The Shungak Awards at Ang Mahiwagang WangWang

After a serious backlog, here they are..........

The 'CHILD ENDANGERMENT Award' goes to

This tricycle driver along Katipunan. First off, tricycles are not allowed along that stretch. Second, ano nga ba ulit yung award mo???
The 'CHILD & PARTNER ENDANGERMENT Award' goes to

This motorcycle driver along EDSA, Santolan. I have a clearer shot but I opted to use this one just for you to see how fast he was going. Notice his passenger isn't wearing a helmet, not to mention the poor kid with no protection whatsoever (in case of a smash) sanwiched between them...............
The 'WHATEVERPLANETDIDYOUCOMEFROM Award' goes to

This couple along Alabang. Not only is there a kid in between BUT................Pssst, Mr. Pogi, your helmet can in no way protect you in case you crash since you're not even wearing the damn thing, your baseball cap is!!!
And Honey, THAT AIN'T A HELMET. That's a hard hat.
The 'MATIKAS Award' goes to

This soldier along EDSA Ortigas.How the heck can you protect the country when you can't even protect your wife, girfriend, whoever she is........

The 'WHATEVERITISYOURPROFESSIONANDWHYTHEHECKAREYOUINIT Award' goes to

Not one..................But two policemen along Quezon Avenue.....................How the heck are you going to enforce a very simple law that you cannot even follow.....................

Need I say more????


The 'SHUNGAK AWARD' goes to

ALL THE SUV's WITH MATCHING CONVOYS + PNP ENTOURAGE + WANG WANG

If you traverse the streets of Manila on a regular basis, I'm sure you've encountered them. It usually starts with a motorcycle. They intimidate everyone by bullying every single vehicle in sight to move aside so that his/ her majesty can get through traffic!!! Anak ng tinapay, wala namang hari at reyna sa Pilipinas!!!! Akala ko ba demokarasya tayo????!!!! As if that's not enough, this privilege (???) is sometimes even extended to the spouse, children, grandchildren, syota ng anak, pati ata kabit.................. Heck no, simple SUV's do not appeal to them. It's usually Lincoln Navigators, Cadillac Escalades, Lexus LX (s), GMC Yukons & Suburbans, and the like that strike their fancy. Akala ko ba third world country tayo???

Ano nga ba yung sabi sa kanta ni Christina Aguilera??? la la la 'you must talk so big to make up for smaller things' la la And what the heck is a 'wang wang'??? Well as if the intimidating convoy isn't enough to aggravate you, they need, I repeat, they need this loud siren that goes 'wang wang wang' to announce their prescence.
I'd understand this kind of treatment for the President but..................

One question though, who the heck is footing the bill for all this nonsense, I mean luho???!!! Ahem pork ahem barrel ahem ahem ahem

Nagtatanong lang po.............. Something to chew on, pero apparently manhid na ang panga ko sa kakanguya mwahahaha

The Shungak Awards - Traffic Violators of the Week

And the winners are:


The 'OVERLOADING' Award goes to..........

This bus somewhere along East Avenue................
The 'COUNTERFLOWING' Award goes to.................

These 2 pedicabs and the bicycle traling behind them along Elliptical Road, Quezon Memorial Circle. Circle nga di ba, clockwise ang flow diyan, mga shungak...........
The 'DUMB AS ON OX' Award goes to.........

All the tricycles along Katipunan................Why????Care to know what this sign says???????I don't know if it's ignorance or pigheadedness, maybe both. What do you think??????

The 'HELMET' Award goes to..............

The passenger of this motorcycle along West Avenue.
The helmet is for your head, not to be used as a purse. Isuot mo nga yan at wag mo isukbit sa kamay mo.............

The 'SUICIDAL/ HOMICIDAL' Award goes to....................

The 3 morons aboard this motorcycle along Del Monte Avenue. For Chrissakes, tatlo na nga kayo, pare pareho pa kayong walang mga helmet.............
The 'SIGA' Award goes to.............

The driver of this truck along Katipunan Avenue. What the heck is wrong with you????!!!
And the 'SHUNGAK AWARD' goes to...................

These 2 Quezon City Traffic Enforcers along Elliptical Road, Quezon Memorial Circle.........

No helmets.......... Wrong body positioning................ And your job again is to do what????

Say cheese..............
I therefore conclude that................

The Law applies to all, or only to some????

Watch out next week for more 'Shungak Awards'.................

Pinoy Daredevils

When I wrote my post on Pinoy drivers a few days ago, I did not include motorcycle drivers for one simple reason - they have a league all their own.



