amiel alcantara’s 2 most favorite things at the taal lakehouse

 

read here: https://wawam.wordpress.com/?s=amiel+favorite+things

amiel alcantara’s 1st year death anniversary activities at AGS

For our dear Amiel’s
1st yr death anniversary,
Ateneo set Mass on 24th Feb, 6:30 AM
at Ateneo Grade School Chapel.
Breakfast will follow.

Also in the evening of 24th feb,
we have arranged 6:30 pm
prayer and candle lighting
at the Amiel Marker in front of Ateneo Grade School.
Pls join salo-salo dinner in the grounds after.

message posted at facebook “Justice For Amiel Alcantara”
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/group.php?gid=260501086285

amiel alcantara – driver in death faces car theft charges

Driver in Ateneo stude’s death case faces car theft rap

By Julie M. Aurelio
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 21:57:00 01/28/2010

MANILA, Philippines–The woman accused of killing a 10-year-old Ateneo Grade School student last year has been charged with another offense.

A balikbayan recently filed an affidavit with the Quezon City Prosecutor’s Office in which she accused Ma. Theresa Songco Torres of stealing her van—the one the latter was driving when she ran over Juan Carlo Miguel “Amiel” Alcantara.

Alcantara was crossing the school parking lot with his siblings and nanny when he was hit by the van on Feb. 24, 2009. His nanny was injured while the boy was declared dead on arrival at a nearby hospital due to head injuries.

Torres was later charged with reckless imprudence resulting in homicide and physical injures before a Quezon City court over Alcantara’s death. The case is still pending.

The new complaint against her was filed by Virginia Ibali, 54, an American citizen who lives in Pasuquin, Ilocos Norte, but also owns a house in San Francisco del Monte, Quezon City.

In a two-page complaint dated Jan. 19, Ibali said she was watching the news on March 2 last year in her house in Ilocos Sur when she learned that her van—a Toyota Hi-Ace van 2000 model with plate number CRW 705—was involved in an accident on the Ateneo campus in Quezon City on Feb. 24, 2009.

“The news report pinpointed to a certain Maria Theresa Songco Torres as the person who was in control of the said vehicle at the time of the incident,” she said.

According to Ibali, she last saw her van on Jan. 20 last year. She added that she kept the van at her house in Quezon City and that the only time she used it was whenever she was in Metro Manila.

She also said that since she bought the van in May 2002, she has not sold, transferred its ownership or mortgaged the vehicle.

“Neither did I authorize Maria Theresa Songco Torres to get or use the same,” she said, adding that she later learned from her neighbors that her van had been missing even before the day Alcantara was killed.

The van has been impounded by the Quezon City police since.

Ibali said that when she checked with the Land Transportation Office, she was told that the van was still registered in her name.

She added that she immediately reported the loss of her vehicle to the Ilocos Norte police while she filed a complaint with Quezon City policemen late last year.

“This affidavit is being executed as a basis for my complaint for the crime of carnapping against Maria Theresa Songco Torres for taking, carrying away and stealing my said vehicle without my consent,” Ibali said.

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/metro/view/20100128-249992/Driver-in-Ateneo-studes-death-case-faces-car-theft-rap

ateneo grade school traffic scheme incompetency that need fixing

after one quarter of trying out the new traffic scheme at the ateneo grade school, we now have a very good picture of how it has performed and what needs to be changed as soon as possible.

we think these are the incompetency of the new traffic scheme:

