Jul 19, 2010

The Streets Are The City (a Sort of Manifesto)

Dear Filipinos,

Like you, I want less stress when I go to work. I want clean streets. I want streets without danger of getting crashed by motorcycles, tricycles, jeepneys or buses, even if I'm driving defensively. I would like better streets. No more arrogant police escorts banging their hands on the side of my car to let them squeeze in and make way for an egotistic Congressman or Mayor. I want peaceful streets.

I know this is possible because it was this way when I was a kid. Thanks to President Noy's salvo against wang-wangs, lately, I no longer have been waking up to the blaring sirens of the Mayor's car at 2:00 am (when there's no need for it). I hope our government could sustain this.

Because if it does, it will then show the rest of us that our leaders could share with us the frustration of traffic and that they could respect our sleep time too. Because then if our leaders could show the example of simple road courtesy, then the drivers of the motorcycles, tricycles, jeepneys or buses would then start to show courtesy too. I think it's as simple as that.

This morning I heard a siren and was happy to find out it was an ambulance. I am hopeful for change.