Better Philippines

Adding More Substance To Political Ads

I have a theory. The election campaigns of our presidential candidates are all run by one and the same group of people.

I say this because political advertisements being aired and published now are all basically saying the same things. There’s really not much difference among them. In my observation, here are some of the most glaring similarities insofar as TV ads are concerned:

1. the ads communicate the message that their candidate is a saviour of some sort
2. visual elements are mostly the same — candidates mingling with ordinary people, distraught people, poor people, etc.
3. the ads highlight at least one all-encompassing promise
4. the ads end with a cheesy slogan
5. the ads are backed by a catchy song

Advertising experts may say that with the limited allotted time — usually from 30 seconds to 1 minute — there’s hardly any room to include more substantial information therefore they just make do with using the elements enumerated above. I suspct there’s more to it than just that. I think the candidates and/or their campaign managers are just afraid to take risks and would rather just stick to tried and tested methods.

The website www.media-awareness.ca provides us with a more comprehensive list of political advertising techniques. Here it is lifted from their website:

1.  Patriotism: The ad stresses the candidate’s love of and service to his/her country.

2. Gender: The ad presents the candidate as appropriately “manly” (or feminine) to make viewers trust him/her.

3. Family: The ad uses images of ideal families to give you a positive image of the candidate.

4. Excitement: The ad tries to create a sense of energy and excitement around the candidate.

5. Star Power: A celebrity is telling you that they support the candidate.

6. Bandwagon: The ad tries to create the impression that everybody already supports the candidate.

7. Put Downs: The ad insults the candidate’s opponent.

8. Facts and Figures: The ad uses facts and statistics to support the candidate’s policies.

9. Just Folks: The ad portrays the candidate as a “regular guy” (or girl).

10. Heart Strings: The ad tells a story that makes you feel good.

11. Sounds Good: The ad uses music (with or without lyrics) to be memorable, entertaining and exciting.

12. Cartoons and Animals: The ad makes its point with cartoon characters or (usually symbolic) animals.

13. Weasel Words: The ad includes promises that sound good but lack details.

14. Integrity: The ad tries to convince you that the candidate is honest and trustworthy.

15. Fear: The ad tries to frighten you into voting for the candidate (or at least not voting for his/her opponent).

(to see the list on their website go to this link)

Entry 12, cartoons and animals, is interesting. I’m sure you can make the connection yourself, but if you ask me I’d say the word reptilian comes to mind — and chicken too. I’m actually more interested in entry number 8, facts and figures. Maybe I’m wrong but I don’t think this is a standard feature in local political ads, is it? Anyway, this leads me to the main point I’ve been making all this time: Our political candidates are all just pandering and none of them are audacious enough to add more substance to their political advertisements.

This is quite unfortunate considering that more and more people are now demanding real and useful information. I’m of course talking about detailed plans. The way I see it there is an untapped opportunity here for any candidate to set himself or herself apart from the rest. This opportunity is especially perfect for candidates who are trailing behind perception-wise. Since they’re in the lowest rungs anyway they should be willing to take more risks with how they communicate their message. Instead of the usual pandering stuff they can come out with truly informative ads.

Runnning time a limitation? No problem. Just follow the format used for those one-minuter radio or TV reports. An example would be an ad featuring just the candidate talking about one specific issue and providing some specifics on exactly how he/she plans to address it.

Senator Noynoy Aquino’s “Hindi Ako Mag-Nanakaw” ad shows us that one can already say a lot of things in a one-minuter ad. Unfortunately, substance-wise it does not make the grade. Fortunately, this is easy to fix. Simply removing all the pandering stuff and keeping the focus on just one particular issue would easily do the trick.

Candidates, especially those who are lagging behind, should seriously consider this approach. In terms of cost, information-filled ads like the one I’m suggesting will obviously cost much less. The budget deprived can even create one just using a webcam and uploading the end-product on the internet. If the message is really good, the ad may even go viral.