1. new and additional parking spaces were not added, parking spaces not enough for all the AGS vehicles – it is obvious that not having enough parking spaces for all the AGS vehicles is the most important problem and one that this new parking scheme did not even attempt to solve. this is very much obvious specially during the time closest to dismissal time when vehicles are double, triple and quadruple parked on the existing parking spaces. cars are parked perpendicular to the cars parked on the designated lanes and on both sides of the lanes. this gets so bad that it has become very slow to get out of the parking lots. the cars parked now reach beyond the the area of the pedestrian overpass on katipunan road. we agree that this situation means the dangers that were there before were not really solved but simply transferred to the parking areas.
2. the new traffic scheme is causing a lot of heavy traffic and has at least doubled the travel time in and out of the campus. traffic flow has been significantly slowed down, slowed down at least twice as much not only inside the campus but also in entering the campus from katipunan road. going out of the campus is much slower.
3. the curbside designations according to grades is ill-conceived and incompetently drawn. grades 1,3,5 and 7 are supposed to be picked up on the curbside where amiel alcantara’s marker is and beside irwin theater while grades 2, 4 and 6 are supposed to use the curbside beside the AGS buildings, on the heritage room side. the scheme splits the number of students to 60-40, with 60% of the students, or those students belonging to odd numbered grades at the longer curbside. this is great IF the length of the comparative curbsides are also 60-40 in ratio but it is not. the curbside for the even-numbered grades is easily only 20% in total length compared to the total length of the curbside for the odd numbered grades. that means too many cars are all being  jam-packed into a mush shorter curbside inside the campus by the heritage room and that is causing so much traffic. getting in and of that area is at least 3 to 5 times longer than on the side of the odd-numbered grades.
4. the crossing at the entrance to the school by the blue eagle’s gym (gate 2) is nothing but mayhem. this should have been obvious to the designers of the new traffic scheme. that crossing takes in a total of  7 lanes coming from 4 different directions converging into that single point – at least 3 lanes from cars entering gate 2 going into the campus, 1 lane coming from the road beside katipunan going to the grade school parking lot, 2 lanes coming from the parking lot who will exit the campus and 2 lanes on matheson drive entering the grade school parking lot and exiting the campus. all these converge on that single point clogging all the lanes going in and out of the campus.

there are other incompetency but we think these are the major problems that need to be fixed immediately.

separately, we heard that in talks to parents, a school official has been telling the parents the current traffic scheme is “short term” and the the traffic scheme presented by a group of parents that the school ignored is being labeled as “long term” and that this school official is in contact with these group of parents about it.

we do not know what this school official is up to but many of the things this school official said about the traffic scheme the school ignored is not true.

we hope AGS will correct the incompetency of the new traffic scheme.

not enough parking spaces – the unsolved problem at AGS

now that the new traffic scheme is in place and we have had a few weeks experience with it, my conclusion is that the key problem at the parking lot is that there is not enough parking spaces for all the cars that go to ateneo to pick up AGS students. and that problem may have caused the tragic accident at the AGS parking lot.

not having enough parking spaces for all the cars is as plain as ateneo is

photo by solar

 blue. parking at the drop off point where amiel was killed and beside the irwin theater are no longer allowed – all those cars that used to be parked there are now double/quadruple parked at the football fields and at the road beside katipunan road. 

these parking spaces are always full. on top of the cars that are parked inside  the white lines, are vehicles parked perpendicular to these cars on both sides of the road.  it has  now become more difficult and slower to pass through those roads. the double/quadruple parking now goes all the way past  near the pedestrian overpass that crosses katipunan road.

amiel was killed as he crossed that road to reach their car which was parked at the drop-off area. the van that killed him was also parked there. the death was caused as small boys and moving vehicles were mixed in the same space. boys then were allowed to cross that drop off area in between cars that were parked or moving.

having not enough parking spaces based on comments from parents on this blog have been a perennial problem. some parents here have said CPRs have been bringing up that problem with ateneo school officials but obviously no action has been taken.

that problem still remain.  i hope the ateneo admin know that. what this new traffic scheme did was it just moved the problem of lack of parking spaces from the old location to a new spot – from the drop off areas and beside irwin theater to the parking areas at the football fields and the road beside katipunan.

in other words and i hope it does not happen – what this new traffic scheme did is it removed the danger of an accident at the drop off areas but transferred it to the football field and road near katipunan parking areas.

AGS students do walk to those areas to ride into their cars. in that same area we still see AGS students mixed in the same space as moving vehicles, only in this space it is more crowded which makes it even worst.

we think there is unfinished business at the AGS parking lot.

