In our recent travels to Cebu City and Davao City, we have made the most of our trips visiting landmarks and enjoying the various tuna cuisines, our favorite durian fruit, and the Golden Pomelo of our friend Meloy Mercado.
Cebu hospitality treated us to Chilen chicharon, dried mango, Cebu lechon and tonkatsu. I was glad to meet my long time LCC student Annalyn Aizpuru who is now a successful business executive entrusted by the owner to single-handedly manage the metal manufacturing plant in Mandaue City. She insisted to treat me to an Angus beef steak dinner which I politely accepted. Annalyn retains her single status but she is an avid lover of cats and dogs. Imagine her taking care of 21 cats and five dogs in her own house.
Cebu and Davao have something in common aside from being both Cebuano speaking. They have disciplined drivers on the road. Drivers know when to stop, where to stop, and when to go. This surprised us. You can hardly see a traffic enforcer in the streets of Cebu City, yet motorists obey traffic signs.
Taking Bacolod City, it is unfair to put all the blame and responsibility to the city government and to the Bacolod Traffic Authority Office. The BTAO has been exerting its muscles to help ease traffic. But are the drivers doing their part? When BTAO installs a No Left Turn sign, the drivers don’t seem to notice when no enforcer is present. Now who is at fault here? Surely it is the drivers and not the BTAO.
In this city, there are just too many undisciplined and hard-headed drivers, boastful motorists and indifferent drivers. Hard-headed drivers are usually PUV drivers, while private vehicle drivers, they say, are boastful. This is sad for the city that wants to be in the central map of tourism.
Tourism is not merely about beaches, resorts or landmarks. The image of good hospitality, refined discipline, and good character also speak of tourism or attraction in the city or town.
“I feel safer driving in Metro Manila than in Bacolod City,” said one Negrense who lives in Marikina City.
Drivers must not solely blame the government for the chaotic scenarios on the road. Let’s look at ourselves and ask what we can do to help put discipline and order on the road.
Some law abiding citizens say there is a solution against hard-headed and boastful motorists. Let BTAO and LTO apprehend and penalize them. Motorcyclists now wear safety helmets since BTAO penalizes the violators, a good move of the city government.
But more things need to be done. These are road safety and road development programs. Who will do them? Only the officials could decide./WDJ