Good advice from Gordon: 10 Principles of Success

You can always tell good advice from bad advice just by looking at the life of the one who is giving it.

Recently, MONEYSENSE MAGAZINE came out with an issue featuring Presidential candidate Richard “Dick” Gordon and in that edition, Lynda C. Corpuz wrote a sidebar piece on Gordon’s 10 principles of success.

I am reposting it here because I think it is worth considering.

Asked how ordinary Filipinos can improve their lot in life, Sen. Dick Gordon, who has enjoyed a fruitful and accomplished life, shares his key principles for career and financial success:

1. Be ambitious. Umaasa tayo lagi sa tulong. Kahit anong hirap mo, you have to be ambitious. Being ambitious is not negative.

2. Have the right work ethic. Bawal ang tamad. Lalong bawal ang tanga. Manage by objective. Instead of a quick fix or instant gratification, practice delayed gratification. We should go for meritocracy. Hindi palakasan. Palakasan pa rin dito.

3. Learn a skill. Poverty is an absence of choice. That’s why you have to continue learning. You have to learn a skill. I never tell people “good luck.” I always tell them “good skill.” Be creative. Nasa Diyos ang awa, nasa tao ang gawa. God gave you skills. God will not help you if you don’t help yourself.

4. Work, save, invest, and prosper. You have to work. Address your needs but always save. Get into a business. Get life insurance or a personal accident insurance kung `yun lang ang kaya mo. We need a provident fund especially for our OFWs. We have 11 million Filipinos abroad. You put them and our people here in a provident fund, we can prosper ourselves. Combine GSIS and SSS funds and come up with a provident fund, just like what Singapore did. People have to learn to save something.

5. Help. Find extra time to help. Volunteer with the Red Cross. Kapag alam mong ginawa mo, bibiyaan ka. Helping others is a reward in itself.

6. Lead by example. The Philippines would improve if it elects a leader who can inspire, able to communicate by word and deed, provides a vision, extracts values, and displays integrity. Demand from your leaders. Ask for their qualifications. Look for their record.

7. Be independent. I had to fight big guys but I couldn’t tell my dad. He encouraged me to learn judo to protect myself. You have to learn to survive. You have to learn to stand your ground. Those guys who tried to bully me, I stood up to them.

8. Learn from your mistakes. I learn from my mistakes. I learn from other people’s mistakes. There’s only one thing I can never learn: to be overly materialistic. I don’t pay the media to cover me. I don’t pay for my press releases. If my being straightforward is a mistake, that’s a mistake I’ll keep on repeating.

9. Be assertive. We’re like makahiyas. We shouldn’t be. We shouldn’t be an adapting culture. We’re resilient but we don’t assert ourselves. We’re a happy people. That’s good psychology. We laugh at ourselves. We’re an accommodating culture. We shouldn’t be. We should live by the national anthem, by our oath.

10. Make fear your friend. During the Mt. Pinatubo eruption, I told myself we’re not going to allow ourselves to die here. I prayed, “If you’re going to take me, take me. Please though, don’t make me look bad as I lead.” You must make fear your friend.

Isang Pakiusap Kay Estrada

Dear Erap,

Nananawagan ako sa iyo na huwag ka na sanang tumakbo para sa pagkapangulo. Nakikiusap ako na kung maaari lang sana ay isipin mo ang mas nakakabuti para sa sambayanang Pilipino. Kung maaari ay mas isipin mo na lang kapakanan ng mga kababayan mo kaysa ang pansariling interes.

Wala namang duda na kahit papaano ay malakas pa rin ang hatak mo sa mga tao. Wala ring duda na marami pa rin ang nahuhulog sa iyong diskarte. Malinaw na malinaw rin na alam mo rin ito. Sa katunayan naisip mo pa ngang gawin sa masang masang lugar tulad ng Tondo ang iyong pagdedeklara ng kandidatura. Kitang kita rin sa mga binitawan mong salita ang mala-showbiz mong atake para makuha ang simpatiya ng mga taong dati mo nang pinangakuang iaangat mula sa kahirapan.