“impossible traffic” at the Ateneo Grade School

“impossible traffic” was how one ateneo dad describes the traffic situation at the AGS. we concur.

it has now taken much longer, at around 2 to 3 times longer to get in and out of the ateneo campus in the morning during drop-off and most specially in the afternoon at pick-up. what used to be getting in and out of the ateneo from 10 to 20 minutes, it is now anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes depending on the time. and that is just to get out and in to the AGS campus.

something is also wrong now at katipunan, on the approach to and getting out of the ateneo campus. traffic lines are now much longer, bumper to bumper and standstill traffic is more common. we wonder if the new traffic scheme implemented at the AGS is causing the traffic jam outside of ateneo. commuters and drivers along katipunan must now be fuming mad at ateneo.

pictures were taken on june 19, afternoon dismissal.

bumper to bumper traffic on road along katipunan. this reached up to the gate.

the other side is no different - bumper to bumper traffic on matheson road reaching all the college buildings to gate 3

double parking on both sides on parking beside the football fields across the blue eagle's gym

comments and suggestions posted here, to read, please click: https://wawam.wordpress.com/new-ags-traffic-scheme-comments-suggestions/

new AGS traffic scheme

an ateneo mom sent us these pictures of the new traffic scheme at the AGS. read parents’ feedback on the new traffic scheme here: https://wawam.wordpress.com/new-ags-traffic-scheme-comments-suggestions/

no parking beside lee irwin theater, turned into a curbside pick-up

on penny changes done on traffic scheme – “ateneo doesn’t care”

comment posted here: https://wawam.wordpress.com/2009/05/30/a-covered-parking-lot-for-teachers-at-the-ags-amiel-alcantaras-death-aftermath/

Despite our appeals to Ateneo to do something RADICAL, it looks like they have chosen to implement something MARGINAL.

I downloaded and studied the staggered dismissal schedules that Ateneo Grade School posted on their website. Loooks to me like there is a typographical error in the post, because my Grade 4 son commented that Grades 6 and 7 will spend less time in school than Grades 4 and 5. He commented that it was unfair to him that his brother in Grade 7 will get away with less hours in school.

Either he is right or the posted schedule is wrong. Taking a look at the schedule, it can only be correct if they removed the period either for Intramurals or Co-Curricular Activity from the schedule for Grades 6 and 7. Please validate.

Given that the success of the scheme is hinged on fetchers picking up the boys on a staggered basis, Ateneo has to ensure that fetchers know what the correct dismissal schedule is. Relaying unverified or inaccurate information will turn the entire Katipunan into a traffic nightware, don’t you think?

I am disaapointed in the solution being presented now. I had hoped for a better quality solution. It seems to me that the Multi-Stakeholder Committee created their solution in a vacuum, ignoring all the comments and suggestions of well-meaning parents.

Oh well . . . we won’t know anything until we give the scheme a try.

the traffic scheme that AGS ignored

we received an email that contains a traffic plan for the AGS. the email says this was developed by a group of professionals on design and safety –  architects and engineers and was submitted to the multi-stakeholder committee for consideration.

this traffic scheme is very different from the one that is being implemented now which means this was not at all adapted by the committee.

proposed traffic scheme developed by professionals on design and safety

 Design and Safety Philosophy :  Separate Pedestrian and Vehicular Traffic

 The safety of the Children is the paramount consideration to the design of any Traffic Scheme for schools. The best way to achieve this is to follow the tried and tested standard of separating pedestrian streams with that of vehicular flows to minimize if not to totally eradicate accidents of Ateneo’s students—the children of the main stakeholders of Ateneo de Manila University.

 Design Concepts

 1. Enlarged / Lengthened Waiting Areas. 
 The Waiting Areas (may be covered later) for fetching and dropping off students shall be lengthened by about 6 times the existing lengths. This shall discourage drivers from fetching and dropping off students in the middle of the road which may lead to another accident.

