Senator Francis “Tol” Tolentino need not spend for all those huge billboards along EDSA and the North and South Luzon Expressways. My friend Senator Tol also need not spend for radio and TV plugs, all these will cost him and his donors millions of pesos. And what do these commercials give him—the message imparted to the public is that he is running again as senator, a fact that is already known to many.
All these media exposures are equivalent to just letting motorists, commuters, pedestrians and ordinary citizens know that in every main road intersection where there are smart traffic lights, Senator Tol was behind the convenience and safety that these traffic lights provide.
It was during Francis Tolentino’s term as chairman of the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) during the time of President Noynoy Aquino that he initiated the purchase and use of traffic lights that tell you how many seconds are left before the red turns green, and vice versa.
This is of utmost importance, because it discourages the “delihensiya” attitude of many traffic enforcers and cops. They look out for motorists who cannot guess the timing of the stop-go changes, and thus become victims of unscrupulous traffic enforcers wanting to line their pockets of extra cash through simple extortion.
If you drive a car or any vehicle especially in Metro Manila, you will notice that the traffic enforcers—whether MMDA or local government units or private corporation—are not there to facilitate the flow of vehicular traffic through the enforcement of traffic regulations.
They are out there to watch for violators, and if the opportunity presents itself, fleece these motorists. The old-style traffic lights which do not show how many seconds are left before the lights change are even helpful in the corrupt enforcers’ shadowy traps.
The millions of road users in the National Capital Region every day should thank Senator Francis “Tol” Tolentino for insisting on the use of the smart traffic lights. I just wonder why the MMDA under the Duterte and Marcos administrations has not followed through with this practical Tolentino innovation.
By now, all the traffic lights being used in Metro Manila should already be telling us the seconds left before the stop-go change occurs, the better to guide all motorists and even pedestrians who cross the streets.
It should be noted that Senator Tol received the full endorsement of many provincial governors last Friday.
Tol told the governors: “As a former local chief executive, I fully understand the crucial role that local governments play in fostering national development. Tol was a three-term mayor of Tagaytay City.
As MMDA chairman, Tolentino made his mark with his innovative approaches to traffic, garbage, disaster response, and promoting urban discipline during his term.
The governors and local officials who expressed their support to Tolentino are members of the League of Provinces of the Philippines (LPP) and the Partido Federal ng Pilipinas.
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