ANTONIO V. FIGUEROA FAST BACKWARD

Brokenshire In Cinders

Gregory, admitting there was a dearth of details about the incident, wrote: “The main building of the hospital was completely destroyed and with it the frame building currently used for some of the Nursing School classes. Most of the equipment has been lost, but there appear to have been no casualty.”

The reports of casualties, however, differed from that which were accounted by those who were at the fire scene. Accordingly, two unconfirmed deaths were traced to a patient who had a heart attack and another who was on the operating table when the fire struck.

But Emma Noreen, the hospital’s chief nurse who sent via cablegram a brief of the inci-dent, reported that no one was injured or killed. For his part, the Manila field rep- resentative of the ministry accused the Manila newspaper reports as “inaccurate.”

Gregory continues: “Fortunately, the dormitory of the Nursing School is intact (and with it, the library, presumably). The students have been moved to the church (the implication is t that the church escaped damage despite the fact that the fire must have swept much of downtown Davao); and the dormitory is serving as an emergency hospital.” He also wrote that patients were evacuated across Davao River while others were transferred to the Davao General Hospital (where the Institute of Psychiatry & Behavioral Medicine (IPBM) now stands).

Notwithstanding the tragedy, Noreen remained optimistic in her account, declaring that the nursing school would be opening soon in affiliation with the public hospital, and the reo-pening of the institute was to start in March with $45,000 in ministry funding for its opera-tion.

Gregory wrote that as soon as the first cable regarding the incident was received on Feb-ruary 10, 1964, the Division of World Service (DWS) promptly released US$2,000 “for the emergency needs in Davao,” sent through Dr. Frei, the Pacific Area secretary in Manila. He also declared that part of the reconstruction cost of the hospital should be covered by the in-surance policy.

Moreover, he wrote that continuous discussion with the Church World Service (CWS) in the Philippines and the Interchurch Commission on Medical Care (ICMC), a coordinating agency, was ongoing. He stated that James McGilvray, the medical secretary of the United Presbyterian Commission on Ecumenical Mission and Relations (UPCEMR), was contacting the chief of the Naval Medical Center at Bethesda, Maryland for emergency equipment for shipment to the Philippines, and grants to reconstruct the hospital.

The plan to reconstruct the hospice on the same site where it was burned did not materi-alize. Difficulty in raising money for the project and the new equipment fell short.

However, it was later decided to transfer the hospital to Madapo Hills after philanthro-pist David Jacobson, an American Jew honorably discharged from the military service, do-nated a big lot there and bequeathed most of his hemp plantation in Pantukan, Davao de Oro, to help fund the rebuilding of the medical institution.

MORE PLAYERS NEEDED TO LOWER RIDE-HAILING FARES

When ride-hailing giant Grab Philippines merged with its sole competitor Uber Philippines five years ago, there have been several criticisms about how the merger resulted in fewer choices for the commuting public as well as higher fares squeezing their pockets.

Last year, online news outlets reported that Grab Philippines allegedly admitted to imposing fare surcharges “to discourage its customers from booking short trips.” The company, however, argued that the charges were in accordance with the guidelines set by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB).

In 2019, the Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) slapped Grab Philip- pines with a PHP40-million penalty allegedly for its failure to fulfill its price commitments. It was also ordered to reimburse some PHP25 million to its riders.

However, with PHP6 million more yet to be refunded, the PCC last month said that it was looking to impose another round of penalty on Grab due to its alleged failure to fulfill its promise.

“They have not been complying but it is a game of itself,”

PCC chairperson Michael Aguinaldo was quoted as saying in a report. “They have changed their behavior a number of times already... It’s something that will continue to go on.”

To prevent monopolistic acts, the PCC has asked the House of Representatives to give the competition watchdog more teeth in enforcing the antitrust provisions of the Philippine Competition Act. Meanwhile, Grab said in a statement that it remains committed to fulfilling its obligations.

“Grab Philippines remains fully committed to complying with its undertakings and commitments with the PCC, and doing right by its stakeholders—especially its millions of users,” it said, adding that it would work with the PCC to fully resolve the issue at the soonest possible time.

“Through its engagements with the PCC, Grab Philippines has provided the Commission a set of disbursement options, and is presently awaiting the PCC’s decision so that the cho- sen option can be implemented immediately,” the ride-hailing firm added.

Senator Grace Poe, chairperson of the Senate’s Committee on Public Services, has signaled a looming committee hearing to probe into the alleged overcharging issue. In an interview, she underscored Grab’s monopoly of the transportation network vehicle service (TNVS), giving the commuters with no other choice.

With its recent acquisition of one of the three accredited motorcycle taxi operators, MoveIt, Poe said that Grab has the capability to dominate the transportation sector.

The TNVS industry has been in the country for years now, and no doubt, it has made public transportation easier and more accessible to the commuters with its service already at the doorstep with just one click.

However, customers have been feeling this “no choice” situation where there is no other option left but to give in to the rates being offered. Other TNVS companies must unite to level the playing field, especially as competitions have proven successful in making the market competitive.

The weary and desperate Filipino commuters need a solution and we are banking on the government’s action to encourage more players to provide lower rates and better services for the Filipinos. Equally, we need the participation of the private sector in making such initiative a success.