Why 60 days?

(DISCERNING readers of a cer­tain age would call it a senior moment. But when I wrote in this space last Thursday, July 29, that Chi­na’s GDP of US$10,000 is second high­est in the world, it was plainly a mis­take, no excuses, no seniority issues. Ten thousand dollars is NOT China’s GDP, it’s China’s per capita income!)

Make no mistake about it, it looks like President Duterte’s order to may­ors and LGUs to “reclaim all public roads” is a big deal to them, a colos­sal production that required a meet­ing with the Department of Interior and Local Government and a memo instructing them to finish the job in 60 days, or face suspension.

At first, the order was to clean up in 45 days, then like whimpering chil­dren begging for candy instead of a spanking, the mayors were given 15 more days because they needed time to address “problematic issues.” Hah, the mayors are the problem. Look at them, look at the mayor of Manila, who did it on his own and cleared Di­visoria in 45 hours, without the back­ing of Malacañang, DILG, or PNP.

Sixty days to remove obstructions on the streets? Are those roadblocks the size of atoms and molecules that cannot be seen with the naked eye? Are they not big enough, many enough, troublesome enough? Sixty days is long enough to forget an or­der, or is that what the mayors need? For Secretary Año to be so busy with other things that he will forget his own memo?

I was in a town in Cavite not far from Tagaytay City at 3 p.m. last Wednesday, a regular working day. On a two-lane street, the church, market, school, stores and shops provided a lively backdrop for passing cars and pedestrians. Lively it was, but traf­fic was choked by the usual obstruc­tions – illegal parking and waiting, vendors and their wares – and an unusual sight. A funeral was going on right there on the sidewalk, spill­ing just several inches onto the street. Under a purple overhang, a uniformed band seemed to be waiting for their conductor or sponsor or the coffin to show up. The name of the funeral par­lor was prominently displayed on the tent-like contraption.

All these I observed because the traffic allowed me to. Without the car slowing down, I would’ve missed this unique, only-in-the-Philippines scen­ery.