No, Duterte is not the Messiah of our road safety problems

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO/JOAN BONDOC

I started with a story angle “ what would you wish President DU30 to do to solve the road safety problem.” It’s a wish list or the perennial angle that we usually employ to get insights from VIPs for better readership or a tried and tested way to get an ad paying car executive in the papers.

But I Stopped.

Why?

After some soul searching, I realized that things in your life do not change by just wishing on a star or rubbing the genie’s lamp. It actually shows how helpless the Filipino mentality is.

We believe that our destiny is not in our hands but in the hands of the few people in power who don’t even know our name.

All self-help books that I have read… have one message in several forms: if you think it, you can make it possible. That if you believe you can do it, you can.

Nowhere in any of this does it say that if Duterte can think it you can do it. In fact no matter how much the president says it… but if you yourself don’t believe in change, nothing will happen.

Our species seems to be fixated on the Messiah Syndrome. That one person will deliver us from all evil.

This person brings with him all the goodness and in a wave of a crucifix or whatever religious artifact, the devil will cower and dissolve in godly light.

We find someone like this that we put on a pedestal and think this personality has no flaws. They commit human error and we are disillusioned. We call them fakes and tear them with criticism until they falter and become just us.  Then we find another person to put on a pedestal, criticize, shame and break so that we feel better about our inaction.

It ‘s a cycle. We live day to day filling up our incomplete existence with trivial things such as the Kardashians and putting up our negative thoughts on Facebook to help us be content and not act on change. Why? Change brings about something we don’t know and are not familiar with. And that is scarier than being run over by some guy who thought he could still drive after a drinking spree.

What the President did for us is to inspire us that we can change; that our contribution will make a difference. He gave us hope, that there are some genuine people who really care for this country. But these people are human, and they can make mistakes. They will need our support to get things done. And they can’t do this alone.

So instead of doing the initially stated angle, I asked my friends a different question.

“What can I do to help solve the problem of having unsafe roads in the country”

And here are some of their answers.

Raffy David. Car Enthusiast

Create a culture of respect and courtesy where courtesy is cool. Require TV stations, movie theaters, and tabloids to provide space for the campaigns. This goes a long way beyond just motoring.

Ferman Lao. Businessman and Car Expert

Don’t be THAT GUY you complain about

Pia Boren. Racecar driver

Follow speed limits. Ensure vehicles are road worthy. Respect the rules of the road.

Ira Panganiban Journalist

It’s everybody’s road. Share it, don’t hog it.

Gen Tiu. Businesswoman

Basic courtesy. The roads belong to not just motorists, but also to commuters and pedestrians. While we demand that motorists should follow road rules & give way to commuters, pedestrians should also respect motorists and follow pedestrian rules (i.e. use the overpass and not run across EDSA or any major highway). The problem is that no one is willing to give way to anyone else. If we can all be courteous and respectful, infrastructure would become secondary. It starts with all of us.

Joseph Aylon. Car Executive

Roads are deemed unsafe when it poses a risk to both motorists and pedestrians. I’d report it to the authorities. You can be a safe driver and all, but if the road is dangerous, it will always be unsafe.

Seymour Saldavia. Insurance Branch Head

To solve this problem is to have the cooperation of everybody, of every stakeholder of the roads. From motorists, pedestrians, government, media, and each and every one of us.

Kiko Oreta. Businessman

Leave your ego at home.

Niky Tamayo. Car Enthusiast

Take your dashcam video if necessary, but giving in and not aggressively asserting your right to space helps de-escalate road rage.

Shalimar Baes- Reyes. Parent

Disciplined drivers. Respectful drivers. Well-maintained vehicles

Jeff Juan. Businessman

Use Foot Bridge and pedestrian lanes

Eric Valera. Car Enthusiast

Give way.

Frederick Allegre

Follow rules. Keep your car well maintained. Eyes on the road at all times!

After reading the comments, it is quite clear that courtesy, respect for each other and following rules is the most popular sentiments. We seemed to have forgotten to be considerate to our neighbors because we have only been shown how to take advantage of people. We live in a society where having better pictures in Instagram has more appeal than a person struggling to make a difference in society.

If we could keep our cool and give way; take turns at intersections that have no traffic light; stay in our lane, respect pedestrian. Help promote road safety by starting in your homes, your drivers, your kids and yourself. Follow rules and designate a driver when you know you will be drinking. Fall in line; use the crosswalks and footbridges. Don’t litter. Be the voice of positivism and take a step back from sewing the web of intrigues.

Then perhaps we can be the Messiahs we are all waiting for.