August 07, 2008

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If I Were King of Metro Manila

1. I'd tax gas in the city by 25%, all of which goes to public transportation infrastructure. Make all roads bicycle-friendly.

2. Break ground for a mass transit railway system that extends to Calamba in the south and San Fernando in the north. All provincial vehicles will have to secure a sticker to get into the city, which costs Php 2,500 annually.

3. Revoke the license of all bus operators. Put the bus system under MMDA control. Get them to line up and on a predictable schedule.

4. Remove all billboards -- it's the law!

5. Give all companies substantial tax breaks if: a. they allow their employees to work from home; b. they have a bike-to-work program; c. they install showers; d. they have carpooling

6. Launch a city wide carpooling campaign. Dedicate a lane on Edsa for cars with four or more passengers only. Jail the law breaker.

7. Launch a River Transit system. (Clean the rivers first!) Advertise heavily and get people to try it for free. Put in a lot of boats that can go across Laguna Lake. Have nice terminals for passengers.

8. Revoke all Driver's Licenses (in a rolling manner). Get everyone to take the test again. Flunkers lose their license and their names are published on a website, sortable by type of license.

9. Go medieval on companies breaking our Environmental Laws. In fact, revisit these Laws and strengthen them. Tax companies who fail to comply and use that money to enforce. Mandatory semi-annual emissions test for all vehicles.

10. Mandate a four-day work week, with every city other than Makati working Monday to Thursday. Makati gets Tuesday to Friday. If you have business in overlapping cities, tough, schedule it!

11. Bonus: Levy a Mall Tax that will discourage more malls in the city.

12. Bonus: Launch a Philippine Football League.

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