 2. Central Waiting Area.
Pedestrian and Vehicular Streams should not cross as much as possible, therefore, a core shall be created making use of the Blue Eagle Gym, Irwin Theater and the Inner Driveway serviced by 2 Road Loops. The Inner driveway shall be used as a Holding Area where students can play safely in a gated (fenced) environment while waiting for their fetchers.

 The Central Pedestrian / Waiting Area (where the current faculty parking is located) shall be connected to the Inner Driveway via the existing covered walkway from the Cafeteria or the existing open walkway (usually reserved for teachers only) through the Inner Driveway Courtyard where the statues of the Holy Family are located. From this Central Pedestrian / Waiting Area, students shall branch out to the Blue Eagle Gym, Irwin Theater and the Pedestrian /Waiting Area outside the Inner Driveway.

 Traffic Flow

1. Gate 1 Entry.
From Gate 1, drivers proceed to Road Loop 1 and may drop off or fetch students along the lengths of Pedestrian / Waiting Areas A & B. They then exit through the Collector Road toward Gate 2-B or park their vehicles in the Parking Lots.

2. Gates 2 and 3 Entries.
From Gate 2, drivers proceed via Mastersons Drive to Road Loop 2 and may drop off or fetch students along the lengths of Pedestrian / Waiting Areas D & E. They then exit through Gate 2-B or Gate 3 or park their vehicles in the Parking Lots.

Drivers entering Gates 2 or 3 may also access Road Loop 1 via the Collector Road and may drop off or fetch students along the lengths of Pedestrian / Waiting Areas A & B. They then exit through the Collector Road toward Gate 2-B or park their vehicles in the Parking Lots.

3. School Bus.
School Buses may enter Gate 1, proceed to Road Loop 1 to drop off students along the lengths of Pedestrian / Waiting Areas A & B. They then proceed to the School Bus Parking via the Collector Road.

School Buses may also enter Gates 2 & 3, proceed to Road Loop 2 to drop off students along the lengths of Pedestrian / Waiting Areas D & E. They then proceed to the School Bus Parking via Mastersons Drive. Students are fetched by School Buses in their respective School Bus Parking slots along the lengths of Pedestrian / Waiting Areas C-1 & C-2 around the Blue Eagle Gym. Students walk to Pedestrian / Waiting Areas C-1 & C-2 without crossing roads / streets.

 4. Faculty Parking. 
 Faculty Parking behind the Blue Eagle Gym and Parking of Administrators at the Inner Driveway shall be relocated to the rear of the Cafeteria where they walk through existing Covered Walkways at the side of the Cafeteria.

 5. Fetchers’ Parking.
Existing parking for the general public shall remain. Access to these areas shall be via manned Pedestrian Crossings through Pedestrian / Waiting Areas D and C-1.

new Ateneo Grade School traffic and safety scheme

posted at the ateneo website (http://www.ateneo.edu/index.php?p=120&type=2&sec=25&aid=6720). with thanks to Dino who posted the link in this blog. it’s not easy to understand, but this is the scheme that will be implemented.

please post your comments and suggestions on this new traffic and safety scheme here and we will make sure it reaches ateneo admin.

———-

FEATURES OF THE AGS NEW TRAFFIC AND SAFETY SCHEME

After a two-month effort, the multi-stakeholder committee headed by the VP for Administration and Planning Dr. John Paul Vergara, came out with a comprehensive design which enables an ingress and egress system that utilizes safe passage for students and only curb side drop-off and pick-up.  Parents’ orientations, student walk throughs and driver’s dry run will be conducted.

An attempt to provide the pertinent features of the scheme is included below. This covers the various components of the scheme and to whom this applies to . You may wish toDownload  the vicinity map as a basic guide.

DISMISSAL SCHEDULES
To WHOM does this apply to : ALL STUDENTS

Fundamental to the scheme is the reduction of vehicles at a given dismissal time.  A revised dismissal schedule now enables this ( Download a copy of the new Dismissal Schedules)

CROSSING ONLY AT DESIGNATED PEDESTRIAN LANES
To WHOM does this apply to : ALL STUDENTS who go to their cars instead of wait to be picked up. To commuters

Another pertinent feature of the new scheme is the designation of pedestrian safety passages. (Download  a copy of the Pedestrian Walkpaths Map ) Evidently the principle behind this provision is to ascertain the safety of students regardless of whether they will be picked up at designated pick-up areas or whether they will go to their parked vehicles during dismissal time. The same safety consideration enables commuters to walk to leave the campus by passing through pedestrian paths.
 

