Letter from Manila - Santol - of course!

Seriously? These are injections against diseases that can kill or cause severe long term lasting disability. The one and only study that linked them was massively discredited as being complete Bullplop years and years ago.

I'm a Coast to Coast AM listener and even I know that!

Would be nice, wouldn't it?

Problem is, there are things that take time. Equipment lead times for example; if a piece of kit takes two years from order to installation, all the wishing in the world won't get it here in 15 months.

Same with land acquisition. If we ignore the fact that we're dealing with people, then yes, that could be speeded up, but we can't. These are folks who'll lose their homes, so you have to go through the legal procedures. On this issue, the Department are notorious for regularly dropping the ball. That doesn't help!

Delaying tender documents whilst the type of signalling is debated by DOT lawyers and bank economists (they have no engineers), doesn't help either.

This hurry-up, whilst wilfully ignoring the facts, is all driven purely by the date of the next presidential election, nothing more...

"Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade assured that the PNR Clark Phase 1 and other railway projects will be completed by 2022.

Tugade said the riding public will get to experience new major train projects, as well as improvements on existing ones before the term of President Rodrigo Duterte ends."

And there you have it.

It's like children; everyone has screwed their eyes tight shut and wishing.

Bless.

Much easier to take some photos of a finished line somewhere & some happy travellers and publish that the line is now complete and everyone is using it with photos to prove it.

All hail Mr Duterte for such a great enterprise

Points in order.

1) I'd suggested Chinese after seeing how they cleared for the Olympics. Made the Israelis look like a bunch of caring Social Workers!

2) Yes many are/were illegal but, as PNR have just sat and watched this happen over decades, the householders now have right of tenure. If displaced, it's for PNR to re-home them. Didn't see that one coming, did they?

3) Yes, if it was at grade. This is elevated. How do you tell a contractor that he can construct two columns here, one there and a couple five kilometres further on?

Oh yes, I remember, you pay him a fortune in variation orders.


I can get you a job in the Department of Transport, you'd fit right in. You are a lawyer, aren't you?


If you saw the plans for the "Opening" you probably wouldn't joke. It'll be like a stage boat, just half a train!


Sorry, I've been away for a while. What is a strategy?

This is how it works here. At the moment, Manila landline numbers (if you ignore the 02 prefix for Manila) are seven digits. The decision has been made to make them eight.

All well and good, you say. We've done that sort of thing a couple of times in the UK over the years.

Problem is, there a five landline providers and each one will have a different number added to the front.



Now you have to know which provider your intended target is using, before you can add the appropriate digit. How simple is that?

On another issue, I was coming home past Adamson University, an institution well known for science and engineering excellence. Imagine my disappointment when I saw a sign hanging outside congratulating 20 students for passing their bar exam. I was however heartened to see several more with over 50 students on each passing various engineering degrees.

Then it struck me that the engineering graduates will all work overseas, whilst the lawyers remain here to phuck things over.   

Don't get me wrong, I have an amazing lawyer here. She's bright, she's tough, she gets things done when promised but, above all, she sticks to law!

Well, all the very best luck with that, buddy.

Thanks.

Went well but I'll keep quiet until something actually happens


Somebody has come up with a more pragmatic approach. Just an empty plastic wallet now! 😂

Talk me through this.

Somehow, despite having poor transport connectivity and some of the most congested roads on the planet, the Philippines managed to win the hosting of the South East Asian Games.

The venues are poorly signed. I live near the Rizal Memorial Stadium, where most of the football games take place, and there is nothing.

Teams were forgotten to be picked up from the airport, and one football team, Cambodia, I think, was sent a minibus after several hours wait. Now, I'm not a footie fan, but even I know there's generally a minimum of eleven, maybe a couple of substitutes, coaches, stuff like that, plus all their kit. They could have left them a bit longer though, as their hotel rooms weren't ready, so they slept in the lounges.

Add to this, Typhoon Tisoy (or Kammuri as the rest of the world knows it) knocking at the door and indeed, made landfall already on the eastern islands. She's (he's?) packing 155-190kph winds and, so far, shows no sign of weakening. Heading helpfully in just the wrong direction.

Manila Intentional Airport has announced it'll be closed tomorrow and all schools in Manila are walang pasok, obviously. Evacuations are underway in the worst affected areas around the country and seem to be progressing as planned. They're pretty good at this now.

The games organisers, possibly not as hot, have also said they have contingency plans...

"...Suzara added he already instructed suppliers of the venues, especially outdoor sports, to put down tents in advance.

"Everything's set, full contingency, all venues. All competition managers, technical delegates are ready," he said."

Tents?

As an update, chess games won't be affected!

Manila airport closed? That was pretty much how it was when I was there a couple of years back . Thought that was normal...🤣🤣

The house we rent is four floors. We have the bottom two, with garage, the other two are separate. However, their water supply comes in via the garage. A metal pipe at floor level connects, via a couple of pieces of plastic pipe and push fittings, with a pump.

The Landlady is a lovely Indian lady who, I guess, is second generation Filipino. She likes to send me superb samosas now and again. In exchange, I pay the rent on time.

Her son does much of the day to day stuff and is a bit of tosser. He seems to think that being the son of a lady who happens to own two houses makes him some sort of important property magnate.

This was today's SMS exchange.

Landlady's Son (LLS) - Third floor have contacted us saying you have driven your car into their water pipe and now they have no water.

Me - Erm, when was this?

LLS - Today.

Me - I last had the car out on December 1st. If I'd hit anything, they'd have had no water for 9 days.

LLS - Anyway, I am getting the plumber to see today as it's emergency, so you need to move your car.

Me - I'm in Bulacan, 30kms away.

LLS - But it must be moved today to give access for the plumber.

Me - Okay, I'll take the afternoon off. I'll be leaving at 12 so should be home by 2. Okay?

LLS - But we're not sure plumber will come.

Me - You just told me the car had to be moved today so he can do the job

LLS - But I've not spoken to him yet

Pause.

LLS - Plumber will come today to survey the job then come back tomorrow.

Me - Then you'll have the same problem again. Car in garage, me in Bulucan.

LLS - You leave it outside.

Me - No.

LLS - We'll tow it out of the garage then. (Two tonnes of locked Range Rover with transmission brake on, in Park, and only a twelve foot wide street. Go on then!)

At this point I go to verbal communication, plus ballistic, with a full, free and frank exchange of views.

I also go home. Fancied shagging off anyway!

Me - I'm home now, I can confirm the car is nowhere near the pipe. I can also confirm it was a compression fitting popped loose. It is now fixed and the 3rd floor have water.

LLS - What do you mean, it's fixed.

Me - it's mended, it's not broken any more. It's fixed.

LLS - You mean it's fixed?

Me - Of course.

LLS - Oh and how did you fix it?

Me - By having the common sense to push the compression fitting and pipe back together, as they were meant to be. It's now holding full pressure. Oh, and I didn't need to move the car. Or a plumber.

LLS - Thank you so much and very sorry for all your inconvenience. Thank you. Sorry.

Me - Now, where do I send my US$600 invoice for the lost afternoon, or maybe you need it more than me for some social interaction lessons?

Silence.

They're right, this plumbing is bloody lucrative!