Nakikiusap ako sa iyo Erap. Huwag ka nang tumakbo. Higit sa lahat nakikiusap ako na huwag mo namang tratuhing tanga ang mga hindi tanga at lalong huwag mo namang pagsamantalahan ang mga tatanga tanga. Huwag ka nang tumakbo Erap. Kung totoong gusto mo talagang tumulong sa mahihirap magagawa mo naman ito bilang isang pribadong mamamayan. Sa dami ng iyong pera marami kang pwedeng gawin. Bigyan kita ng ilang suhestiyon:

• magpatayo ka ng mga paaralang magbibigay ng libreng edukasyon sa mahihirap
• magsimula ka ng sarili mong programa para turuan ang mga mahihirap na tumayo sa sarili nilang mga paa; maaari mong ituro sa kanila kung paano magpayaman (pwede ring iba na lang ang magturo)
• mamahagi ka ng pondong pang-puhunan para sa mga mahihirap; gayahin mo ang Grameen Bank (napakagandang programa nun)
• magtayo ka ng negosyong makapagbibigay ng trabaho sa napakaraming tao; gayahin mo si Cecilio Kwok Pedro, ang may-ari ng Hapee Toothpaste
• magtayo ka ng mga komunidad para sa mga mahihirap tulad ng Gawad Kalinga
• magpatayo ka ng mga hospital na magbibigay ng libreng serbisyo sa mga mahihirap

Kita mo naman. Marami rami na rin ang mga suhestiyong naibigay ko. Sigurado ako kaya mo ring makaisip ng iba pang proyekto na pwede mong gawin para makatulong kahit pa hindi ka presidente ng Pilipinas.

Seryosong panawagan ito Erap. Kung totoong mahal mo ang mga mahihirap, igagalang mo sila at hindi mo sasamantalahin ang kanilang kakulangan sa edukasyon. Hindi mo ipiprisinta ang sarili mo sa kanila bilang kandidato kahit pa alam mo namang mahihirapan kang tumanggi sa mga mala-lintang personalidad na nasa paligid mo (ganyan naman talaga ang barkadahan di ba?) sakaling manalo ka. Hindi mo rin sila paaasahin sa wala.

Tama na sana ang nakapaglingkod ka bilang mayor,  senador at pangulo noon kahit pa hindi mo nga natapos ang iyong termino sa Malacanang. OK na iyun.  Kung ako sa iyo tutulong na lang talaga ako bilang pribadong mamamayan. Mas masarap iyon at hindi ka pa masyadong mabuburyong dahil walang babatikos sa iyo. Tinitiyak ko rin sa iyo na sa ganitong paraan mas higit mong maibabalik ang bango ng pangalang Estrada.

Ano? Pwede mo bang mapagbigyan ang aking pakiusap? Umaasa ako na kahit papaano ay pagiisipan mo ang mga suhestiyon ko. Gusto ko lang naman sana kasi na makita ko na talagang mahal mo ang Pilipinas at gagawin mo ang tunay na makakabuti para dito.

Salamat.

Ondoy Highlights Need For Action On Climate Change

If there’s one good thing to come out of the ordeal caused by tropical storm Ondoy it would probably be an increase in awareness among Filipinos of the dangers of climate change and global warming. It would really be such a shame if in spite of what has already happened Filipinos would continue to be ignorant or worse unmindful of the fact that the environment is changing.

It should be clear by now that a lot of adjustments have to be made not only by the government but by ordinary citizens as well to ensure that a similar calamity of this magnitude would not happen again.

First let’s see what we, ordinary citizens, can do. Here’s a list of random ideas.