CURBSIDE DROP OFF AND PICK-UP ONLY

To WHOM does this apply to :Drivers of all students

With the new scheme comes a rerouting of vehicles. Essentially, this rerouting will enable the vehicles to enter the inner driveway- an area that was once inaccessible  except during rains and the Irwin Theatre Curbside Area  .  Vehicles entering Gate 3 may still access the AGS via Masterson’s Drive or the  service road at Erunchun Footbal Field , facing Katipunan  Road . ( Download a copy of  the Drivers Route Map ).

PREFERENTIAL SPACE FOR SCHOOL BUS RIDERS
To WHOM does this apply to : School Vehicle Riders and Drivers

 

In an effort to encourage the students to avail of school service vehicles, school service providers are provided with special parking spaces ( indicated in  the map as SP ) . This will enable the students to wait for the fetchers at a holding area located at the old prep.   (Download a copy of map showing the exit route of the students who take the school service )

PICK UP of PREP AND GRADE 1 STUDENTS
To WHOM does this apply to : All Prep and Grade 1 Students

 

Being the youngest among the AGS students, the Prep and Grade 1 students will continue to be accompanied by their teachers to designated waiting areas where fetchers will pick them up. Prep students will be picked up their fetchers at the old Prep Area . Grade 1 students will be picked up at the  Irwin Theatre Area. The inner driveway continues to be accessible to  the students and fetchers waiting for their vehicles. ( Download a copy of  the map showing the pick up routes of Prep and Grade 1 Students

SPECIAL PARKING SPACES for PREP and GRADE 1 STUDENTS
To WHOM does this apply to : Drivers of Prep and Grade 1 students

 

Parking spaces will be made exclusive 1 hour before the dismissal time of PREP and GRADE 1 Students. For Prep, the Parking area is located at the Southwest Carpark for Grade 1, the space is at P7. Drivers are asked to display a duplicate of  the fetchers pass at the windshield of their cars for proper identification.

PICK -UP of GRADE 2- 7 STUDENTS
To WHOM does this apply to :Grade 2-7 students and their drivers

 

Although the grades 2-7 students will be coming from different areas during dismissal.  There are designated curbside areas where their vehicles  can drive and pick them up . ( Download a copy of the drive and Curbside loading of Grade 2-7 )

Because it is important  to gather valuable information about the effectiveness of  the new scheme,  we are banking on your utmost cooperation and compliance.  You and your drivers are enjoined to go through the Traffic Guidelines since the plan will be implemented soon as classes begin on June 8.

However, be assured that although, security and traffic personnel will enforce rules and call the attention of violators( for purposes of driver education and data gathering ) no sanction will yet be imposed until June 30 . We are in the process of recruiting parent volunteers who wish to serve as traffic and safety marshalls . Those of you who are interested my get in touch with Asst Headmaster for Student Affairs Jonny Salvador at jsalvador@ateneo.edu

We invite you to continue to partner with us in the service of a safe and secure school.

———

please post your comments and suggestions on this new traffic and safety scheme here and we will make sure it reaches ateneo admin.

traffic & parking scheme at the ateneo grade school

an ateneo mom has sent us this link at the ateneo website on the new traffic scheme that

will be implemented at the AGS this june.

this is the link at the ateneo website: http://www.admu.edu.ph/index.php?p=120&type=2&sec=29&aid=6686

actually, it does not say much on what exactly is the traffic scheme. all it says is they have been working hard and that a lot of departments have been involved.

we are anxious to find out what this traffic scheme is. this is the unfinished business at the AGS.

