EDSA

Bam: People Power belongs to the people

“People can celebrate EDSA People Power 1 in their own way to help keep its memory alive”.

This was Sen. Bam Aquino’s response to government’s plan to hold a quiet and simple ceremony in commemoration of the bloodless revolution’s 31st anniversary Saturday inside Camp Aguinaldo.

 “Ang celebration ng People Power ay nasa taumbayan. Hindi iyan pagmamay-ari ng isang tao o isang pamilya,” Sen. Bam stressed in a television interview.

 “That belongs to the people and it’s up to the people. Maraming iba’t-ibang mga bagay kung paano maaaring ipagdiwang ng taumbayan ang okasyon,” he added.

Sen. Bam said he respects the government’s decision to hold a simple celebration, saying it’s their prerogative.

 “I think government doing that move it’s probably the best move for them at this point, considering that President Duterte is also not attending,” said Sen. Bam.

 Meanwhile, Sen. Bam said the fight against corruption and threat to democracy remains, 31 years after the historic event that toppled the Marcos dictatorship.

“We’re still fighting against corruption. Marami pa ring mga nangyayaring hindi dapat mangyari pagdating sa korapsyon,” Sen. Bam said.

  “We’re fighting for democracy. We’re fighting for people to be able to speak up. Before, they were fighting for press freedom. Now, it’s freedom online – to be able to say what you want to say without being trolled,” he pointed out.

 Sen. Bam also stressed that dissent actually results in better policy, adding that exchange of ideas sometimes leads to better things.

 “We should allow for these democratic spaces, especially this week na inaalala natin ang EDSA,” the lawmaker said.

BIDA KA!: Ang pagdiriwang ng EDSA People Power

Mga Bida, gugunitain natin sa Sabado ang ika-31 anibersaryo ng EDSA People Power 1.

Sa halip na gawin sa nakasana­yang People Power Monument, gagawin ng pamahalaan ang pagdiriwang sa loob ng Camp ­Aguinaldo.

***

Para sa akin, iginagalang natin ang desisyong ito ng pamahalaan. Ito’y isang karapatan na hindi ­natin maaalis sa kanila.

Subalit hindi rin maaalis ng pamahalaan ang karapatan ng iba’t ibang grupo na magsagawa ng hiwalay na pagdiriwang para gunitain ang makasaysayang pangyayaring ito sa bansa.

Naniniwala ako na ang People Power ay para sa taumbayan at marapat lang na bigyan sila ng karapatan na ipagdiwang ito sa paraan na kanilang gusto.

Sa ngayon, may plano na ang February 25 Coalition ­para sa paggunita ng mapayapang rebolusyon na nagpatalsik sa diktaduryang Marcos.

Ang February 25 Coalition ay binubuo ng iba’t ibang grupo,­ kabilang ang mga biktima ng kalupitan noong ­martial law at millenials na mulat sa mga nangyari sa panahon ng diktadurya.

Magsisimula ang itinakdang rally ng February 25 ­Coalition sa Barangay White Plains sa Quezon City ­bandang alas-kuwatro ng hapon.

Susundan ito ng martsa patungong People Power Monument, kung saan madalas gawin ang pagdiriwang sa nakalipas na mga taon, para magsagawa ng programa.

 

***

Nag-iba man ang pamahalaan sa paraan ng pagdiriwang, hindi pa rin maaalis ang napakalaking ambag ng taumbayan­ sa tagumpay ng People Power 1.

Ito ang panahon na tumayo ang taumbayan at ipinakita ang kapangyarihan at lakas laban sa militar, sa mga opisyal­ ng pamahalaan at sa kapulisan.

Sa panahong iyon, tumayo ang taumbayan para sa ­demokrasya, tumayo tayo laban sa katiwalian at nanindigan tayo para sa mabuting pamamahala.

Ito ang yugto ng ating kasaysayan na nagawa natin ang bagay na tila imposible ng mga panahong iyon.

Ang tila matibay na pader ng diktadurya, nagiba ng sama-­samang puwersa ng milyun-milyong katao na dumags­a sa EDSA.

