Exclusive lanes for riders

THE Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) has conducted a dry-run for the implementation of a dedicated lane for motorcycle riders along Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City.

The aim is to familiarize the riders with the exclusive lane at the third lane from the sidewalk of that long stretch.

The measure could help reduce the number of fatal road crashes involving motorcycles and improve the traffic flow on what used to be known as the ‘killer road” in Metro Manila. In the dry-run thaw as supposed to have ended on March 20, violators were stopped for reminders but no ticket violations were issued. After the dry run, riders who violate will be fined P500. Under MMDA Resolution 22-15, the right outermost lane of Commonwealth Avenue shall be designated as an exclusive bicycle lane. The second lane and third lane of the same avenue will be designated as exclusive Public Utility Vehicles (for jeeps, UV Express, buses) and motorcycle lanes, respectively. The remaining lanes of Commonwealth

Stakeholders in the transport sector should not stop finding ways to protect all road users – and not just put the blame on the small numbers of ‘kamote’

Avenue shall be utilized by all other motor vehicles.

Riders groups appreciated the measure as a good start for riders to have exclusive lanes. Some photos however have shown some four-wheel vehicles making incursions into the riders’ exclusive lane.

The MMDA should also include penalties for four-wheel drivers that intrude on the riders’ lanes.

In Japan and China, and probably in other parts of the world, two and threewheel vehicles of all kinds (electric or gas) are allotted to share some portion of the pedestrian lanes.

In a country where there are fewer and fewer roads to be shared, the Philippines allotted a small piece for bicycle riders on inner roads.

This was especially done at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic when public commute was not permitted.

As the situation slowly goes back to normal, the special bike lane remains but bike users are slowly decreasing in numbers.

It should be a smart decision to allow that lane for motorcycle and bike riders to share.

An exclusive lane where four-wheel should not be allowed, except in designated stop signs for public utility vehicles.

Stakeholders in the transport sector should not stop finding ways to protect all road users—and not just put the blame on the small numbers of “kamote” riders.

The raising of Lazarus

THE gospel reading of John 11:1-45 tells the story of Jesus’ miracle of raising Lazarus from the dead.

The passage begins by introducing Lazarus, a dear friend of Jesus, and his sisters Martha and Mary. Lazarus falls ill and his sisters send a message to Jesus to come and heal him. Upon receiving the message, Jesus does not immediately go to see Lazarus.

Instead, he tells his disciples that Lazarus’ illness will not end in death, but that it is for God’s glory.

After waiting two days, Jesus and his disciples finally arrive at Bethany, where Lazarus had died and was already buried for four days.

Clearly this is one of the most powerful examples of the Savior’s love -- the raising of Lazarus from the grave after four days.

The event took place just before the triumphant entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. Jesus and his disciples were traveling to Jerusalem for the last time when a messenger was sent to them with word that Lazarus was sick.

Jesus, however, tarried for several days, instead of rushing to heal Lazarus.

When Jesus and the disciples arrived, Lazarus had been dead and in the tomb for four days.

Eagle Eyes

The shortest verse in scripture simply states “Jesus wept.”

Volumes could be written about these simple, yet powerful two words.

Jesus knew that he could raise Lazarus, he also knew that in only moments the two sisters, Mary and Martha would again be embracing their brother.

Second, to make his presence dramatic, his administration offered incentive to compensate their presence in that super-select annual elitist gathering.

For all his flamboyance that the Philippines would pursue a neutral course in the conduct of its foreign policy, many remain uneasy since the US already made a pronouncement of its intention to secure five more military bases in addition to the six miliary bases granted to it under EDCA.

According to the statement by Lt. Gen. James Bierman, Commanding General of the Third Marine Expeditionary Force, he said the five miliary bases is in addition to the existing six bases under EDCA.

This is an attempt to pre-empt Constitutional provision much that the pronouncement already precludes us from rejecting such agreement although it is the Constitution that will have a final say whether to allow an expansion of those US military bases in the country.

A closer identification of the Philippines with EU could lessen an attempt by the country and the US to artificially preclude Europe as spearheading the crusade to isolate China and to preposition themselves to any future invasion of Taiwan.

That way, the Philippines will not appear,

By Thor Cuatro

STRANGE things have occurred in the Philippine National Police, supposedly our first line of defense against criminals.

