The Visit, continued
More people also begot more traffic.
Filipinos spend half of their lives stuck in traffic. Even the revolution owed
part of its success to the EDSA traffic. The Marcos military forces were stuck in
traffic jams all over the cities of Manila, Makati and environs almost the whole
day so that the millions of people milling around the tanks and military vehicles
had all the time to talk sense into the soldiers and their officers.
Traffic is bad because driving in the Philippines is unlike anything you've ever
seen anywhere.
It's a constant, split-second search and battle for that one little space a vehicle
or two could occupy. Car's buses, pedicabs, trucks are like running backs searching
for daylight. They just barely nudge other vehicles out of their way to get a space;
they weave in and out of these space avoiding other vehicles that are also nudging
them out of the way. The trick is not to look at the other driver's eyes, for doing
is an admission of guilt and requires one to give way.
So that intersections are always clogged with all types of vehicles that pounce on that one empty space at the same time. there are traffic lights and traffic lanes but nobody looks at them because drivers have to keep their eyes on the other vehicles all the time.
What's odd about this is that everybody complains about the traffic and curses those who don't follow traffic rules. Everybody. Including our taxi driver as he bumped pedestrians and nudged other cars out of his way on the sidewalk.
He said
that everyone agrees that if it were not for the traffic, life in the Philippines
would really be terrific.
People would get more things done. Filipinos would feel less stressed going to and
from work. Everyone would go out more.Tourists would get to see the sights around
them. And the whole country would just progress faster. Everyone would be happier.
Everyone.
So I asked him why didn't he follow the traffic rules to start the good times rolling.
" Me?!?", he said." Not until they start!."
All my friends and relatives said the same thing.
So there's hope.