Amiel Alcantara – A Man For Others

posted in this blog by Solar:

AMIEL ALCANTARA – A MAN FOR OTHERS

The story of Amiel’s lending a helping hand to another student, his desire to play fair, and his being a boy scout speak of his selflessness. Amiel lived out the spirit of being a “man for others”. He is truly a blue eagle, NOT a blue vulture.

comment posted in this blog: http://tinyurl.com/qcynt5

with “penny changes” at the AGS parking lot, ateneo ignores parents sentiments

here is one comment from an ateneo mom posted in this blog:

with “penny changes” at the ateneo parking lot, i think that amounts to ateneo ignoring the overwhelming sentiments of AGS parents. not only that, it seems the school trivialized the horrific accident that killed amiel alcantara in their parking lot.

i have re-read the comments of parents in this blog – specially those on their suggestions on how to improve safety in school. it is clear to see in those suggestions that the parents expect the school to implement what one parent calls “radical and significant changes and improvements” in the school’s traffic scheme.

with the pictures shown in this blog, it seems like no change to very minimal changes are being done at the parking lot, definitely something you cannot call “radical and significant”. that can only mean the school has ignored the sentiments of the parents.

i have talked to many other parents and even ateneo alumni like myself and all of them have said one of their top two concerns this coming school year is safety of their sons at the parking lot. (just like the survey in this blog)

from the ateneo website, i have also read the homily delivered by the jesuits during the masses for amiel. in there they mentioned how the whole community was touched by the death of amiel and how what happened has affected parents in the school.

there is a huge disconnect in what has been said to what they are now doing at the parking lots. implementing “penny changes” in the school parking lot is inconsistent with what the jesuits said they recognize to be very strong sentiments of the parents.

it is hard to understand how one can see penny changes as commensurate or being responsive to such strong emotions displayed by the parents.

one parent commented the jesuits are clueless and that they will probably not act on this. i agree with that comment.

comment posted here: http://tinyurl.com/pychoh

 

an ateneo mom: we need more than rules for safety

I just got the 2009-2010 car sticker this week and I noted that a separate sheet was asked to be signed aside from the usual application for the sticker. The sheet states that I understood the traffic/parking rules and regulations of the Ateneo and that upon entering the campus I automatically agree to follow those regulations and pay the corresponding fines when I violate any of them. Then another sheet was handed out which contained the new traffic/parking rules and regulations.

Though the print was quite microscopic for me, I read through it and found that they even included how the new traffic signs would appear and what they meant.

One of the questions that I had in mind was regarding the speed limit. It said 30 kph along the driveways and 10kph in the parking lots. Will the guards be able to tell if a vehicle was moving above the limits? And even in Amiel’s case, only in the courts will the speed of Torres van be determined because it has already snuffed out an innocent boy’s life.

I know Ateneo is trying to appear to be more strict by coming out with this minor changes but what we need is a physical and / or structural development that will once and for all separate the students from the moving vehicles.

 -comment on this post: http://tinyurl.com/cyhko5

all of the vehicles that go inside the ateneo campus pass through metro manila streets and it’s easy to see that what works there are not just traffic rules, not even the presence of traffic enforcers, but barriers.

i am not a total fan of the MMDA but the way they have managed our streets is through structural changes. they removed obstructions to improve flow, they added barriers to direct traffic, opened up islands to allow u-turns and  applied small road humps to slow down traffic. the point is they did structural changes on the roads either by adding, removing, opening up or closing up the roadways.

sure they added traffic personnel but we are all witness to the fact that just having traffic enforcers is not enough. it does not work all the time. what seems to work on metro manila streets is the combination of first structural changes/additions plus traffic enforcers.

why should the solution inside the ateneo campus be different from what is being done in metro manila streets? they are exactly the same drivers who are in metro manila streets and inside the campus.

it’s a sad thought, but i think ateneo is simply just saving money in not doing any structural changes at the AGS parking lot. i am very disappointed that ateneo is saving money over ensuring the safety of ateneo grade school students in that parking lot.

is the money ateneo saving worth the next life of a boy that will be taken at the AGS parking lot?

