The City of Manila recently announced a campaign to rid its streets of illegally parked vehicles.
I don’t know how the campaign is doing overall, but if you live in my area, you won’t even know there is such a drive. Illegally parked vehicles occupy both sides of several streets, including Singalong, A. Linao, Leon Guinto, San Andres and several side streets.
The fact that many of these streets are currently being dug up to ease flooding, leaving hardly enough space for one vehicle to pass through, does not seem to bother car owners.
Last week, city hall representatives announced over a public address system, as they went around the neighborhood, that illegally parked vehicles would be towed. There was even a tow truck trailing the city hall vehicle.
One resident asked why an obviously illegally parked car was left untouched. The city hall employee said the owner was hardheaded and ignored previous requests to move his car.
The irate resident told the city hall people they were playing favorites if they could not— or would not—compel the erring motorist to move his car and the tow truck was all for show.
I agree. Judging by the number of vehicles that remain where they are, nobody’s afraid of city hall’s threat to tow illegally parked cars.
Exploding headphones
If people, particularly the young, are not bothered by health experts’ warning that too much use of headphones can adversely affect their hearing, perhaps the recent news that a woman on a flight to Australia was severely injured when her headphones exploded and caught fire would serve as a cautionary tale.
The international news outlet Agence France Presse said the woman suffered burns on her face and hands. She was listening to music on her own battery-operated headphones, instead of the headphones provided by airlines during flights.
Australia’s transport safety bureau suspect that the lithium-ion batteries in the device likely caught fire. Although it was the first reported case of headphone explosion in Australia, there have been a number of other phone and device battery incidents.
Young entrepreneurs
Entrepreneurship students of De La Salle University-Dasmariñas (Cavite) are showcasing their culinary creativity until April 2 at Robinsons Malls’ Entrep Corner, Midtown Wing, Robinsons Place, Manila. The event, with the theme “Spark,” features 12 student companies’ products that include taho ice cream, pasta sandwich, customized burger, vegetable nuggets, and more.
Robinsons Malls Entrep Corner is a corporate social responsibility (CSR) program of the mall chain that provides students invaluable retail experience.
Meanwhile, Robinsons Malls VIP cardholders can enjoy discounts of as much as 30 percent and freebies from over 600 partner stores nationwide.
You can get a Robinsons Malls VIP Card for a minimum purchase worth P5,000 at Robinsons Galleria, Magnolia, Metro East and Forum, and P3,000 worth of purchase at Starmills Pampanga, Angeles, Malolos, Ilocos, Pangasinan, Santiago, Las Piñas, Antipolo, General Trias, Dasmariñas, Tagaytay, Los Baños, Palawan, Cebu, Bacolod, Iloilo, Jaro, Dumaguete, Roxas, Butuan, General Santos, Tacloban and Galleria Cebu.
The card is also offered to VIP clients of Summit Hotels and unit owners of Robinsons Luxuria, Robinsons Residences and Communities.
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