• practice proper waste segregation
• practice proper waste disposal
• avoid indiscriminate waste disposal
• minimize production of greenhouse gases per household
• switch to compact flourescent light bulbs
• stop the practice of open burning of garbage
• keep waterways clear of trash and other debris
• embrace green technology
• do away with wasteful use of carbon fuels
• avoid using smoke-belching vehicles
• plant more trees
• maintain a garden
• be more aware of environmental issues, porblems and possible solutions
• help organize environment monitoring units in your community
• help organize disaster-risk management units in your community
• teach your children about taking care of the environment
• conserve electricity
• conserve water
• be your own community’s environment advocate
• be your neighbor’s environment guide
• demand meaningful legislation aimed at protecting the environment
• demand serious implementation of environmental laws

This list is by no means complete but it should be enough to show you that there are a lot of  simple things we can do to delay if not reverse the negative changes in the environment.

Now let’s see what the government can do. Again this is just a random list.

• initiate a massive information campaign aimed at educating EVERYONE about pro-environment measures that may be implemented per household
• review existing laws that may have direct or indirect impact on the protection of the environment
• improve the implementation of the Clean Air Act
• formulate better environmental laws
• ensure serious implementation of all laws
• support and promote green technologies
• increase the budget allocation of the Department of Science and Technology to cover research into green technologies
• seriously consider a phaseout of old, dilapidated and smoke belching jeepneys, buses and other public utility vehicles
• promote the use of bicycles
• re-align the budget for useless projects such as the RFID to the procurement of emergency equipment, vehicles, facilities
• initiate a re-engineering of drainage and flood control systems
• relocate communities situated in disaster-prone areas
• initiate massive reforestation

The sooner we see any of these ideas carried out the better. We should learn what we can from this experience and come up with ways to improve how we deal with calamities. That’s the logical thing to do.

The following comment made by a netizen named “makati girl” over at Pinoy Exchange should stress this point.

Nah, Filipinos are to blame. In Katrina it was faulty levees that caused the flooding. In Philippines it was clogged drainage due to garbage. Besides, of course it happens everywhere, but it happens more frequently in Philippines. In New Orleans it may have happened once but they will create measures for it not to happen again. Di tulad ng Pinoy nangyayari at nangyayari pa rin dahil ang Pinoy hindi nagtatanda.

Here are a few video clips of the devastation caused by Ondoy.

Floodwaters have yet to subside in many areas. Many people require assistance. Authorities say there is an urgent need for blankets, clothes, undergarments (preferably new and unused), ready to eat food and medicines. If you care to help please contact any of the following:

(list lifted from Pinoybuzz)

QUEZON CITY

UP College of Arts and Letters
Go to: College of Arts and Letters (CAL)
University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City
Hotline: 09296454102 (Prof. Roselle Pineda)
Look for: Guard on Duty (in UP CAL)
Operations: 24 hours until Wednesday tentatively

You can:
# Donate medicines, clothes, blankets, food to be distributed by Citizens’ Disaster Response Center.

Erica Paredes
Go to: Katipunan Avenue, Quezon City
(Call or text contact number for complete address) Contact #: 09174741930
Look for: Erica Paredes
Operations: Throughout the week tentatively, from 10 am to 6 pm

You can:
# Donate ready-to-eat foods like hard-boiled egg, bread, packed juice, sandwich filling
# Volunteer to prepare sandwiches and distribute goods

NoyMar Relief Operations – QC
Go to: Balay Expo Center, Farmers Market, Cubao or in White Space, Pasong Tamo Ext., Near BMW, Makati
Look for: Clare Amador or Jana Vicente
Hotlines: 09285205508, 09285205499, 0908-6579998, 0939-3633436, 9137122
Operations: 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. throughout the week until further notice.
Website: www.marroxas.com

You can:
# Donate drinking water, old medicines, clothing, blankets, canned goods, noodles
# Volunteer to man stations and repack food.

