A MONORAIL IN DUMAGUETE

Would it makes sense to extend the route northward to Bais City and southward to Zamboanguita. I guess that would decongest Dumaguete more.

 

They can't deal with a couple of trees at the end of a runway.....is this really possible?

 

Couple things. First off its more then just trikes as it will also effect easyrides and jeepneys. The extended families to an extent will also back up their family members as well so a lot more comes from it also and the same goes for the owners families although they may not extend as far in a manner of speaking. A local politician as well isn't going to have to balls to go against 10-20k votes against them in a race that will likely be considered winning or losing by 5-10k votes.

The more important thing this is to just establish an exploratory committee over the ability to do such with no promises or even suggested promises of doing it. Add in the simple questions of WHERE to build it and we find an impossible situation because wherever it may go there will be some rich and powerful families that are looking to lose out due to it needing land for stations even if they built it high. Then comes the Philippines severe lack of building skills and maintenance skills to properly maintain it along with the funds needed to keep it repaired.

Keep in mind they can't even get things through to widen the road, clear up the road of crazy pedestrians, crazy drivers, and people who park and double park along the road. LTO completely fails to getting unlicensed drivers and unregistered vehicles off the road as well. It would have been easy and cheap enough in comparison to build a bunch of underground parking lots or a large paid parking garage downtown and to then clear out the street parkers.

How about a simple catwalk over the highway at the market. That sure would help traffic IF they could stop all the people walking out into the road stopping and slowing traffic instead having to go above it (yes, would require enforcement from police and tickets).

Point is far far cheaper and simpler improvements they can't even do. How could one even have the slightest hope this big plan would actually go through.

 

When I was in Hong Kong and in Bangkok I experienced the trains. There were extremely nice. But a modern train as described almost seems out of place in Dumaguete. Neither Hong Kong or Bangkok trains were surround by trash, and other broken infrastructure. People respected each other. It is just a different environment here.
It may be cheaper to build a 6 lane highway that could separate lanes for the trucks, motorcycle/cars, and the ox carts than a high speed elevated rail system. Personally I hate the traffic jam on the national highway between Dumaguete and Bacong caused by the carabu cart carrying a load of bamboo. A large driving surface with 6 lanes would certainly have an effect on the population issues here too. Just think if the drivers had that wide of area to drive on how many deaths would occur as they drove with no discipline. hmmmm maybe elevated and separated would be better...

 

I just returned from a 3 day exit trip with the lady to Singapore. Its amazingly clean and orderly over there plus very very safe. Going up/down escalators all over everyone naturally moved to the left side allowing the right side to be open for those in a hurry walking up/down the escalator. Lining up for the MRT no body pushes or shoves their way in and to get on you arrange yourselves on the left/right of the doors while the center is for those getting off. If someone commits murder they are hanged, commit rape it depends but expect caning and then possibly hanged. Drug crimes expect to be hanged as well. Smoking in public, littering, and such expect fines ranging from $1000-5000 SGD ($700-3500 USD) which are pretty hefty fines for a single offense. You don't see beggars or even poor people at least as Maricel would call them poor. We laughed at her finding what she thought was the Singapore *poor* area and she called them fake because they still had aircon!

However for the Philippines to even start moving in that direction would be completely impossible with the current mindset of the people. They would need to pretty much flatten an entire city to start over. They would also need to then severely restrict access to the area requiring travel documents and stringent requirements for entry. Just NOT possible here.

 

I totally agree with you regarding the respect I saw in Hong Kong for and between people. One of the amazing subtle differences was the value people put on time. People did not walk in a row and a slow draggin type walk blocking other people and not caring about anyone else. People moved with intention to get somewhere. They valued their time, and others time also.

I saw a guy working on a construction site from the train. He had was working on a small back hoe, he had on a hard hat, safety clothes. He was moving a pile of dirt. I guess what that would look like in the Philipines.... My guess... 20 guys without shirts... where rubber slippers with shovels, trying to move a pile of dirt. That is a great difference in cultures that involve more than just new laws.