A few months back, after a terrible accident where the back of Joel's pickup was whacked by a bus (he was on a halt due to a stoplight along C-5 when a speeding bus loses it's brakes and hits the rear of the vehicle, turning the pickup's body into an accordion and sending him to a hospital for a suspected whiplash injury) he wanted to try his hand at motorcycles (masochistic???) since the repair of his pickup would take at least 6 weeks. I was hesitant at first but when he was cleared of any injury and signed up for motorcycle safety lessons, I gave in. I was surprised to hear some of the basic safety guidelines since very few, if not none at all, are observed by motorcycle daredevils, I mean drivers in our country. Allow me to elucidate.

Headlights should be ON for additional visibility, even at daytime! This one I rarely see.

Body positioning is crucial. It is ideal that the passenger put his/her hands on the driver's waist. Waist, beywang. Not at the back, not at the chest, not anywhere else. It helps the driver balance the his weight, the motorcycle's, and the passenger's.

Take this for instance, this is the correct posture for the passenger.

Not this,Not this,
The motorcycle is designed for one person only. Inuulit ko, pang isang tao lang talaga yon. Although maybe due to economic reasons, they allow up to 2 passengers. I'm amazed that I can sometimes find 3, even 4 people in one motorcycle especially outside Metro Manila. Violators of this rule would sometimes bring their wife or GF with them, sometimes kids, friends, co-workers. Why not bring along your nanay, tatay, lolo, lola, sama mo na paty kapitbahay mo. Isukbit mo sa balikat mo para kumpleto na kayo. Heck, I don't know if the driver is suicidal and/ or homicidal.

Helmet, helmet, helmet. It is not a mere embellishment. It is a type of protective headgear. The primary goal being, to protect your stubborn head from impact.
For examplePakisuot mo ang helmet mo tatangMagpapakamatay ka na lang, nagsama ka pa O isa pa 'toA baseball cap does NOT qualify as protective headgear................. You're wearing it all wrong shungak Mas mabuti pa yung pasahero mo marunong mag helmetUse helmets that pass D.O.T. standards............
This is interesting, a policeman, in uniform, without a helmet. Tsk tsk tsk, alagad ka pa mandin ng batas

I SPY.... 2 violators........

TA DA........My biggest catch of the day. Two traffic enforcers without helmets, ang lalakas ng loob nyo manghuli, numero uno naman kayong violator!

Well, the happy ending is, Joel sold his 1-month old motorcycle. Mas masarap pa rin daw sa kotse. To quote my dear sis Roselle (o hayan, special mention ka) 'the difference between driving a motorcycle and driving a car.........in a motorcycle, you wrap yourself around metal.................in a car, you are enveloped in metal'

Hay naku, batu bato sa langit ang tamaan ay swangit ....................

The Sub genuses of Filipino Traffic Violators este Drivers

If you are a Filipino driver, or if you at least drive on Phillipine soil on a daily basis then chances are you probably belong to one or more of these genres. Filipinos are very extreme drivers, they are either fast or slow, reckless or overly cautious, sharp or imperceptive. I'm usually on the road about a third to half of my waking hours hence I'm always aggravated, exasperated and/ or fuming mad. It's largely due to one or more factors namely: traffic, heat, MMDA, the pitiable state of our roads, and if you're a woman, PMS. So tell me, which one are you???


The Tailgater A.K.A. Tutok na tutok magmaneho

Probable causes:
OCD (Obssessive Compulsive Disorder) (singit ng singit)
Fear of getting left behind
an egotistical nature (swapang)
greed (ayaw magpasingit)

Demographic:
Public utility vehicles - 80%/ Private vehicles - 20%
Male - 80%/ Female - 20%

Most public utility drivers, if not all, belong in this category. Beware of the tailgater kung ayaw mo masundot.


The Serpent A.K.A. Parang ahas magmaneho, kaskasero/a

Probable causes:
ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder)
a choleric personality
diarrhea
genitourinary problems

Demographic:
PUV -80%/ Private - 20%
Male - 90%/ Female - 10%

Always in a rush, they are always dashing towards their destination. For some reason, their feet are magnetized by the gas pedal, hence most serpents are also speed freaks. Beware of the serpent unless you want your car to get bitten, I mean, damaged.


The Slowpoke A.K.A. pagkabagal bagal magmaneho, istorbo sa kalsada

Probable causes:
a phlegmatic personality
moderate to severe depression
old age

Demographic:
PUV - 20%/ Private - 80%
Male - 20%/ Female - 80%

Unlike the serpent, they drive at tortoiselike speeds. Avoid the serpent at all cost unless you want to miss an appointment by a full hour or two.


The Moron, Idiot, Imbecile, Birdbrain A.K.A. eng eng, engot, bopols, shungak

Probable causes:
ignorance
stupidity

Demographic:
PUV - 30%/ Private - 70%
Male - 20%/ Female - 80%

These are the clueless of the bunch. For some reason, they stop, look, and listen right smack in the middle of the highway or road. Other times, they are turning left on the next alley but are still on the extreme right of the road, or vise versa. My advice, I really have none as there is no known cure for ignorance nor stupidity.


