2016 Presidential Election

**jut703** · October 18th, 2015 08:50 PM

I quite like Roxas' answers to the interview questions asked in this conference:

JESSICA ZAFRA | Mar on Mar, Part 2: on traffic, Internet service, and trapo

To no one’s surprise, most of the questions asked at Mar Roxas’s meet-and-greet with bloggers were about the traffic hell in Metro Manila and how the candidate would solve it if he gets elected president.

On improving road infrastructure

Six additional elevated lanes parallel to Edsa will be constructed in one year, Roxas said. “Why has it taken so long? We fell behind.”

Infrastructure plans had to be dusted off and updated with regards to engineering and costing, and right of way issues had to be resolved. The six-lane elevated highway would go from SLEX through Araneta Avenue to NLEX. At the same time, the elevated MVP highway going to the pier would be constructed. All trucks going to the pier would take that highway.

These will be toll highways, Roxas noted. “There will always be a free route, Edsa.”

Motorists who want to save time can pay the tolls. He added that the Highway Patrol Group’s takeover of traffic management has been successful. Traffic infrastructure, software and systems are being improved and routes are being reworked.

Strength: We do need more roads.

Weakness: Are these new highways enough to handle the volume of vehicular traffic? Also, Roxas was Secretary of Transportation and Communications, meaning he was in charge of the traffic, between June 2011 and October 2012.

Opportunity: For construction companies.

Threat: If there is a zombie apocalypse, it will start on Edsa during rush hour. Someone will get out of a vehicle in the gridlock and start eating random commuters’ brains.

On the buses plying Edsa

The bus companies should conglomerate, Roxas declared. “Anywhere in the world, one company owns all the buses and drivers get paid by the hour.” In the Philippines, many different companies own the buses, and drivers get paid according to how many passengers their buses carry. The result is cutthroat competition—buses racing each other and stopping in the middle of highway to pick up passengers, nearly empty buses clogging the roads.

“There should only be enough buses on the road at specific times as needed by commuters,” Roxas said. The right to operate the bus service should be bidded out to companies whose buses are not older than three years, which pay their drivers regular salaries. He added that a pipeline for LNG will be built from Mamplasan to the middle of Metro Manila to make it easier for buses and taxis to refuel. “A lot of our problems are not in search of solutions, but execution,” he noted. “Execution takes time and money.”

Strength: If you’ve ever spent two hours on the road wedged between two empty, dilapidated buses, this sounds like a solid solution.

Weakness: If the solution is so simple, why hasn’t it been executed?

Opportunity: For forward-looking bus companies who treat their drivers well.

Threat: Can the bus companies be made to cooperate?

On the LRT and MRT

Additional cars have been ordered for the MRT, Roxas said, and will be onstream by the first quarter of 2016. This would increase the throughput of passengers by 33 to 50 percent. The candidate then offered some historical perspetive. “The MRT was designed to carry 300,000 passengers a day. Within two years, it was carrying 500,000 passengers a day.

“The LRT and MRT were designed in isolation, meaning that assets can’t be shifted in response to demand.” I’ve already noted the candidate’s communication style, so let me explain that in regular conversational language. He means that if the MRT needs cars, it can’t borrow any from the LRT because their cars are of different sizes.

Roxas proceeded to remind us that the MRT was a sweetheart deal that guaranteed a return of 50 percent in dollar terms to the proponent. Riding the MRT costs less than taking the bus, and the government has to make up the difference. A fare hike means the government is giving less money to the MRT, so it has more funds to spend on other vital projects. Roxas explains the financing of the LRT and MRT until my eyes glaze over and all I can think about is getting another cheese pimiento sandwich from the buffet.

Strength: Good, he has a plan for the trains.

Weakness: Is it enough, though? The candidate himself pointed out the unexpectedly large growth in passenger volume in the early years of the MRT. And that was when taking the train was still a novelty.

Opportunity: The citizenry needs to be better-informed about government projects, to spot the sweetheart deals so they can express their disapproval. We need facts and analysis, and it is the media’s job to provide these.

Threat: I’m a nerd, and even I know that nerding out—offering explanation when the situation calls for action—will further aggravate people who are already angry.

On the volume of new vehicles on the road

A blogger noted that new cars are so affordable, and financing plans so easy to get, that so many more vehicles are flooding the roads, adding to traffic congestion. He asked if Roxas would regulate car sales or increase taxes on automobiles.

