.

Whatever happens, I remind the taxi driver that the P10 fare rebate is still in effect and either he would give me the P10, or less than P10, or he would tell me that he doesn’t have change and I would have little to no choice but to get out, resigned to the fact (and probably muttering unconsciously under my breath) about how creative these taxi drivers are in avoiding to give the exact change to their passengers.

At least I take consolation that these taxis are usually air-conditioned and take me to my destination in safety and comfort — there are exceptions of course — unlike in passenger jeepneys where a lot of things can happen.

Like the more than occasional mature-looking, unclean and foul-smelling teenager suddenly entering the jeepney and singing some unintelligible song you don’t care for, let alone know about, and then asking you for money, or beggars stretching their hands and then slapping you silly and giving you dagger looks if you fail to give them money, or worse, some actual snatchers sitting next to you and without warning, grabbing your wallet or bag and then getting out without you knowing it until it was too late.

I am reminded anew of my personal travails in mass transportation during last Monday’s State of the Nation Address (Sona) by President Rodrigo Duterte, who said, among many other things, that he is for the “comfort and welfare of the Filipino.”

Aside from cutting red tape, I understand that Mr. Duterte also issued that statement to refer to public transportation, which in its current state leaves a whole lot to be desired.
A rally by that militant transport group Piston called on the President to give subsidies to passenger jeepney operators and scrapping of an Administrative Order that imposed severe sanctions on errant violators of traffic laws.

While it is to be expected that the transport sector would call on the government to give them incentives and subsidies, I’m sure that I am not alone in hoping that projects like the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) and the light railway transit would be completed and be operational as soon as possible so there would be more viable, comfortable and convenient public utility vehicles to ride in.

It just doesn’t make sense to me for government to spend millions of pesos of taxpayers money — money that I and millions of workers paid with our own sweat and blood — to subsidize dilapidated and antiquated jeepneys whose drivers are more prone to cause traffic congestion with their tendency to load and unload passengers anywhere they please, even at the middle of traffic.

Transport groups are supposed to present a study in which they would show that 60 to 70 percent of traffic congestion is caused by motorists or those with their own vehicles.

So, what do these jeepney and taxi operators want to happen? That in order to cut down on traffic congestion, motorists should sacrifice their comfort, ditch their cars and ride their antiquated, loud and cramped vehicles so they could make money off them and from the government if their request for subsidies comes to pass?

It’s BS like this that makes me think that the BRT cannot come soon enough.