The police have the sworn duty to “serve and protect” the civilians and the general public, but not a few of them have veered away from their noble calling.

In other words, they “swerve and serve” whoever dangles the gold before their very eyes. Gold could be in the form of drugs, cold cash or any other precious commodity.

Take for instance, the “ninja cops” whose stealthy, lightning-quick moves earned them the unsavory moniker with a lot of chutzpah.

With the tacit approval of their equally unscrupulous superiors, the “ninja cops” usually stage drug buy-busts.

This is how they make their modus of operation legitimate. Then, they seize the drug hoard and keep a small sample as evidence, while pocketing the lion’s share for them to recycle and peddle through their own network of drug pushers.

This has become a vicious cycle. The drug lords meanwhile are lapping it up in luxury. Now, we know why drug abuse is a neverending, pernicious social problem.

The “ninja cops” have also spawned a new breed of “rats.”

With such high-profile capitalization for gargantuan projects with some saying could surpass the cost undertaken by his farther, surely is now in the eyes of leading investors.

Many would flock and hear what he was going to say.

It’s not his novel idea they wanted to hear but the opportunity to be invited and participate in the new venture. Finance Secretary Ben Diokno already gave his eye-opener on what’s to come.

Every prospective investor always looks forward to an increased dividend in their investment, and every investor would always seek to increase their participation which is necessary to finance gargantuan projects.

One, it is an easy route to obtain this huge amount using the contribution of members from either the SSS, GSIS, or Pag-Ibig Mutual Development Funds.

All these, like the Makarlika Wealth Fund, is by nature a form of trust fund.

This means that these funds are contributed by the workers from the private sector, from the government employees, and other contribution to such private insurance like the PagIbig Home Development Mutual Fund and private insurance entity where members contribute some kind of monthly amortization as savings. Full text at www.manilastandard.net

Upon arrival, Martha and Mary express their disappointment that Jesus had not come sooner. Jesus is deeply moved by their grief and the grief of the people around them, and he weeps. He then proceeds to the tomb and commands that the stone be rolled away. He prays to God and then calls out to Lazarus, commanding him to come out of the tomb. To the amazement of everyone present, Lazarus emerges from the tomb, alive and well.

The story of Lazarus demonstrates Jesus’ power over death and his divine nature as the Son of God.

It also highlights his compassion and love for his friends, Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, and his desire to bring glory to God through his miraculous works. Life is sweet. But Death stinks.

Jesus is the eternal Son of God, and he is fully a human person. We see him weeping, hungry, rejoicing, and even angry. He experiences the full range of human emotions.

In Sunday’s Gospel, Martha meets Jesus just after the death of Lazarus, her brother. Jesus becomes “perturbed.” In the original Greek, it says, “he snorted” or groaned. Lazarus is a close friend of Jesus. Jesus is sad and upset. And then Jesus weeps. Jesus tells them to, “Take away the stone.” Martha reminds him, “Lord, he has been dead for four days.”

But, Jesus is not afraid of our human condition. He plunges into our lives, into our weakness, even our death. He promises to raise each of us, from death to new life.

Often the first question that is asked is why Jesus waited to come heal Lazarus.

Why would he prolong his coming when he knew that the hearts of Mary and Martha would both be broken?

First, by raising Lazarus from the dead after four days, Jesus demonstrated his true power over even the worst enemy, death. Up to this point Jesus had raised several from the dead, however, in each case, they had only been dead for a few hours.

Dissenters could easily claim that those who had been raised, had only been sleeping. Yet in the case of Lazarus, there was no question as to the magnitude of Jesus’ power.

Second, it taught of Jesus’ pure love for others, despite his omniscience.

Jesus empathized with the pain of those around him, even though he knew what the future held.

Another significant reason why Jesus performed the miracle of resurrecting Lazarus was to prepare his followers for his own tragic death.

Jesus wept, in part, because he foresaw the sorrow that his disciples would experience when he was crucified.

While Jesus knew that he would be resurrected, his followers would need time to process and understand the significance of his death.

By raising Lazarus from the dead, Jesus gave his disciples hope for the impossible and instilled in them an unshakable belief in the power of the Lord.

Even though Jesus could have healed Lazarus immediately, he chose to perform the miracle to demonstrate the limitless power of God and to show his followers the depth of his love for them.

