MANILA, Philippines -- Typhoons. It's a puzzlement. PAGASA says Pedring has come and gone, while BBC, CNN, all our neighbors' weather bureaus, and the U.S. Joint Typhoon Warning Center all talk about Nalgae. The same wind-and-rain was Nalgae on the way in, became Pedring on reaching Philippine ''area of responsibility'' and metamorphosed back to Nalgae on reaching (presumably) the Spratlys. Why don't we stick to international code names, use the time otherwise spent in thinking of Pinoy names to improve predictions and make life simpler for everyone.
Smoke Belchers. We have all kinds of laws and ordinances to reduce air pollution. Yet buses, jeepneys, tricycles, autos, keep on spewing black smoke. Vehicle exhaust gets inspected come annual registration time. Suppose someone stands by on EDSA any ordinary day, take a photo of offending vehicles, fine them heavily and suspend the licenses of whoever certified that their exhausts were pure. Tricycle operators and drivers associations get upset whenever there's a gas and diesel price increase. Shouldn't they be just as upset with their polluters? After all, public utility vehicle drivers are on the streets, inhaling away all day.
Environment. Organizations and individuals proudly proclaim they are ''green'' yet send out notices on paper printed on one side, ask that recipients fax back an acknowledgment or a reply, use perfectly opaque envelopes inside a second envelope and place both inside a non-bio-degradable plastic sheath.
Urine Samples. It seems that the Philippines is one of the few (maybe the only) country that requires first-time and repeat driver license applicants to produce a urine sample that is supposedly then tested for drugs. I suppose people pay just to get it over with, but this little game makes millions for the so-called laboratories that do the testing. Can't the police just test for drugs and alcohol on catching someone for a violation and then throw the book at those found to be under the influence, as other countries do.
NBI and other Clearances. Theoretically, it should not take more than a few minutes to get an NBI or other clearance if one does not have a namesake. That's a big if, since few are uniquely named. There must be a way for one to submit his application, pay the fee, make an appointment to be photographed and fingerprinted (as necessary), all online, and just show up at the appointed day and time, then wait for the result to be delivered by courier, thereby saving aggravation and gaining the goodwill of millions.
Customs Declaration Form. There could be a need for Immigration forms though they don't require them anymore in places like the European Community. However, why do arriving passengers still have to fill out customs declaration forms. Just about everywhere else, there are two arrival-area exit doors, one for people with something to declare and another for people with nothing to declare. No forms are filled out, saving on paper (and trees), printing cost and file space if for some reason government wants to keep the darn things.
Comments are cordially invited, addressed to walalang@mb.com.ph.