Miriam Quiambao and World Vision Development Foundation
Go to: One Orchard Road Building in Eastwood or at the World Vision office at 389 Quezon Avenue, corner West 6th St., Quezon City
Hotline: 0917-8623209
Look for: The guard in the lobby (on One Orchard Road)
Website: http://www.twitter.com/miriamq, www.worldvision.org.ph
Operations: Until Sept. 28, 2009 (Monday), 24-hour operation

You can:
# Donate goods like clothes, blankets, canned goods, crackers, mattress, hygiene kits, noodles, bottled water, oatmeal, instant coffee, sugar (for relief pack to be distributed by World Vision)
# Volunteer to help repack relief goods for World Vision starting today at 7pm
# Deposit cash donations to World Vision Development Foundation, BPI savings account number 4251002415 and BDO savings account number 270043411

Philippine Army
Go to: Philippine Army Gym inside Fort Bonifacio, Makati or General Head Quarter’s Gym in Camp Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo, EDSA, Quezon City
Hotline: 892-3417 (direct line), 845-9555 (trunkline) local. 6464 and 6466
Look for: Any personnel on duty
Operations: Ongoing everyday for 24 hours until further notice

You can:
# Donate relief goods (no cash)
# Call hotline for rescue, evacuation or relief assistance.
# Call to report missing persons

Papemelroti Gifts and Decorative Accessories
Go to: 91 Roces Ave., Corner Scout Tobias, Quezon City or mall branches in Ali Mall Cubao, SM City North EDSA, SM Fairview, SM Megamall, Glorietta 3 in Makati, SM Centerpoint, SM Southmall
Hotline: refer to website for individual branch numbers
Website: www.papemelroti.com
Operations: Mall hours (10am-9pm), ongoing everyday until further notice

You can:
# Donate goods like canned goods, clothings, blanket, cooking utensils and other relief goods EXCEPT cash.

Ateneo de Manila University Disaster Response Group
Go to: Ateneo de Manila University, Loyola Heights , Quezon City, Manuel V. Pangilinan Building Center for Student Leadership Lobby, University Dorm Cervini Hall
Hotlines: 09089977166, 09178952792, 4266001 local 5050
Look for: Gio Tiongson, President, Sanggunian ng mga Mag-aaral
Website: www.ateneosanggu.com
Operations: 24-hour operations for the entire week

You can:
# Donate goods like bottled water, sardines, canned goods, candles, cup noodles.
# Volunteer to help repack relief goods, administer basic first aid.
# Report missing persons.
# Seek evacuation/temporary shelter at University Dorm Cervini Hall.

Citizens Disaster Response Center (CDRC)
Go To: 72-A Times St., West Triangle Homes, Quezon City.
Hotlines: 9299820, 9299822
Operations: 8 a.m. onwards.

You can:
# Donate money, old clothes, blanket, bigas, munggo.
# Volunteer to help distribute goods.

Radio Veritas
Go To: Veritas Tower , West Ave. corner EDSA
Look For: Karla Turingan
Hotlines: 9257931 to 39, 0918VERITAS
Operations: 24-hours, tentatively until Tuesday.

You can:
# Donate old clothes, food, assorted goods, bottled water, cash.

Our Lady of Pentecost Parish
Go to: 12 F. dela Rosa cor. C. Salvador Streets, Loyola Heights , Quezon City
Hotlines: 632 4342397, 63 2 9290665
Operations: 7 a.m. till 10 p.m. Sunday, until further notice.

You Can:
# Donate packed meals, bottled water.

