Papa

Yesterday I wrote an open letter on behalf of the motoring public to the LTFRB and MMDA about community carpooling. Today, we were formally invited to the table. Credit to MMDA chairman Artes for reaching out and being proactive. This is how it should be. Unfortunately, I can’t make it in person due to a death in the family, but I have submitted a formal position paper, and I want you to know exactly what it says. Here is the short version. The new carpooling guidelines being drafted today are a good start. Company shuttles, non-profit, streamlined permits. I support it. But it only helps people who work for companies large enough to organize one. That leaves out a lot of Filipinos. What we are pushing for is the community version. You register once, in person, with your subdivision HOA or your employer, just to make sure you are indeed part of that community. After that, you can use the app and match only with verified neighbors or colleagues going the same direction. The platform charges nothing. No permits. No government registration. Just two people deciding not to take two cars. This is already legal. Former LTFRB Chairman Martin Delgra said so on record. Community carpooling with no platform fees falls outside LTFRB jurisdiction. That was true then. It’s still true now. What’s been missing is a public endorsement that gives communities the confidence to build without fear of being shut down the way Wunder was. Three things I’m formally asking for in the position paper: One. Include community-based carpooling in the guidelines being written tomorrow. Two. Issue a public statement confirming it is legal and encouraged. Three. Recognize that the company shuttle model and the neighborhood carpool model serve different people. They can coexist. They should coexist. The full position paper is on record. If you want to see this happen, share this post. The more people behind this, the harder it is to ignore.

Telegram channels close to IRGC have in past weeks outlined high-end hotels in GCC states as potential targets. Claim is that US soldiers evacuated from military bases are purportedly checked into hotels to escape strikes. If accurate, would suggest Iranian intel penetration.

Wow, kicked out of Cloudflare party for passing out drink protection. By a director of sales nonetheless.