According to the Department of Trade and Industry, Roxas said, 60,000 new vehicles are added to our roads every year. This year, that number has swelled to 300,000 new vehicles. On one hand, 200,000 of these are commercial vehicles used for business, so it means business is good. On the other hand, there are more new vehicles than the roads can accommodate.

Roxas stressed that he is against regulating car sales or making it more difficult for people to buy new cars. “Most people can’t afford a house, so their first big durable purchase is a car,” he pointed out. “A president has only so much social capital. Is that a battle he wants to get into? I will not tell people to defer their dreams.” He promised a palpable reduction in traffic in three to five years.

Strength: It is wise not to get between people and their right to own a car.

Weakness: There’s not enough road to drive these cars on.

Opportunity: To study why car ownership is so important to Filipinos (and other nationalities, but Filipinos in particular). It’s not just a practical consideration—it seems to be connected to their self-worth. Note that pedestrians are treated like roadkill and this city doesn’t have proper sidewalks.

Threat: Three to five years?

On our slow and overpriced Internet connections

Here’s another visceral topic: the fact that your provider charges so much, but it takes several minutes to load one page. “This requires regulatory change,” Roxas said. “You cannot allow the phrase ‘up to’ in the service contract.” For instance, if your provider promises “speeds of up to 3mps”, it only needs to hit 3mps for a few minutes a day, and crawl at 200kbps for the rest of the day.

“The wording must be ‘a minimum of’, so that 23 out of 24 hours, the speed must be at that level,” he continued. “Also, the regulator’s dream cannot be to work for a telco.”

Strength: Oo nga, ano.

Weakness: If it’s just a matter of changing the words, why hasn’t it been done?

Opportunity: For the telcos to improve their service.

Threat: Claiming it is necessary for service improvement, the telcos raise their rates.

On the perception that he is a traditional politician (trapo)

“By what measure am I a trapo?” Roxas asked, getting emotional for once. “I cannot change the circumstances of my birth,” he added, quoting Batman. “I am a natural-born Filipino citizen. I’ve banged heads with my tribe.” His tribe being the rich. He cited his fight with the pharmaceutical companies to lower the prices of medicines.

“Do I know how to work the system? Yes.”

Asked whom he considered his biggest rival, Roxas laughed, “Complacency and apathy. I have faith in the electorate. Look, in 2009 the conversation was all about moderating greed. We’ve come so far.”

Strength: He does not deny that he is from the upper class, and he emphasizes that having been a congressman, senator and cabinet member, he knows how to make the system work.

Weakness: The voters love the underdog, and he’s not.

Opportunity: Maybe more voters would warm to him if he shows emotion publicly. If he shows emotion, not loses his temper.

Threat: Overdoing the folksy “I understand the masses” approach.

On the job of a president

“It’s doing the small things consistently and competently, working on the unglamorous stuff, that makes the difference,” Roxas concluded. “It’s tempting to always go for the homerun, but it’s the singles that make the team progress.”

Strength: It shows honesty and humility, a refreshing change from the messiah complex that infects most of our politicians.

Weakness: Using baseball metaphors in a basketball-mad country.

Opportunity: Show the authentic Mar, not the stage-managed Mar.

Threat: Is it enough to win the presidency?

**CVT** · October 18th, 2015 10:02 PM

Originally Posted by vinj

We all have to do our part to make the youth realize how theyr'e being taken for spin by the Marcos Marketing Machine. I've gotten into several dabates with some young eggheads who keep harping that the sins of the parents are not the fault of Bongbong. WTF, the guy is a Senator vying for the one of the highest positions of the land where Martial Law, human rights abuses, and ill-gotten wealth remains an issue today. That doesn't even include the FM era loans we continue to pay to this day.

If he is sincere that he doesn't carry the sins of his parents and cronies, then he would have done steps to make amends:
- return the money he continues to enjoy to this day?
- Apologize?
- Help Expedite human rights abuse cases?

Nope. Instead, he says that there was nothing wrong with Martial Law and that the Philippines would have been a Singapore had his old man not been botted out. What a motherf cker indeed.

I noticed they start referring to Bongbong as BBM rather than FM, Jr. Definitely trying to distance him from FM.

There is no reconciliation without retribution.

All of the people in the Philippines (all of us) who have been used and abused by corrupt officials whether government or private, should keep that in mind...

