Nice one to start the week. I live in a private sub division outside Manila which has recently been opened to through traffic by order of the City Mayor to reduce congestion on the main thoroughfares. One intersection has thus become very busy. Formerly this was policed by an armed security guard, one of the sub-division's private cops, who directed the traffic during busy hours (otherwise it just forces its way through (there are no stop or give way signs and even if there were they would be ignored).
SO, yesterday, Sunday, a gang of chaps in a cherry picker mounted one of those nice big four way traffic light boxes suspended across the junction from heavy cables (anyone who has driven in the US will know the thing). At 5 p.m. I saw them pack up and go happily on their way. This morning 0800, another gang arrives at 0600 to connect lights and make them work before rush hour.
But lights have gone, nicked in the night! Head scratching ensues.
Prevailing theory in the local pub: the security guards saw this as a threat to their job security, so stole the lights. Since the likely culprits will also carry out the investigation into the disappearance, we can expect a traffic light free zone for a while yet.
........tactic could perhaps be extended to UK Gatsos?
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what is the scrap value of cabling in downtown Manila, Growler?
We often have train delays, as the cable is nicked from the railways!
They even took a whole lot from the airport a while back - minor inconvenience in the landing light pattern!
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Railway signal cable theft is not unknown even in the UK!
Nobody would notice if the lights or cable went missing from the two M11 overhead message gantries, they are never used.
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Oh yes, cable fetches a good price. The entire island of Luzon (that's about the size of England), can be blacked out when thieves nick cable (happened last week). Very useful for tapping into the power network so you don't have to pay for current....
New subject, thanks to everyone who has been so vocal on the subject of oil changes lately. I'm going to do two tomorrow instead of paying the little man down the road, and have spent on a Taiwanese filter tool for the occasion.
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A case of suck it and see, perhaps! BTW - did you have time to reply on what system they use in the Philippines for cherished/personal/vanity plates, please?
Good wishes.
Ronnie
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Ronnie, not much I'm afraid. Plates are 3 letters, 3 numbers and you can order what you want if its available for about US$300. Typical would be your 3 initials plus a meaningful number. Thus a Filipino-Chinese might be LEE 888. Lee being the name, 8 of course being a lucky number in Chinese. Many people avoid this, makes them visible to potential kidnappers etc.
Lates are green numbers and letters on a white background (Private) black on yellow (taxi/bus), red on white (police or govt), blue on white (diplomatic).
What is very popular though is a set of German plates. You can get these made up as exact copies. They are a must for German cars. YOu put them on then put the Filipino plates on top, so it looks like you've just imported your car.
The catch is that you make the German plates your namesake, e.g. RON something something.
You can also get a commemorative front plate, for example the Army or Air Force do centennial plates.
When you first get your car it doesn't have any plates. They come 3-4 weks later, so you have the joy of skipping the odd/even traffic ban. Or, if you are a "someone", don't bother with plates at all. Just blackout your windows and have a big Chevy Suburban tailgating you, also blacked out. That will have your bodyguards in it.
If you want to let everyone think you're an overseas Filipino who's made lots of dough in the US, then stick a California plate on the back, and keep the usual one under the seat for when you get stopped (sorry officer I was just going to buy some screws to put it on with..) Another dodge is to tack somecardboard on the back saying "Registered, No Plate Available", or "Lost PLate"
No idea why this would interest anyone but it's keeping me out of the kitchen where washing up is in full swing (maid's day off)...... sorry, all
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Growler
Much appreciated, and glad to have helped to keep you out of the kitchen - wherever and whatever that is ....
Funnily enough, I only asked the question because you mentioned how you had gone to the trouble of sporting "GROWLER" in the US on your trusty Pony. In fact, you kindly covered precisely some of the points I'd been wondering about, like the minimal cost compared with here, and specifically whether special plates might make one stick out in the crowd eg to potential kidnappers, or whether or not the "someones" did bother about plates at all. Quite amusing about the German and US plates too.
I recall in Queesnsland in the late 60s how cars that were primarily (undefined) used on sheep and cattle properties did not have to be registered - funny how many squeaky clean examples you saw in downtown Brisbane!
Now when I was last in Olangapo .....
Renewed thanks - and keep your car windows shut!
Ronnie
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Ronnie:
I often wonder what became of the Holden FJ I circumnavigated Oz in from Wyndham to Darwin (that's anti-clockwise by the way). It was sprayed a very unpleasant grey and sported WA plate UGH 078, which usually raised a laugh wherever it went.
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Growler - You're a brave lad - because of the trip I mean - not the FJ. Nice car, maybe it's now the one sometimes seen in UK on a certain Aussie soap I sometimes see - accidentally of course.
So far as the plate is concerned, maybe the Wals thought it stood for Unpleasant Grey Holden. Still, they probably don't get too much to laugh at along that route.
Got to go now - I have to load the dishwasher!
Best wishes.
Ronnie
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