“I was the conductor of the Underground Railroad for eight years, and I can say what most conductors can’t say; I never ran my train off the track and I never lost a passenger.” –Harriet Tubman

I was one of the hundreds of New York City subway passengers affected by the service interruptions last Wednesday.
While traveling from Manhattan to Brooklyn, the Q train stopped along the Manhattan Bridge just before 7:00 p.m. and, after nearly 30 minutes, resumed service before stopping just before the DeKalb Avenue stop. I can deal with an idle train in an open area like a bridge but not in a dark and creepy tunnel—it went on for about 10 minutes. After service resumed again and getting to the Atlantic Avenue–Barclays Center stop (the stop immediately after DeKalb), some horrified passengers transferred to the “faster” B train. Meanwhile, I stayed on the Q, which resumed service after another delay. Two stations later, Prospect Park, service was halted again.
The service interruptions delayed my commute by over an hour and I was late for work. I hopped off and transferred to an “express.” When I finally reached my destination (after an additional 15 to 20 minutes taking a bus), I was 15 minutes late; in America, it’s hell to leave somebody waiting.
Delays and service changes have been reported on at least 12 subway lines since last Tuesday. According to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), the agency in charge of the New York City subway, the system had been experiencing signal problems, breakdowns, and repairs. However, the main culprit turned out to be a broken switch at the Franklin Avenue/Botanic Garden station, which was first reported last Monday, July 22. Despite repairs supposedly being completed, as 2, 3, 4, and 5 train service resumed, the MTA warned passengers to “expect long waits.”

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President Rodrigo Duterte was not properly briefed by health officials and his advisors on the threat posed by the ongoing dengue fever outbreak. Although Health Secretary Francisco Duque III expressed alarm and has been telling parents and health workers to be “proactive” in their attitude towards dengue, his power in as far as helping contain the spread is only limited.
Since it was Duque himself who admitted “the worst is yet to come,” the problem now demands an immediate intervention from the highest official of the land. The president is the one who must spearhead a no-nonsense campaign against the virus in order for all the woes and confusion over the lack of hospital beds and facilities, shortage of medicine and equipment, among other problems will be minimized and addressed properly.
Budget will not be a problem if the president is “on top of the situation.”

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Alex P. Vidal, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo./WDJ