We just came from a fast weekend trip to the north for our yearly pilgrimage to Our Lady of Manaoag in Pangasinan. For a change our family decided to make a side trip to the “summer capital of the Philippines”—Baguio, which used to be referred to as the “City of Pines”, until the pine trees began to disappear. After all, my daughter Kristine, who’s more popularly known as DJ Suzy to her 89.9 Magic radio fans was having a hosting job for a grand wedding last Saturday at the Baguio Country Club.
Well the trip turned out to be an eye opener for me. It made me realize that Metro Manila did not have the monopoly of motorists’ traffic woes due to road construction projects. The travel miseries are being felt all the way to the north.
For starters, on Saturday morning, running smack into EDSA’s re-blocking, I left Paranaque at 10 o’clock and was able to inch my way up to Makati in record two hours and a half.
I decided to take the circuitous route through Bonifacio Global City and on to C-5 to Mindanao Avenue and to the NLEX just so I would avoid EDSA and possibly more re-blocking.
And NLEX was heaven, thank you to the Manila North Tollways Corporation (MNTC) for such a thoroughfare of global standards.
And travel to the north through the tollways is now seamless, from NLEX to the SCTEX (another “thank you” to MNTC) and on to the TPLEX. That present combination of first-class roads would suddenly make you realize that you are already in Paniqui, Tarlac, bypassing all the usual traffic gridlocks that mark the route. And wait till the TPLEX brings motorists all the way to La Union—then getting to the north would really be a breeze.
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But when you get back to the good old Mac Arthur Highway, that’s when reality again steps in—traffic volume. But then now there’s more—road construction—re-blocking and widening.
My knee-jerk reaction is to curse. After having hurdled EDSA with a brilliant circuitous route, here it is again. Long waits especially in areas where long lanes are being poured with fresh cement and motorists have to wait for their turn to run in available single lanes.
But then you begin to think that things are being done, roads are being built and re-built and these are difficult times but then the best is sure to come when all of these are all done.
So, why don’t we all just take these construction, traffic gridlocks, delayed appointments and all the aggravation with a smile—the best is yet to come.
Think positive—the government is doing its best! It appears.
Of course, we’ll have it again!
When an event has started to take the shape of an institutional industry happening, you move hell and high water to make sure it happens again and again—that’s the STV Auto Rally Corporate Challenge (ARCC).
We were already getting starting to get nervous calls from our “sampaguita rally” buffs when no word about its staging came out in February considering that for the past several years it had always been the 1st Saturday of March that we run it. Last year the first of the now 2-leg series ran during that time.
Well guys settle those nerves; of course we’ll have it again this year. For a more balanced schedule we have decided to have the 1st leg in May and the 2nd also in November.
Scenic Tagaytay shall once again be the venue for the 1st leg on May 30 and to maze-like Subic we shall go on November 28 for the 2nd leg.
Yes guys, the STV Auto Rally Corporate Challenge presented by Caltex with Techron shall again be “on time, all the time”.
Just watch for further announcements.
MIAS starts tomorrow
For automobile enthusiasts all roads shall lead to the World Trade Center in Pasay City tomorrow, Thursday for this year’s staging of the Manila International Auto Show.
Looking at the “filled to the brim” schedule of events it’ll be quite a show the organizers have lined up this year with quite a number of car launches scheduled within the 4-day event.
If you love cars, there’s no reason why you should miss the event.
Happy Motoring!!!
For comments, email motoringtoday-star@stv.com.ph / sunshine.television@yahoo.com.
