GOTCHA By Jarius Bondoc, The Philippine Star, Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Two locally made electric jeepneys staged inaugural runs yesterday in
Using batteries charged the night before at only P150 each, the new units joined two Chinese makes that test-ran last year. Local assembler was the Motor Vehicle Parts Manufacturers Association of the
Councilor Edwin Binay said city hall is contemplating buying some units to serve as barangay official vehicles. He also praised GRIPP’s plan to sell directly to jeepney drivers at soft financing terms, to encourage a shift to clean and cheap public transport.
* * *
If, on a trip in your car, you come upon a road sign to “Proceed with Caution,” but tell your driver to speed on and, during the bumpy ride, your passengers get hurt and your vehicle conks out, whom will you blame? The driver? Fate? Whoever planted the sign? Everyone else but yourself?
That’s what Sulpicio Lines is doing in the wake of the capsizing of its ship Princess of the Stars at the height of last weekend’s typhoon, in which 700-plus passengers and crewmen were lost at sea. It first blamed its missing shipmaster for following spotty safety procedures and sailing off into bad weather. Then it said the tragedy was “an act of God.” After that, it sued the weatherman for damages in failing to forecast the crossing of the typhoon’s erratic path with the ship’s route.
No apology was heard from Sulpicio for its crew’s lack of disaster preparedness. Or for inadequate provisions in lifeboats. Or for loading proscribed chemicals in a passenger vessel.
* * *
Malacañang is trying to black out the news. But
Not a single nail or brick was left behind at the bulldozed phases and workers’ barracks — to show Hanjin’s disgust. The hauling crane and crew made sure of it. For the issues were never resolved. The giant ship maker-repairer’s biggest investment outside
Whichever side one takes, it’s all messy. The first hint of trouble came via a newsbreak in early May: policemen allegedly were harassing Hanjin engineers on orders of the mayors. When Gloria Arroyo happened to visit the locale, the company also cried extortion in its application for environment clearances from her political allies, the mayors. It was no way to treat a top investor that earlier had plunked $1 billion into
Malacañang directed a police general no less to investigate. At the same time, it announced it would patch up the quarrel of its friends. The toady general naturally took that to mean he should whitewash, which he did. In an instant report, he said there was no proof of either extortion or bribery. He also recommended relief of the harassing policemen, but with no charges either. Nothing was mentioned of the fact that an environment clearance was not yet needed for ground clearing but only when erection of an edifice started. Nothing too was said of the mayors alleging bribery to newsmen but later clamming up.
This is apparently another episode of immoderate greed. One side wanted more than the law would allow; the other haggled for too high a price to grant it. Both thought they could get away with it since they were only following the sleazy example at the top.
In the ensuing confrontation, one side had to give. Then, the other side’s chances to make a quick buck faded. The big loser is the Filipino people, from 40,000 jobs and support businesses.
* * *