an ateneo mom: parents need to be involved

Were safety experts consulted by the AGS multi-stakeholder committee ? Ateneo parents should get more involved about the matter and not just leave everything to the committee. Or are most of them just indifferent ? Kawawa talaga si Amiel !

comment made by an ateneo mom: http://tinyurl.com/cgmldr

we do not know the composition of the multi-stakeholder committee. aside from the initial announcement that ateneo will be forming a committee to look into the safety at the parking lot, no other announcement was made by the school. we also do not know what work has been done.

but based on the fact that nothing new has been done at the parking lot, it’s either the multi-stakeholder committee has not done any work or they do not intend to change anything in the traffic scheme being implemented in the school.

the most logical of course is that they should have consulted experts on safety. we go to experts for specific problems beyond our own capabilities. as parents, we see doctors when our sons are sick. we consult lawyers if it is a legal problem. in this case, this is about safety in the parking lot, architects and engineers are the experts to go to.

did the committee consult experts and professionals? we do not know. but i suppose we will know very soon. it is reasonable to expect that the school will need to let parents know what their plans are. when that happens, parents need to be vigilant and ask all the right and yes, tough questions on what they want to do in that parking lot.

this much i can say — if there are no changes in that parking lot, the same danger that got amiel killed is still there. kawawa naman si amiel and the next child who will meet an accident there.

Amiel Alcantara: survey form released at AGS – too little, too late

it’ s interesting that the ateneo is just now asking parents to fill up this survey form. the questions are very basic questions  – what car they use, what time their vehicles go the ateneo, etc.

they found the need to get these basic information with just 40 days to go till start of school and 60 days since the death of amiel — with such basic questions and this late, it’s a survey too little, too late.

they are basic data, you need these kinds data before you do any analysis and planning for any new traffic scheme. doing the survey now can can mean either the AGS has not done any new traffic scheme or they developed a new traffic scheme without the input of any relevant data.

it’s hard to decide where ateneo is at this time. there has been no changes at the main ateneo parking lot, so that means there will be no changes from last year. that seems to say its probable they are yet to develope a new traffic scheme. will that be operational by june?

the multi-stakeholder task force was formed some weeks ago, so we can assume they were doing something. let’s assume that they have been doing some work, even though we have not heard anything from them. if they have developed a new traffic scheme, that means they did so without the benefit of even these basic data the survey seeks to get. with no data input, that puts into question the quality of whatever new traffic scheme they have developed.

add to that the lack of changes at the parking lot, that goes back to the conclusion we made – with no relevant data, plus no changes at the parking lot, it can only mean the dangers and risks that got amiel killed in that parking lot remain.

from and ateneo mom:

Time surely flew by so fast, half of summer vacation is over. What I observed during the enrollment last week was the survey given out to the parents. The survey was drafted by the Multi-Stakeholder Committee and consisted of around 5 questions ( if I remember correctly). My impression of the survey was that it doesn’t really say anything about the physical improvements that should have been done by now. In fact that survey should have been done before the end of the schoolyear, for whatever purpose it will serve.

read in full here: http://tinyurl.com/dgktn6

note: many thanks to an ateneo mom who scanned this, sent this to an atenneo dad who in turn sent us a copy.

ateneo inaction puts lives of children in danger : amiel alcantara tragedy

parents who have gone to the ateneo for summer classes and enrollment have reported the chaos and dangers remain at the ateneo grade school parking lot. the parking scheme has not been changed, the parking lot is full of parked cars in whatever space they can find, children and adults cross wherever they want and there are too few security guards to control traffic and safeguard pedestrians.

the volume of cars are fewer than on regular school days but the dangers are still there. why is the ateneo not doing anything to safeguard the sdafety of pedestrians in the school? have they not learned their lesson from the february 24 incident?

parents also have said there are no changes in that parking lot – it looks exactly the same as it was before last school year. no construction of any sort, and no changes on flow. with no changes from before, that can only mean the same dangers and risks that got amiel killed in february continue to be there. that means, that parking lot is waiting for its next victim.

this situation should not be tolerated by parents. it is the lives of their children, the lives of your yayas and even parents themselves that are at risk. parents need to speak up, and speak up now.

amiel alcantara’s death: no changes at AGS parking lot – a new accident waiting to happen?