**kisshmet** · October 18th, 2015 11:40 PM

Originally Posted by vinj

We all have to do our part to make the youth realize how theyr'e being taken for spin by the Marcos Marketing Machine. I've gotten into several dabates with some young eggheads who keep harping that the sins of the parents are not the fault of Bongbong. WTF, the guy is a Senator vying for the one of the highest positions of the land where Martial Law, human rights abuses, and ill-gotten wealth remains an issue today. That doesn't even include the FM era loans we continue to pay to this day.

If he is sincere that he doesn't carry the sins of his parents and cronies, then he would have done steps to make amends:
- return the money he continues to enjoy to this day?
- Apologize?
- Help Expedite human rights abuse cases?

Nope. Instead, he says that there was nothing wrong with Martial Law and that the Philippines would have been a Singapore had his old man not been botted out. What a motherf cker indeed.

I noticed they start referring to Bongbong as BBM rather than FM, Jr. Definitely trying to distance him from FM.

banking on their ticket back to malacanang thru the gullibility of those born after EDSA revolution is a smart ploy

in that fateful event in this nations history, the marcoses got a dose of their own medicine. they lost what they have taken from others during their reign

to plot their way back to power is the key to recover what they have lost when they were booted out. those who benefited will surely oppose that thing from ever happening again. its all about wealth, not about serving the filipinos, nor making this nation great again

POWER is intoxicating indeed. marcos name is tantamount to profligacy, i cant trust another one again while imelda is very much around

**dreamur** · October 19th, 2015 01:30 AM

Everytime I remember martial law, this song comes to mind when whene were forced to sing everyday during flag ceremony. First grader pa lang ako memorized ko na to. Grabe tlaga brainwashing nun. Idol talaga ni marcos si mao tse tong.

https://youtu.be/tRTpNVYN5_E

**Balikpinoy** · October 19th, 2015 10:28 AM

NETIZEN: ?Miriam was right: Marcoses do not owe this country an apology? - When In Manila

**jut703** · October 19th, 2015 11:12 AM

Duterte's wishy-washy disposition is actually a smart strategic move.

We all know he doesn't have the money and machinery to launch a nationwide campaign. If he knocks on the doors of rich businessmen, he'll be indebted to them for his term and will be unable to carry out his job without bias.

So what's the next best thing to do? Smart marketing. We all know how much of a sucker Filipinos are for drama - especially pabitin/paasa drama. AlDub's success was fueled mostly with the anticipation of people to finally see them together. Likewise, Duterte is becoming a household name without spending on TV ads just by banking on the anticipation of people on whether he'll run or not.

Imagine, a statistical tie with Binay and Roxas without even announcing his bid, and without spending an exorbitant amount of money. Ang galing.

Sent from my SM-N910C using Tapatalk

**Juan Martinez** · October 19th, 2015 11:56 AM

Originally Posted by jut703

Duterte's wishy-washy disposition is actually a smart strategic move.

We all know he doesn't have the money and machinery to launch a nationwide campaign. If he knocks on the doors of rich businessmen, he'll be indebted to them for his term and will be unable to carry out his job without bias.

So what's the next best thing to do? Smart marketing. We all know how much of a sucker Filipinos are for drama - especially pabitin/paasa drama. AlDub's success was fueled mostly with the anticipation of people to finally see them together. Likewise, Duterte is becoming a household name without spending on TV ads just by banking on the anticipation of people on whether he'll run or not.

Imagine, a statistical tie with Binay and Roxas without even announcing his bid, and without spending an exorbitant amount of money. Ang galing.

Sent from my SM-N910C using Tapatalk

+i have the same line of thought bro.

**Bin Diesel** · October 19th, 2015 12:14 PM

Never voting for the Miriam-Marcos tandem.
Miriam is full of BS always saying where do other candidates get their campaign funds and how they are going to repay them. Siya kaya saan kukuha ng campaign funds? Marcos funded perhaps?
Same with Grace-Chiz tandem. Full of BS, may pa independent-independent pa kuno. E kung independent talaga kayo bakit kayo humihingi ng tulong sa iba't-ibang political parties?

**sirLancelot** · October 19th, 2015 01:46 PM

Originally Posted by Bin Diesel

Never voting for the Miriam-Marcos tandem.
Miriam is full of BS always saying where do other candidates get their campaign funds and how they are going to repay them. Siya kaya saan kukuha ng campaign funds? Marcos funded perhaps?
Same with Grace-Chiz tandem. Full of BS, may pa independent-independent pa kuno. E kung independent talaga kayo bakit kayo humihingi ng tulong sa iba't-ibang political parties?

So that means si Mar Roxas boboto mo?