Litratong Pinoy: Alam mo ba? (Did you know?)

Sa halos araw-araw na nasa kalsada ako, papasok sa opisina at pauwi sa bahay, paikot-ikot sa Metro Manila at sa mga karatig probinsya, maraming nakakatawa, nakakainis at minsan nakakaiyak na mga tagpo ang nakikita ko. Kaya ibabahagi ko sa 'yo ang mga litrato na kinunan ko habang nasa kalsada.

Marami ang nagsasabi na ang Maynila na yata ang may pinakamasalimuot na traffic sa buong mundo. Isang dahilan na rin siguro ang pag-uugali ng mga Pinoy na tsuper at ng mga tao sa kalye. Kung Pinoy ka, tiyak, alam mo na ang sinasabi ko. Marami tayong mga drayber dito na hindi marunong magbasa ng road signs, walang pakialam sa batas trapiko, parang galit sa mundo at feeling n'ya s'ya ang may-ari ng kalsada. Sa gitna ng traffic, ang driver naman sa likod mo, busina ng busina bawat 3 segundo, pati usok minumura, at kapag "go" na, pati mga tumatawid, gustong sagasaan. Kapag binusinahan mo naman, hindi ka rin maririnig dahil sa lakas ng radyo, nagsa-sound-tripping ang mokong. At h'wag ka magugulat kapag ang sinusundan mong jeepney ay bigla na lang hihinto sa gitna ng kalsada para makipag-chikahan sa drayber ng kabilang jeepney. Pakialam ba nila sa mga sasakyan sa likuran mo...maghintay ka na lang hanggang matapos ang kanilang pulong. Kamag-anak ito ng pedestrian na hindi takot masagasaan, tumatawid kahit sa 4-lane highway, s'ya na nga lang ang iniiwasan na mga sasakyan---parang may death wish. Mahilig din itong tumalon palabas ng bus kahit di pa nakahinto ang bus, at daig pa si Lydia de Vega sa bilis kapag tumawid kasi green na ang ilaw. Malamang ang akala nito, si Ped Xing ay isang emperor ng Tsina.

Pero teka lang, alam mo ba na si Ped Xing ay hindi pala isang sikat na Tsino na ipinangalan sa kalye dy'an sa Roxas Boulevard? Kung alam mo na---mabuti ka pa! Kasi parang kailan ko lang yata nalaman na si Ped Xing pala ay hindi kaklase ni Confucius o ka-mahjong ni Lao Tze. Nakikita ko sa mga kalye sa Hong Kong at America ang karatulang Ped Xing kaya buong akala ko na isa s'yang magiting at matalinong Tsino---aba, kahit saan sikat s'ya! Kaya sobra akong natawa at nagulat noong malaman ko na ang Ped Xing pala ay pinaiksing "Pedestrian Crossing" o tawiran. Pambihira naman...kasama ba si Ped Xing sa LTO seminar? :D

Like any motorist, I'm on the road almost everyday---going to and from the office, around Metro Manila and its neighboring provinces, I've witnessed funny, irritating and sometimes sad scenes on the streets. So today, I'm sharing photos I've taken while on the road.

People say that Manila has one of the most chaotic traffic in the world. One of the reasons perhaps is the behavior of Filipino drivers and pedestrians. If you're a Filipino, surely, you know what I'm talking about.

We have drivers here who don't know how to read road signs, who blatantly disregard traffic laws, and angry drivers who think they own the road. You could try to honk at the wacko, but he wouldn't hear even a fire truck siren---his radio is blasted at full volume. And behind you at a traffic jam is some weirdo who honks every 3 seconds, yells expletives every 5 seconds, and honks at accelerates at the pedestrian lane. And bumping into a friend while driving (not to be taken literally) is a delightful occasion. Don't be surprised when a jeepney in front of you comes to a sudden stop in the middle of the street---the jeepney driver chats with his buddy in another jeepney. And what about you, and the ten to twenty vehicles behind you? Well, you all can wait while the long, lost friends are catching up. These drivers are related to a fearless pedestrian who crosses a 4-lane highway, jumps out of a bus while the bus is still moving, and runs across an intersection even after the light turns green. This pedestrian has either a latent death wish, or thinks Ped Xing was a Chinese emperor.

Did you know that Ped Xing along Roxas Boulevard is not a famous Chinese with a street named in his honor? I've seen Ped Xing street signs in Hong Kong and America, and I thought, "Wow, this guy's everywhere! He must be really famous!" I assumed Ped Xing was some brilliant Chinese philosopher, perhaps Confucius' classmate or Lao Tze's mahjong partner. I was dumbfounded when I learned, not too long ago, that Ped Xing is an abbreviation for "Pedestrian Crossing". Yes, it was an absolutely jaw-dropping, humbling moment.:D

So, let's cross Ped Xing when we get there...

Posted for Litratong Pinoy