MAKATI/TAGUIG/MUNTINLUPA

Victory Fellowship – Fort Bonifacio
Go to: Victory Fellowship, Every Nation Building , across Market-Market, Fort Bonifacio
Look for: Pastor Bernard Marquez
Hotlines: 813-FORT, 8171212
Operations: Tentatively until 5pm, may may extend hours. Entire week until Friday.
Website: www.twitter.com/VictoryFort

You can:
# Donate canned goods, milk, bottled water, clothes, cash.
# Volunteer to help pack relief goods

Sacred Heart of Jesus Chaplaincy
Go to: Hillsborough Village, Cupang, Muntinlupa City, Metro Manila
Hotline: 8428148, 8079847
Look for: Genelyn Sembrano, Meanne Cuneta
Website: www.sacredheartofjesus-alabang.org
Operations: Tuesday-Sunday (Sept. 29-Oct 4). 8 am to 12 noon, 2 to 6 pm

You can:
# Donate water, blankets, shoes, clothes and other goods
# Donate in cash

PASIG CITY

LUZON RELIEF: Volunteer / Donate / Pray
Go to: Renaissance Fitness Center, 2nd Floor, Bramante Building, Renaissance Towers, Ortigas, Meralco Avenue, Pasig City
Hotline: 0929-8713488
Look for: Warren Habaluyas, co-founder
E-mail: luzonrelief@gmail.com
Operations: Monday to Saturday (Sept. 28-Oct. 3), 9am-7pm

You can:
# Donate non-perishable food items, beddings, pillows, blankets, clothes
# You can donate cash but it is not encouraged

- Compiled by Annalyn Ardoña and Patricia Faustino, GMA NEWS AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS

Poor Is A State Of Mind

I am a fan of entrepreneurs. I personally know of a few whom I really admire. Two of them are actually siblings. I have seen how they made it from having little to having a lot.

The older of the two now owns two profitable businesses and I think he is thinking of setting up another one. Originally a seafarer, this person made the shift from being an employee to a business owner after he was diagnosed with a medical condition. For some time, he made ends meet by selling real estate. He later joined a relative in a venture which later became his own.

The younger of the two has always been involved in sales. However, it was quite obvious that his true calling is to be a businessman. He and his wife, who is also entrepreneurial, set up a trading company. For some time, he also ran a small store selling shoes and RTW clothes. He later got into another retail-oriented enterprise, which has since proven to be his jackpot. In my estimate he now earns more than P300,000 a month.

I really admire these people. Truth be told I sometimes envy them. I am particularly envious of the fact that they seem naturally gifted in entrepreneurship. They can easily spot an opportunity and are always ready to take advantage.

In his latest book Outliers: The Story Of Success, Malcolm Gladwell writes about why some people succeed more than others. I haven’t read the whole book but I already have a pretty good idea of what he wants to impart. Here’s part of a Wikipedia entry about the book.

While writing the book, Gladwell noted that “the biggest misconception about success is that we do it solely on our smarts, ambition, hustle and hard work.” In Outliers, he hopes to show that there are a lot more variables involved in an individual’s success than society cares to admit, and he wants people to “move away from the notion that everything that happens to a person is up to that person”. Gladwell noted that, although there was little that could be done with regards to a person’s fate, society can still impact the “man”-affected part of an individual’s success.

Successful people may probably dismiss Gladwell’s assertion that success is also dependent on factors other than just the individual’s skillset and attitude as nothing more than an excuse. I personally think certain factors like family finances, educational background, and other things that may be attributed to ‘bad’ or ‘good’ luck can also influence a person’s chances for success.

I personally know of a young house helper who was offered by her employer a chance to go to school. The girl brushed it aside saying somthing like, “Mula pa nung bata pa ako alam ko na na hindi ako makakapag-college” (I’ve always known ever since I was a child that I won’t be able to go to college).

It’s rather sad if you think about it. Hearing a young person affirm a bleak future, which hasn’t already happened and may never even happen depending on the decisions he or she makes in the present. But, can we really blame her for having such a pessimistic and fatalistic view of life? She probably saw more than her fair share of poverty and probably got conditioned by her circumstance and probably even by her parents that she is poor and will never be anything else but poor.

I guess to some extent I do agree with Gladwell. However, I also subscribe to the idea that attitude can make a lot of difference. We’ve all heard stories of dirt poor individuals who have risen above their circumstances by simply having a positive attitude. Had that house helper been conditioned at an early age to have a more positive outlook then perhaps she could have seen her employer’s offer of free schooling for what it was — an opportunity for a better life. Unfortunately, she was not conditioned that way. Sadly, there are many more like her.