Throughout our lives, even when the Lord knows how things will ultimately turn out, he continues to provide us with comfort and hope, instilling in us faith and reminding us that nothing is impossible with Him.

Those of us afflicted with a serious illness, as I am with stage 4 prostate cancer that has metastasized, are like Lazarus, our families like Martha and Mary.

We seek comfort, embrace hope. And we will not be disappointed.

Website: tonylavina.com. Facebook: tonylavs Twitter: tonylavs

We are not talking of mice but of men.

These are people whose business is ratting on suspected drug users or pushers.

These “rats”have been glorified as police “assets” or witnesses when, in truth and in fact, they and the “ninja cops” belong to the same gutter-low category in the animal kingdom.

For their efforts, the “ninja assets” gain reward and, if the ninja cops feel generous, get to have a share or percentage of the loot after the buy-bust is wrapped up and concluded.

Stranger still, the controversial case between a bemedalled police officer and the number two man in the PNP hierarchy is one for the books.

The controversy can be traced to a police raid in a house owned by Negros Oriental Congressman Arnolfo Teves Jr., a suspect in the assassination of Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo.

On the strength of a search warrant, the police raiders seized assorted high-powered firearms and ammunitions from Teves’ home, enough to maintain a well-equipped army of goons.

The police raid was spearheaded by Col. Hansel Marantan, chief of the CIDG-NCR, for which he received the PNP Medal of Valor from no less than Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla.

This is one more “pogi point”or a feather in Marantan’s cap. Days after the Negros raid, Marantan’s men set off on another mission, this time targeting a gambling den in Paranaque City. Thirteen Chinese nationals found in the gambling den were arrested and detained but eventually freed. Someone however blew the whistle leading to allegations the raiding team stole money and personal belongings from the Chinese nationals. Out of delicadeza and in the interest of transparency, Marantan tendered his resignation ”to give way to an impartial investigation.”

The 13 Chinese, for their part, issued a formal affidavit giving the arresting policemen a clean bill and cleared the CIDG-NCR of any irregular conduct during the gambling raid.

The Chinese wrote in their affidavit: “Aside from pieces of evidence they have recovered during their operation, the CIDG-NCR never took money or any personal belongings from the undersigned.” They also refused to pursue anymore charges against the CIDG-NCR.

So where’s the connection between the Teves house raid the Paranaque foray? Enter Lt. Gen. Rhodel Sermonia, PNP deputy chief for administration who was once implicated by then Senator Panfilo Lacson in a multi-million-budget misuse sometime in 2019.

Sermonia eventually got off the hook.

It was Sermonia who prodded the 13 Chinese to file a complaint against the Paranaque raiders despite the fact that the Chinese nationals had already cleared the arresting cops. The Chinese refused to be cowed and declined the DCA’s suggestion.

Acording to Marantan, it was also Sermonia who called a media conference to malign the CIDG-NCR chief. “By calling for a press conference, making baseless accusations, Gen Sermonia maligned my person, character my honor and that of the whole CIDG.” Marantan went on: “The accusations, as disproved by the sworn statements of arrested Chinese nationals, show that these were clearly prompted by personal ill-will, spite and/ or malice with the object of destroying my reputation and the CIDG and ridiculing our image before the bar of public opinion.”

Marantan said he was willing to be punished if the charges were to stick, but bringing the premature allegations to the media pending a formal investigation was totally uncalled for, particularly coming from a father of the organization.

In fairness to Sermonia, his avowed goal to purge the scalawags in uniform is meritorious and laudable. There is an “internal cleansing” campaign of the PNP and Sermonia has hit the nail right on the head but his approach should not be selective. Moreover, he should see to it that he does not overstep the bounds of his functions and powers lest he would be accused of being overeager.

Already, Marantan has questioned Sermonia’s actions: Isn’t “internal cleansing the function of Internal Affairs? And why did he single me out?”

“Who is protecting who?”, Marantan asked. It’s quite obvious by now that the Negros raid and the Paranaque episode are intertwined after all. So, what gives? As they say in Alice in Wonderland, things are getting “curioser and curioser.”

(The author is a freelance journalist whose varied interests range from crime stories, environment, trade to food and farming.)

KYIV—Ukraine

President Volodymyr

Zelensky on Thursday told European leaders that “delays” sending fighter jets and long-range missiles could extend the war, after he paid a visit to the frontline southern region of Kherson.

