THE LAND TRANSPORTATION Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) should start thinking of effective and practical ways to discourage drivers of public utility vehicles, especially taxicabs, from using mobile phones while on the road for the safety of commuters.

I see more and more drivers talking on the phone or sending text messages. The distraction causes them to fail to notice that traffic lights have changed or that other vehicles have started to move.

Perhaps LTFRB can have one hotline that commuters can call or text to report drivers who use mobile phones while on the road. Of course, many drivers do not have their IDs prominently displayed so commuters can just give the name of the taxi and its plate number. If the time and date when the driver was observed using the phone are specified, the LTFRB can probably ask the networks, after getting the driver?s phone number, to verify if the complaint has basis.

From what I know, networks can trace calls and/or messages sent from a particular phone at any given time by identifying cell sites that transmitted the call or messages. The LTFRB and/or taxi companies can think of penalties for erring drivers.

Home work

Last week, I wrote about the apparent prevalence of respiratory ailments, with people everywhere coughing or nursing a cold.

Many of these people would probably prefer to stay home and rest until the coughing or cold is gone but they do not want to take a day off if it means their vacation or sick leave is shortened by a day or two. So, as long as they are strong enough to travel and stay in the office for the number of hours required of them, they would rather go to work. This, of course, means there is the risk that they will spread the infection to coworkers.

The Washington Post reported recently that some American companies were making it possible for employees, who were feeling under the weather, to stay out of the office without using up leave credits they would rather reserve for more serious health problems or more important activities.

After all, with all the modern technology available, workers need not be physically present in the office to do the work they are supposed to do. They can even participate in important meetings and other group activities from the comfort of their homes.

The Post said, in the story by V. Dion Haynes and Ylan Q. Mui, the need to review sick leave policies was prompted late last year by the H1N1 flu strain scare and the onset of the flu season in the United States.

Some companies updated their rules to allow employees to stay home with full pay?without using leave time?for H1N1-related absences. Flu season, according to the story, led companies to come up with strategies to accommodate sick workers while keeping the business running. With flu, even the common variety, being so contagious, it made sense to let sick employees stay home to prevent spreading the disease.

In the past, some American companies, especially small businesses, balked at the idea of paid sick leave because it meant additional cost if they had to get somebody to do the work the absent employee was supposed to do, the news report said. But modern technology is allowing an employee to do his/her work without going to the office.

Chaos at the airport

Vicente Festejo Jr., a balikbayan from Canada, was greeted by chaos at the arrival area of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport. He said both people and vehicles picking up arrivals caused a major traffic jam. When he left, he noted that toilets in the departure lounges were ill-maintained and did not have sufficient water.

?We can do better than this. Airports are gateways for world visitors. Can?t we afford to repair broken toilets? Or brighten up the whole airport? We can replace dim bulbs with CFLs (compact fluorescent lights),? Festejo said.

The balikbayan found the Manila domestic airport ?world-class, so huge and clean? and wondered why it was not used as an international facility.

Send letters to The Consumer, Lifestyle Section, Philippine Daily Inquirer, 1098 Chino Roces Ave. cor. Mascardo and Yague Sts., 1204 Makati City; fax 8974793/94; or e-mail lbolido@inquirer.com.ph.