The Newbie A.K.A. ang bagito

Probable causes:
Duh, bagito nga eh

Demographic:
PUV - 50%/ Private - 50%
male - 50%/ Female - 50%

Driving is a skill, practice more. Need I say more?


I'm admittedly a cross between a tailgater and a serpent. What can I do, I'm OC and I have ADD. kainis

So tell me peeps, which one are you??? Aminin

Super Tsuper: An Overview of Filipino Public Ultility Drivers

In a nutshell, here are some of the drivers you will encounter on Phillipine ground every single day:

Bus drivers - A.K.A. the self proclaimed kings of EDSA (mga hari ng EDSA)

They occupy half (if not more) of one of Manila's busiest highways. They speed, swerve, commit almost all traffic violations known to man, and have absolutely no inkling of driving etiquette. A friend was once in accident (thank God no one was hurt), after a bus hit his car from behind, note that this happened in EDSA. The bus had no insurance making his blood boil even more & to put it lightly he said, 'anak ng tinapay, kala mo may pambayad kayo kung makamaneho kayo, bibili ako ng aluminum na baseball bat at ihahampas ko sa windshield mo para quits na tayo!!!!' ('son of a gun(?), you drive as though you have the money to pay for damages, I'll get myself an aluminum baseball bat and smash your windshield, that way we'll be even!!!!')

Rule # 1: Don't use size to intimidate us (private vehicles), get down from there and let's settle this mano y mano.
Translation: Huwag mo kami daanin sa laki, bumaba ka diyan at magsuntukan na lang tayo.

Truck drivers - A.K.A. the kings of tailgating (mga tutok nang tutok)

They drive in almost the same fashion as bus drivers, only they dominate not just EDSA but major highways as well. As if that's not enough, they use the minor roads, even sidestreets as well. I traverse the Katipunan area almost everyday and I know for a fact that trucks are not allowed in some parts there, there's even a huge sign near the Ateneo u-turn saying 'NO TRUCKS ALLOWED' yet there they are always ready to send my blood pressure (and patience) to smithereens.

Another incident I remember is something that happened some time ago in Tacloban. A ginormous 20-foot trailer truck rams a tricycle for hire killing about 13 teenagers and injuring about a dozen more. Why? He was negotiating a sharp curve and lost control over his brakes. Another incident I remember is that of a 20-wheeler truck loaded with sand (?), he left their base knowing full well that he had no brakes. That involved about 4 (or 5?) more vehicles, one of which was a motorcycle on which the driver was instantly killed. Will you please be a little more cautious. Please.

Rule # 2: Always check your brakes. If you have a deathwish, don't drag us with you.
Translation: Bago kayo lumarga, inspeksyunin niyo muna ang preno niyo. Kung may balak kayo magpakamatay, huwag niyo kami idamay.

Jeepney drivers and Taxi drivers - A.K.A. the road bullies (mga siga ng kalsada)

They have a few things in common with the former and the latter, one being they are avid traffic violators and two, they don't care for driving etiquette nor defensive driving. They stop by to load and unload passengers just about anywhere, the sidewalk, middle of the road, heck even right smack in the middle of an intersection.

A major news program featured jeepney drivers and their knowledge (or nonexistence thereof) of basic traffic signs.
Showing a YIELD sign, the reporter asks, 'manaong, alam mo ba 'to?'
'bawal tumawid?'
'hindi ho, YIELD ito, alam niyo ba yung YIELD?'
'ah, no U-turn.'
See what I mean.

Rule # 3 (?): How on earth were you able to secure a driver's license in the first place? I shall run for president and IF I win the first thing I'll do is revoke all your licenses. Hmph.
Translation: Namputsa naman, papaano ba kayo nakakuha ng lisensya? Kakandidato akong presidente at pag nanalo ako babawian ko kayong lahat ng lisensya. Hmph.

Tricycle drivers - A.K.A. the street rodents (mga peste ng kalsada)

They dominate the streets of Manila, what's worse they set up terminals everywhere, near parking slots, near the road, right smack in the side walk. Just like jeepney drivers, their knowledge of driving is about as devoid as the conscience of most government officials. They are mostly young, i.e. fresh from high school, dakilang tambay sa kanto. Therefore they are constantly thirsty for alcohol, always drunk, and proud of it. They're usually around (to terrorize the streets) all day and all night.

Rule # 4: Don't drink and drive. You'll end up dead and go to hell.
Translation: Huwag iinom ng alak at magmaneho. Mamatay ka na diretso ka pa sa impyerno.

Batu bato sa langit ang tamaan ay pangit. mwahahahahaha

tiennes lang

(photo credit for jeepney pic: Wikipedia)