I went because of the immigration policy of leaving every three years but thought the policy was not throught out well by the PH govt. Why would want to have people leave the Philippines to visit other countries that offer a much more disciplines lifestyle, where traffic, smoking, spitting and general respect was so much different. Like you said it would be "completely impossible with the current mindset of the people" to get the Philipines to that level of civilization, generations of time to teach kid not to drop trash on the ground. Duterte can kill druggies, and make laws but it will be difficult to change the mindset of people that form the so many sub-cultures of the Philipines. Remember there are very civilized acting people in Manila (even in Dumaguete, just go to the upscale restuarant) much different than the thugs in Mindanao who behead people for ransom, and are protected by theirpeople in their community. There is lot of variation in the culture here, with over 7000 islands separated by water, 300 dialects and even multiple religions at war. Duterte has his hand full, drugs use is not his only problem.

 

we all know about the traffic problems here, and this might enforce a strong solution, not just a traffic light or 'strictly no parking on the highway' signs. the monorail sounds like a joke, but at least, the chinese are in the boat, they bring the knowledge, the discipline that so many forum members seem to miss here in the philippines and last but not least a lot of money. president duterte brings a change into this country, no matter how he does, and also local leaders are looking for smart solutions for existing problems, so don't give up all hope.

 

China is willing to spend money in Africa because they have virtually no footprint there and they may need the resources in the future. They may not be willing to actually cough up the money for the Philippines where they think they will win eventually anyway?

I don't want to put down anyone's home but Negros appears to be fairly far down the priority list. The nitty gritty might be that such a project may not buy enough votes in southern Negros? Is southern Negros the place such a project is most needed? Or would Cebu be ahead in line?

 

The traffic problems here can't be fixed with just one or two changes but a difference could still be made with a couple changes that would be seemingly easy if not for the mindset of the people. A monorail could do a LOT of good if it is ever built, maintained, and managed properly but each one of those is a major problem that the Philippines itself has failed at time and time again. The Chinese could come in and build it which would cost easily a couple of billion peso's to do it right not counting land acquisition issues and costs but then who is going to manage it and keep it operational and repaired because sorry to say but every bit of infrastructure managed by the Philippines in the country they have failed at keep it operational and repaired.... roads, electricity, water, internet, public transportation, and so forth. I'd be surprised if when finished it lasted even 5 years before it broke down.

It is a mindset issue though. Lack of respect for oneself which of course means no respect for others. No care about *time* which is the most valuable resource in someones life. No thought of tomorrow let alone next week/month/year where instead its all focused on today. Sadly even lack of respect for ones own country. We see constantly Filipino's who have no respect or love for their own country while they will quickly say otherwise when challenged by a foreigner or another country actions speak louder than words.

I hate to make Filipino's sound bad and the truth is while they have many of the faults above I listed in other ways I think we can all agree there are some amazingly good parts of Filipino culture and the people.

 

If there are right of way purchase issues (I do not know if there are, as they could use the road under an elevated system) then I think your 5 year estimate for completion is may be optimistic. Everyone will want a little piece of the money pie, and negotiation will go on forever, not to mention all the time it will take for the politicians to buy up the property before the right of way issues comes to public notice. If the Chinese are projected as being full of money for the Philippines there will be a lot of money at stake for the right connected individuals. Look how long it has taken to resolve the alternative truck route, primarily because of right of way issues, or how the bridge that fell down before completion did not even have the right of way issues resolved before crumbling. Of coarse the contractor was allowed to build without the right of way issue being resolved, so there may be ways if just going around the right of way issue.
It is nice that Dumaguete can look forward to the project, but remember that Dumaguete did not support Duterte in the election, and the political system here seem to reward the allies and punish those who do not support them. The "Punisher" name did not come about in random fashion. It will be interesting.