Traffic to the max!

One factor that diminishes the quality of life in our country is the poor state of our transport network and system.

It is simply unacceptable that we have to bear with monstrous traffic as though it is an  inescapable  fact of life.

Perpetually bad traffic is a reflection of bad governance and we must hold our leaders accountable for that.

Hoya pimenteliana

One plant resource of which the Philippines happen to have a great variety of is the Hoya. Sadly though most of us are not aware of this fact and thus do not know what to make of this advantage.

Hoyas have beautiful flowers albeit small and some even have a pleasant fragrance. If only we put our minds to it, it is possible to build an industry around this plant.

Gardeners can develop potting mediums and even flower inducers while enthusiasts and scientists can maybe try to improve the plant by coming up with varieties with bigger and more fragrant flowers. Then there are also our craftsmen who can design plant containers and trainers to better display the Hoya.

It is my hope that the Hoya can become a signature plant in every Filipino home and garden.

Train on wheels or is it a bus pretending to be a train?

During the Science and Technology Week held at the Mall of Asia and which was organized by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), I had a chance to try out the Hybrid Road Train being developed by the DOST.

I am all for a mass transport system but I wonder if with this train the DOST is on the right track. Will it be as affordable, fast, efficient and comfortable as a real train?

It is still in the prototype stage and there are many issues that are evidently crying to be resolved such as the noise of the engine, air conditioning, not to mention where to ultimately run it for real.

I asked a staff what is the key development that they have introduced in their creation and he told me that it is the engine that can run on diesel and electricity.

I am all for a modern, rapid mass transport system and I welcome all efforts to achieve this objective. Still when I tried this transport, I can not help think that this train is really a bus.

The green elephant

I wonder how many people appreciate this green elephant standing mutely in a concrete urban jungle.

Most people take its presence for granted but will they miss it when it disappears or is taken away?

This elephant topiary caught my eye because so far this is the closest to the idea of a 3-D Letras y Figuras object which I hope can be adapted by our local governments to artfully and creatively spell out the names of our towns, cities and provinces.

If we can do this, we can have a distinctive landscape feature in our country unique only to us.

Anyare na sa Mercy and Compassion?

Yumayaman daw ang Pilipinas pero parang tumitindi lalo ang kahirapan. Parang napansin ko lang mas marami yata ngayon ang mga taong kakalat kalat at ginawa na lang tirahan ang lansangan.

Sa isip ng maraming tao, tungkulin ng gobyerno na kumalinga sa mga mahihirap. Sa isang banda tama ito, pero tayong mga mamamayan rin ay may responsibilidad sa ating kapwa. Hindi tayo dapat basta na lang magbulag bulagan. Ipakita natin kung anong pagkalinga ang dapat ibigay ng pamahalaan sa mga nadedehado sa lipunan.