Ito ang bagay na dapat ipagmalaki at panatilihing buhay ng lahat ng Pilipino, sa kabila ng pagkakaiba ng ating mga pananaw at prinsipyo sa buhay.

Bam: Make EDSA walkable again through elevated walkways

Senator Bam Aquino called on the Department of Transportation to make EDSA walkable again by putting up elevated walkways for pedestrians.

“Sana po may programa rin tayo for allowing our pedestrians to walk and ply EDSA. Nakita rin natin na marami po sa mga sumasakay sa public vehicles, short distances lang ang biyahe nila while in other countries, puwede pong lakarin iyan,” said Sen. Bam during the hearing of the Senate committee on public service on the proposal to grant President Duterte emergency powers to solve the traffic problem in Metro Manila.

 “I believe that if we’re able to create safe areas for people to walk, tatangkilikin iyan ng ating mga kababayan,” added Sen. Bam.

Sen. Bam said the establishment of elevated walkways with “walkalators” will make it easier for pedestrians to reach their destination.

 Transportation Secretary Art Tugade said he’s “very open” to the idea, adding he’s willing to talk to the proponents of the planned walkways to get the project running.

 “Dalhin niyo sa akin, kakausapin ko sila,” said Tugade.

Aside from walkways for pedestrians, Sen. Bam also calls on the agency to put up bicycle lanes along EDSA, providing the public with other transportation alternative.

“In other countries, bicycles are a large part of transportation ng mga tao pero dito, sa EDSA kung magbibisikleta ka, nakakakaba talaga,” Sen. Bam said.

“Alongside those elevated walkways, may mga paths na rin tayo for bicycles,” he added.

7 Paraang Panlaban sa Kainipan at Kabaliwan Habang Trapik

By: Lis7Avengers

 

Walang pinipiling biktima ang traffic ngayon sa Metro Manila, mapa-commuter ka man o nagdadrive, paniguradong na-irant mo na sa Facebook at Twitter ang kasindak-sindak na experience mo.

Doble pasakit din kapag naabutan ka pa ng rush hour sa kalye. Kaya naman, habang ikaw ay nakatigil sa EDSA, o usad pagong sa C5, heto ang 7 suhestiyon para labanan ang kainipan at kabaliwan habang trapik!

 

 

  1. Tahakin ang mabilis na daan. Subukin ang iba’t ibang ruta patungo sa trabaho, eskwelahan o kung saan ka man madalas pumunta. Gawin ito hanggang sa mahanap mo ang perfect na daan, iyong mabilis at kaunti lang ang hassle sa kalsada. Ang goal ay makarating sa destinasyon nang wala masyadong init ng ulo, o stress na sisira sa araw mo.

EDSA highway

 

 

alternateroute

  1. The more, the many-er! Magsama ng mga friends at positive vibes sa commute o drive. Pumasok nang sabay sabay, o i-try mag carpool. Makakamura ka na sa gas, makaka-bonding mo pa ang mga kasama mo. Kung sakali mang maipit pa rin sa traffic, at least may kausap ka at hindi ka na nagmomonologue. Malay mo, ito rin ang magiging tulay sa puso ng crush mo. Yihee, isakay mo na siya!

carpooling

 

 

  1. Magnilay-nilay! Sa tagal ng pagka-tengga habang rush hour, ang daming nasasayang na oras. Pero maaari pa namang maging productive at gumawa ng mga to-do list, Christmas list, o sarili mong Lis7ahan. Para mas less na ang gagawin sa pupuntahan, magtrabaho na din while on the road. Sumagot ng email o mga text ni boss habang nakatigil. Puwede ring alalahanin ang mga life experiences at gawin itong inspirasyong sa paggawa ng mga tula o hugot statements. Dahil ang EDSA, minsan highway, madalas parking lot.

emoteinisdethecar

 

 

  1. Magpaka-sweet! Tawagan ang iyong mga mahal sa buhay at kumustahin. Mag-reconnect sa mga dating kaibigang hindi mo na nakakasama, siguraduhin lang na hindi ka naka-toka sa manibela. At kung talagang sweet ka, makisali sa mga initiative na tumulong sa mga PNP Highway Patrollers! Puwedeng mamigay ng tubig, mamon, o face mask – basta hindi pang-merienda nila pag nahuli ka!