On the train home from the war-ravaged areas, Zelensky gave an emotional account of what he had seen as he addressed a summit of his EU counterparts

France-Germany row overshadows leaders’ summit

BRUSSELS—Tensions between France and Germany driven by differences over nuclear energy and combustion engines cast a shadow over a meeting of the 27 European Union leaders Thursday.

Existing strains deepened between the European Union’s two biggest players after Berlin upset some of its partners by blocking -- at the last minute -- a landmark deal to prohibit new sales of fossil fuel cars from 2035.

The ban is key to Brussels’ ambitious plan to become a “climate neutral” economy by 2050, with net-zero greenhouse gas emissions.

In an unprecedented move this month, Germany intervened after the car ban had already been approved under the EU legislative process.

It demanded that Brussels provide assurances the law would allow the sales of new cars with combustion engines that run on synthetic fuels.

While the last-minute block frustrated many EU capitals, Paris had in turn already irked Berlin by insisting on giving nuclear energy a starring role in European plans to produce more green technology in Europe.

Paris and Berlin have traditionally worked together to push forward the EU agenda.

The European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, has been holding talks with Germany’s transport ministry to resolve the dispute over cars.

After the summit ended late Thursday, commission chief Ursula von der Leyen sounded an optimistic note about the negotiations that were “progressing”, but added the issue was not raised during the leaders’ talks.

“There is the will on both sides to resolve this topic, and to resolve it within the scope of the provisional agreement,” von der Leyen told a press conference.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz told reporters before the summit that talks were “on the right track”.

“It is now really only a matter of finding the right way to implement this promise,” Scholz said.

- Pressure on Germany -

Some leaders criticised Germany’s 11th-hour move to slam the brakes on a proposal that had already cleared all the hurdles in the traditional EU legislative process.

“The entire architecture of decisionmaking would fall apart if we all did that,” Latvian Prime Minister Arturs Krisjanis Karins said.

“We cannot go back on deals because this is ultimately about trust between co-legislators and the credibility of the legislative process,” said European Parliament President Roberta Metsola. AFP gathered in Brussels via video link, an EU official said.

But, while he welcomed a recent EU plan aimed at sending Kyiv one million artillery shells, he kept up his demand for modern warplanes and missiles he believes will be more effective at pushing back Russian forces.

His demands came after Oleksandr Syrsky, commander of Ukraine’s ground forces, said he planned to take advantage of the fact that Russian troops were “exhausted” near Bakhmut, the scene of the longest and bloodiest battle since the Russian invasion last year.

Bakhmut—an eastern town which once had an estimated population of around 70,000 people—has virtually emptied of civilians over months of fierce fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces.

“The aggressor has not given up hope of taking Bakhmut at all costs despite losses in manpower and equipment,” said Syrsky.

“Sparing nothing, they are losing significant strength and becoming exhausted.

“Very soon we will take advantage of this opportunity, like we did near Kyiv, Kharkiv, Balakliya and Kupiansk,” he added, referring to successful Ukrainian counteroffensives last year.

Kyiv considers Bakhmut key to holding back Russian forces along the entire eastern front.

Both sides have invested heavily in the fight, even though analysts say the city has little strategic value.

The head of Russia’s Wagner mercenary group said this week that his forces were in control of around 70 percent of the city. A Russian aide in the wider Donetsk region has said the city was “practically surrounded”. ‘Returning’ to Kherson

On Thursday, Zelensky said he was on a “working trip to Kherson region” -- the southern region still partly controlled by the Russians, who are dug in on the eastern bank of the Dnipro river and routinely shell Kherson city, killing civilians.

Ukrainian forces recaptured Kherson city, the administrative centre of the southern region, last November following a strategic withdrawal of Russian forces.

Zelensky said his visit included one village where “houses and civilian infra- structural facilities were damaged” as a result of Russia’s invasion. He said local authorities were restoring essential services such as electricity and water in the village and rebuilding a medical centre.

“People are returning,” he said in the post on social media Thursday. “I talked to the locals about their problems and needs,” he added.

Kherson, a gateway to the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, was captured easily and early by Russian forces in the early days of their February 2022 invasion.

Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed to have annexed Kherson and three other regions in Ukraine last September, despite not having full military control over any of them. AFP