On my way to work everyday, I often catch a cab, or if I'm early, perhaps a jeepney, at the corner of Araneta Avenue and Aurora Boulevard, kitty-corner from SM Centerpoint. Recently, there have been boys in blue, I am not sure if they are traffic police, stationed at this crossroads, usually hanging out beneath the pedestrian overpass, in front of Greenwich Pizza. Sometimes they direct traffic, most of the time they just seem to hang out and watch everybody else go by. Whereas a block or so away, at the corner of V.Mapa, there is this old guy in dark gray who aside from directing traffic often ends up stomping over to the sidewalk to lay down the law to loitering jeepneys and gets heckled by the drivers and conductors.


Oh well, the last time I saw a guy in blue try to direct traffic at Aurora-Araneta, a few weeks ago, he finally had to jump aside and cuss fervently when drivers ignored him. But then the traffic lights seemed to be working just fine, and when he just kept waving one side on through three changes of the lights while holding back the other three, the moment he dropped his arm, drivers gunned their motors and barrelled on through, including the driver of the jeepney I was riding at the moment.

Anyway, at this corner of Araneta and Aurora, one could always be sure of catching a tricyle at a pinch. I used to get annoyed the first few weeks I started catching a ride there, because I was always besieged by tricycle drivers trying to convince me to give up waiting for a cab and take their tricycles instead. Instead of arguing with them while empty cabs passed me by, I finally ended up giving them the cold shoulder and the occasional intentionally unintentional whacks with my tote bag.

A couple of weeks or so ago, somebody put up this huge sign: Unauthorized tricycle terminals are forbidden. The penalty is clearly delineated; at the bottom of the sign are numbers people can call to report any such unauthorized terminals. The first day the sign was up: no tricycles in sight. A day or so later, they would come drifting by oh-so-casually, oh-so-slowly, trolling for passengers. Two or three days ago, they again started parking at the corner in a long line... right underneath the "Tricycle terminal forbidden" sign. And just across Aurora, the boys in blue stand casually, never seeming to notice. If I had a better camera, I'd take a lovely caption-able photo.

Oh, my Philippines.