textinginsidejeepney

 

 

  1. Maki-rockandrolltotheworld! Sa dami ng mga banda at musikero sa mundo, hindi ka mawawalan ng bagong music discoveries. Kung commuter ka, put your headphones at iwanan muna sandali ang masalimuot na mundo sa gitna ng traffic. Makinig at mag-moment to the tune of your favorite songs. Kung nagdadrive naman, chance mo ng bumirit ng Mariah o maki-head bang kasama ang Parokya. Siguraduhin lang na your eyes are on the road kapag nag-green light na.
rockandroll

Source: Autoparts Blog Warehouse

  1. Huwag pasaway. Lahat tayo napeperwisyo ng trapik. Huwag ka nang dumagdag pa sa pagkayamot ng iba. Sundin ang batas trapiko, tumawid sa tamang tawiran, pumila nang tama, at magbigayan – with a smile!

HPG EDSA

 

 

  1. Maging bahagi ng solusyon. Higit sa mga reklamo, ang kailangan natin ngayon ay solusyon. Kung mayroon kayong sagot sa problema ng traffic congestion, ibahagi sa aming Facebook page. Huwag mag-alala, uusad din tayo, at may pag-asa pa. Tulong-tulong sa pagsulong, friends!

HPG-Group-meeting

Kung mayroon kayong naiisip na Lis7ahan at nais maging miyembro ng Listavengers, mag-e-mail sa team.bamaquino@senado.ph!

 

Transcript: Bam on the Metro Manila Traffic

Transcript of Interview after the Hearing by the Committee on Economic Affairs

 

Q: Sir anong reaction niyo sa di pagsipot ng heads of agencies na ini-expect niyong magpapaliwanag?

 Sen. Bam: Siyempre, we were hoping na nandito sila but naintindihan natin na ito ang first day ng eksperimento sa EDSA. Palagay ko iyong next hearing natin on Sept. 14, mas magiging maganda kasi naririto sila para magpaliwanag at mayroon tayong isang linggo para makita kung iyong mga ginagwang pagbabago sa EDSA ay nagdulot ng paggaan ng trapiko.

 

Q: Anong comment niyo sa call for resignation ni Chairman Tolentino?

 Sen. Bam: It’s the right of any group na sabihin ang kanilang gusto. Maganda sa next hearing, magharap sila at puwedeng i-explain ni Chairman Tolentino kung ano ba ang plano nila for traffic.

Ngayon, nagtutulungan ang MMDA, PNP at si Secretary Almendras bilang traffic czar para ma-solve ang mga problems natin.

Currently, pinag-usapan namin ang long-term solutions pero hinahanap din ng tao ang mga short-term solutions – iyong magbibigay lunas kaagad-agad sa ating traffic problems. Hopefully, sa susunod na hearing, mapag-usapan itong ginagawang eksperimento with the Highway Patrol Group, magdulot ng ninanais nating paggaan ng trapiko.

 

Q: Do you get the logic kung 1,600 lang ang capacity ng EDSA in terms of buses but ang authorized daw ay 3,000-plus.

Sen. Bam: Sa totoo lang, medyo nagulat nga ako sa mungkahi nila na kailangang dagdagan ang dami ng bus sa EDSA. Palagay ko, mas puwedeng pag-usapan pa iyan kasi siyempre ang common understanding natin, dapat bawasan iyan.

Iyong point ni Chairman Ginez na dahil kulang nga ang mga bus, nagsisiksikan ang mga commuters natin kaya bumabagal ang trapiko, kailangan mas intindihin natin iyan.

We’ll definitely see after this week kung ang ganyang klaseng logic ay makatutulong sa ating traffic problems. 

Ang isa lang na masasabi kong maganda, the focus now of the inter-agency group ay kung paano padaliin ang buhay ng commuters natin.

Sabi nga nila, 70 percent ng bumibyahe sa EDSA occupies only 20 percent of the road at ito ang mga bus. Naka-concentrate sila di sa pagtulong sa private cars, kundi pagtulong sa mga kababayan nating sumasakay sa mga bus.

