racoma.com.phJ. Angelo Racoma on technology, economics, writing, problogging, and getting things done

Heard from a reliable source last week: Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairman Bayani Fernando is planning to have the Tandang Sora Flyover closed (yes, the one along Commonwealth Avenue) in favor of U-turn slots.

Now I’ve encountered complaints about MMDA’s resorting to making U-turns the norm in an attempt to improve Metro Manila’s traffic situation (read old but insightful articles here and here — links will open in new windows; ctrl-click in Firefox to open in a new tab), but this is plain silly. Imagine putting to waste an interchange that had cost millions in taxpayers’ money, and instead replacing it with a scheme that gives U-turning vehicles the right-of-way or priority over straight-through traffic.

Traffic lights and interchanges were invented for the very reason of allowing for better traffic management. If traffic situation in the Commonwealth-Tandang Sora intersection were to improve with this scheme, then Chairman Fernando deserves an inventor of the decade award!

I’m a fan of innovative thinking, considering myself to be an innovative person as well. And it can be argued that MMDA’s preference for a U-turn scheme has indeed brought about marked improvements in the traffic situation in some areas. But unless MMDA had been able to conclude a through study on the advantages of shifting to a U-turn scheme in this particular intersection/interchange, and unless the flyover has already passed its economic life, then it would be tantamount to going against what is supposedly an out-of-the-box thinking, since they may as well generalize that since the U-turns worked elsewhere then it should also work here.

And what will MMDA do with the abandoned flyover? Plant trees on it? (They had uprooted quite a number of trees over the past in their re-design/re-configuration of major thoroughfares in favor of U-turn slots.)

I hope Chairman BF just spoke about this as a joke.

** Image courtesy of Philstar.com

Buyers beware! This warning is especially for those who have bought their mobile phones from non-official distributors, such as those in stalls, in particular Greenhills-type shopping centres. It’s a well-known fact in online techie communities (such as the BNC discussion forum) that such retailers usually replace original batteries with “Class A” (or fakes that are marked/labelled to pass off as original) batteries when selling mobile phones, even those considered “‘brand new.” This is more especially so, if the unit purchased is re-conditioned, refurbished, or re-constituted. It’s not uncommon for stalls or fly-by-night operations to pass of recons/refurbs as “brand new.”

I once experienced having a fake “Class A” lithium-ion type battery heat up and balloon/swell while charging, to the point that my phone would have been burned, or its innards might have been crushed due to the pressure that had built with the swelling battery pressed against it, had I not noticed the problem early on.

Lesson: never buy fake batteries. Mobile phone manuals clearly caution against this, and even to the point of voiding warranty if unauthorized third-party accessories are used. But given the thrifty Filipino consumer mindset, we would most likely consider original accessories as too expensive. I would hence suggest to opt for reputable third-party equipment/accessory providers, if you choose not to purchase OEM (original equipment manufacturer). Instead of buying the fake item marked as “Class A,” for instance, you could go for branded accessories, such as Kingcom (which is available locally thru Wellcom and other mobile outlets).

While the U.S. experience points out that it is possible even for OEM batteries to cause untoward incidents, it’s still best to stick with reputable brands, and avoid fakes.

An excerpt from the Yahoo News article (click here to read more):

An article published in the 22 November 2004 issue of N-News (by the NEDA’s Development Information Staff)*, reports on a study conducted by the National Statistics Coordination Board (NSCB), an attached agency of NEDA. This was presented to the press by Secretary General Romulo Virola in the 19 November 2004 press briefing at the NEDA sa Pasig.

It’s good to note that officials who practice good governance are indeed rewarded with re-election (or election of a relative), as exemplified by the ten most-improved provinces. However, of the worst-performing provinces, 50% of the incumbents were still re-elected! Perhaps it can be argued that the Filipino people still has a long way to go in becoming a mature electorate. Then again, Philippine politicical system, itself, still has a long way to go in attaining maturity.

Our political system is still, after all, based on personalities, and not platforms. In contrast, it can be noted that the political system of the United States of America, which can be considered to be a more mature system, is based mostly on platforms. For instance, Republicans are considered to lean more to the right or to conservatism, and Democrats toward liberalism. The policy thrusts of US Administrations are also reflective of party preferences and policies, hence thrusts would depend on whether a Republican or Democrat sits in the White House, and also on who controls Congress. In contrast, here in the Philippines, policy thrusts are also based on personalities, especially given the patronage politics practiced even, or perhaps most especially, in the highest echelons of Government.

It would take quite a while for our nation to attain that level of maturity in our political system. And because of problems prevalent in our day-to-day lives, such as poverty, armed conflict, corruption, and crime, I think we are constrained to attend first to the more immediate concerns. However, in the long run, if we are to aim for sustainable development, we should think about reforming our political system. After all, the 2004-2010 Medium Term Philippine Development Plan (MTPDP)**, the Administration’s blueprint for economic development in the medium-term, states, particularly in Chapter 25 (Constitutional Reforms), that “the country’s seriously weakened economy, political instability and unabated corruption have continued to retard efforts to achieve progress … The current party system offers no meaningful policy choices since political parties form around well known personalities and families, instead of well-defined programs of government. This has made popularity, and not intelligence, competence, or experience, the winning qualification for public office.”

Charter change, anyone?

* I’m quoting the entire article, since N-News publishes fresh content every two weeks–7th and 22nd of the month–and does not archive old articles.

** The 2004-2010 MTPDP may be downloaded through these links: PDF or ZIP.

An excerpt:

This Business Week Online article captures the essence of Filipino ingenuity, especially that of local telcos, in providing fund-transfer services over-the air. In a country where the mobile phone penetration rate is about 24%, and foreseen to grow to about 45% to 50% by 2005, and whose primary export is its labor force, the telcos have hit it right on the mark with offering such value-added services. The ordinary Filipino seems to have jumped over e-commerce, and went straight to m-commerce (noting that PC-penetration rate is only about less than 1%).

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