Poor Filipinos generally have a fatalistic view of life. They don’t know that they have it within themselves the power to change their lives. There’s no question their struggle will be greater compared to those who have a little more resources but that doesn’t diminish the fact that they can change their lives if they want to.

This administration has been doing a lot of so-called anti-poverty programs. It claims to have empowered many poor Filipinos to rise above poverty. Has it really? As far as I can tell most of these pro-poor programs are nothing more than dole-outs expect maybe for those livelihood and skills trainings. I personally think a real anti-poverty program should not only be able to open up opportunities for livelihood and education. It should also be able to change how the impoverished think. It should teach them the basic idea that being poor is also a state of mind and that if they strive to be  a little more positive and pro-active then the  fight against poverty will already be half-won.

Here’s another excerpt from that Wikipedia entry about Gladwell’s book:

When asked what message he wanted people to take away after reading Outliers, Gladwell responded, “What we do as a community, as a society, for each other, matters as much as what we do for ourselves. It sounds a little trite, but there’s a powerful amount of truth in that, I think.”

Government agencies such as the Department of Education, Commission on Higher Education and the Department of Social Welfare and Development should consider coming up with an educational campaign aimed at teaching all young Filipinos about having a positive mindset.  The campaign should also cover parents. They too should be taught how to raise their children to be more positive about themselves. If it were up to me I would make positive mindsetting part of the curriculum.

Of Bicycle Taxis, Green Tricycles and the King of the Road

Montreal, Canada is hoping to reclaim its former title of cycling capital of North America. The city intends to do this with the launching of the continent’s largest public bicycle transportation system. Going by the name of Bixi, a portmanteau of the words bicycle and taxi, the system will have 3,000 bicycles, each of which could be rented for $78 for one year or $5 per day.

The bike system is expected to bring down vehicular emissions in the city. Montreal Mayor Gerald Tremblay says the system was launched because the city needed “concrete examples of change” in light of current environmental challenges.

The Philippines could benefit from such a system. In a previous post, Pinoy Buzz wrote about using pedal power to solve Metro Manila’s traffic problem. But beyond making traffic a non-issue, setting up a Bixi-like system in the Philippines will clearly provide a boost to ongoing efforts against climate change.

Speaking of ongoing efforts, the Quezon City local government has just come out with an ordinance that requires operators and owners of the city’s public conveyances to make their vehicles more eco-friendly. It specifically mandates conversion of these vehicles from fossil fuel to compressed natural gas, liquefied petroleum gas, bio-ethanol blended gasoline and other biofuels. The ordinance sets a compliance period of three years.

Covered by the ordinance are all tricycles for hire, public utility vehicles registered, owned and operated by Quezon City residents or organizations and all vehicles owned by the city government.

The good thing about the ordinance is that it also prescribes penalties against non-compliance. It stipulates penalties raning from revocation of permits to vehicle decommissioning for violators.

Kudos goes to city councilor Bernadette Herrera Dy for crafting the ordinance. I just have one complaint: Why set the compliance period at three years? It should have been shorter like maybe a year. Just my opinion.

In any case, this ordinance is a good start. Hopefully other cities and municipalities will come out with similar measures. Better yet why not have one that covers the whole country.

I would love to see a law requiring the “greening” of all public utility vehicles. I’m particularly interested in seeing a more environment-friendly version of the so-called “King of the Road” the jeepney.

By the way, I realized just now that Councilor Dy’s ordinance will not mean anything unless it is implemented properly. If not it will just go the way of the Clean Air Act and its provision on smoke-belching. All motorists and I mean all motorists in this part of the world know that the anti-smoke belching provision of the law continues to be violated to this day.

Incidentally, the Clean Air Act will be 10 years old next month.