The Kuliglig: Are they obstructors to Manila's image?
"Traffic was snarled along the roads near City Hall as the drivers left their vehicles along Burgos Street."
"The protest stemmed from the city government's order banning "kuligligs" from Manila's main streets due to complaints that they snarled traffic by weaving in and out of roads."
"But the leaders of the drivers said the city government's order limiting them to side streets robbed them of their livelihood. They also claimed their vehicles were environmentally friendlier than other public motor vehicles plying Manila's streets."
These are the words being said by GMA news regarding the Kuliglig pedicab protests happened yesterday. These protests showed how these drivers, despite the hardships, were being replied with a decree made by Alfredo Lim ordering these vehicles to be banned-adding rage alongside sadness and hardships to these drivers happened to be in Manila.
As expected, these policemen responded with their actions, resulting to their brutality, reprisals with stones, and even deaths of two drivers and injuries coming from the protesters. They (the policemen) even imprisoned 16 drivers just because they obstructed traffic and turned violent during the barricade dispersal-that the latter was started by these brute policemen.
Yes, they may have obstructed traffic due to the barricade, but this was their way of protest as the local government, led by Lim issued a decree banning these vehicles and be deprived of their job! Speaking of barricades, of protests, even in posh cities like London and Paris experienced these kind of protests started by the people all in response to repressive measures and policies, as well as decrees that carries no benefit from them-so why not for Manila?
And again, according to GMA news about the 16 drivers-protesters happened to be arrested:
"The 16, some of whom showed signs of beating and injury, maintained their opposition to the city order banning their vehicles from plying Manila routes, as this will deny them of their livelihood."
Yes! Despite the bruises, beatings, arrest and incarceration, they remained defiant as they insist that their vehicles ought not to be banned and be deprived of their livelihood. They even think that despite the use of unleaded gasoline for their engines, of having organized into TODAs, of the ability to do shortcuts and fast routes, why to ban the Kuliglig pedicab?
Is the Kuliglig pedicab tarnish Manila's image very much?
Well...
I may say that Pilipino vehicles are not limited to Kalesa and the Jeepney, the pedal-driven Tricyle and the Taxi, but why not the urban-based Kuliglig? It doesn't mean that the Kuliglig is limited to a rural-based vehicle being used for Agricultural-related acts like farming; and Manila, a city, mustn't include these vehicles just because "it tarnish its image!" Bah! MANILA IS NOT THE PHILIPPINES AND THE PHILIPPINES IS AN AGRICULTURAL COUNTRY! SO WHY NOT ACCEPT THE REALITY THAT THESE VEHICLES, DESPITE ITS APPEARANCE CAN ALSO CHANGE, IMPROVE ITS IMAGE TO A BETTER ONE?
If the local government do so? Will they provide them with these?
Sheesh! They want to ban it yet speaking no alternative except disbanding or reverting all vehicles to pedal-powered ones, how come they need to be reverted if some countries had these? Like the Kuliglig, they are motorized, they use clean fuel like unleaded diesel, so why to ban it? Will you also ban it too? Let India's Bajaj ltd. provide these vehicles to replace Kuligligs before blood draws out in the streets of Manila!