That’s something na inaabangan natin. Hopefully, iyong yellow lanes mas mabilis ang daloy and hopefully, iyong karamihan ng mga taong kailangang gamitin ang EDSA, mas madali po ang buhay dahil sa mga gawaing ginagawa ng inter-agency.  

 

Bam: Losses to Heavy Traffic to Reach P6B by 2030

If not fully addressed immediately, a senator warned that economic losses due to heavy traffic in Metro Manila could balloon to P6 billion a day from the current P2.4 billion by 2030.

For this reason, Sen. Bam Aquino has filed a resolution seeking to review the existing Roadmap for Transport Infrastructure Development to formulate effective strategies and solutions to address the negative economic impact of the worsening traffic conditions in Metro Manila.

“Commuters as well as private vehicle owner suffer the monstrous and extremely costly traffic every day in Metro Manila,” Sen. Bam stressed in his Senate Resolution No. 1532, citing a study conducted by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)

The study entitled, “Roadmap for Transport Infrastructure Development for Metro Manila and Surrounding Areas,” was conducted in coordination with the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC), Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), and other relevant agencies.

The roadmap was approved last Sept. 2, 2014 by the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) Board.

According to the study’s preliminary analysis, Sen. Bam said the lower-income households will be the hardest hit when congestion worsens by 2030 as they will spend no less than 20 percent of their monthly household income for transport.

“Without intervention, traffic demand will likely increase by 13 percent in 2030, and transport cost will be 2.5 percent higher,” Sen. Bam said.

According to Sen. Bam, relevant government agencies and local government units must contribute to the crafting to an effective planning strategies and traffic management systems in order to improve traffic conditions in Metro Manila.

“The MMDA cannot solve the worsening traffic condition alone. The DPWH, Land Transportation Office (LTO) and Land Transportation Franchising and Regulating Board (LTFRB), and the private sector must also do their share in solving the dilemma,” said Sen. Bam.

Among the factors that contributed to the worsening traffic condition is the significant population increase in Metro Manila which now stands at 16.5 million.

“Maaantala ang ating kaunlaran kung ang araw-araw na biyahe ay ikalulugi ng ating mga mamamayan at ng buong bansa,” added Sen. Bam, a micro, small and medium enterprises’ welfare advocate.

Sen. Bam Lauds Brave Netizen Behind ‘Hulidap’ Photo, Urges Others to be Vigilant

Senator Bam Aquino lauded the bravery and vigilance of a netizen who took and posted a photo of several police officers in the act of robbing and abducting two employees of a businessman in broad daylight along EDSA.

“If not for the bravery and vigilance of this unidentified netizen, the police officers involved could have gotten away scot-free,” said Aquino even as he urged other netizens to be more actively involved in the government’s campaign against illegal activities.

“We have to harness the vast power of the Internet by using it in meaningful activities like helping the government in its quest to lessen, if not completely eradicate, crimes in our society,” the senator said.

Aquino said the recent arrest of several police officers involved in kidnapping and extortion activities with the help of social media proves that Internet has a key role in preventing and solving crimes.

 “With the advanced technology that we have such as Internet-capable smartphones and cameras, we can play a big part in keeping our streets safe,” the senator stressed.

Aquino added the arrest of the rogue police officers might serve as warning to other criminals that they cannot get away with their illegal activities with the help of concerned netizens.

“That’s why I enjoin all netizens to be more vigilant as crime may happen anytime and anywhere,” he added.

Police have so far tagged 12 suspects in the controversial heist. Two policemen, PO2 Jonathan Rodriguez and Chief Inspector Joseph De Vera, were already arrested while Senior Inspector Alan Emlano surrendered.

 Aside from crime prevention, Aquino said social media sites could also be used in other activities such as fund-raising for sick people and raising funds for worthwhile projects.

“The Internet has a lot of unlimited potential that, if tapped for a worthy cause, can make a difference in our society,” Aquino said.

 Last month, the Office of Senator Bam Aquino and the Civil Service Commission (CSC) launched a hotline — dubbed as WASAK or Walang Asenso sa Kotong — that will cater to business-related complaints.

Micro, small and medium (MSMEs) businessmen in the country can air grievances and other issues against erring government officials through hotline numbers 16565 and 0908-8816565. 

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