“No changes at the AGS parking lot,
the danger remains.”

that sentence has bothered me a lot. i read it last night, i sensed something was wrong there. my intuition was kicking in so badly. i could not put my finger into exactly what was wrong there. but i knew i was worried for the young boys who study at the AGS.

i could not sleep last night thinking about it, so i re-read many parts of this blog, specially the comments from parents. that did not satisfy me, so at close to midmight, i called up friends of mine who are maried to  architects.

talking to them cleared my mind. my intuition was correct, many things are wrong about that sentence.

first, looking at the comments of parents in this blog. parents want change in the traffic system at the AGS, not any kind of change, they want significant changes. in fact the word “radical” was used quite often by many. many of the parents feel the weaknesses of the current system plus the apathy of the school administration and security guards on safety for children had a significant contribution to the death of amiel at the parking lot.

of course many other things contributed to it – one is perhaps the inexperience of the ateneo mom driver and even the current practice of  pedestrians having to cross that area where amiel died, but the current system and traffic design contributed to it by allowing the accident to happen.

from my talks with the architects this is the sense i get. 

• architects can and should incorporate  “safety” into a design
• the same way as architects can incorporate speed and traffic flow into a design
• the core essence of an architect’s job is to look into space and design and erect structures on it that delivers specific objectives. one could be to erect a structure for a home, or a mall or a parking lot.  the designs an architect does includes intangibles like cost, aesthetics, ease of use and even safety, to name a few.
• physical structures that architects design and erect on space affects behavior and the movement of people who use that space.
• in fact structures erected on space affects the behavior and directs  movement of people who use that space. they also deliver specific values.
• for example: walls and a door on space contains people into that space. ceilings on space gives comfort and protection from the elements to people under it. hallways direct flow of people from point a to b and prevents them from getting lost to point d or prevents them from falling off a window.

the above tells you that to improve safety at the AGS parking lot, to prevent another death, we need architects to re-design that open space, to erect structures that will direct movement of vehicles and pedestrians  and to alter or influence the behavior  of pedestrians.

that parking lot at the AGS where amiel died as it stands now is still open space. it looks exactly like the way it was when amiel died in that parking lot. looking exactly the way it is when amiel died can only mean one thing – the same risks and dangers, the same reason that caused amiel’s death continue to exist in that parking lot.

how can there be improvements on safety, how can it prevent another death to occur in that parking lot when it looks exactly like when amiel died?

the death of amiel told  us a very valuablee lesson – safety, specially traffic safety CANNOT rely solely on the good behavior and goodwill of pedestrians and drivers to follow traffic and safety rules nor just the actions of traffic enforcers. 

i do not think the ateneo mom driver and pedestrian amiel intended for the accident to happen. to both of them at that moment of the accident, this something called “accident” rendered useless the good behavior and goodwill that they had in following traffic and safety rules.

not even the zealous efforts of a traffic enforcer could have prevented amiel’s death. i do not think the presence of a traffic enforcer at the scene of amiel’s death could have prevented it. in fact, if a traffic enforcer was there at the scene of the accident, that traffic enforcer could have died as amiel did or sustain the same injury that amiel’s yaya sustained.

the point is – traffic and safety education is fine. but i do not think that is enough.

a parking lot is space. people and cars behave and move within that space, to ensure safety, it is not enough that we educate pedestrians on safety or make traffic violations more stern – what it needs is structures that ensure safety.

why then is the ateneo not erecting structures or altering that open space where amiel died? keeping that open space as is, means exactly the same dangers that led to the death of amiel continue to exist and may be waiting for the next victim.

a prayer is said at amiel's shrine at the AGS parking lot

amiel alcantara : no changes at the AGS parking lot, the dangers remain

summer enhancement classes started today at the ateneo grade school. that is the official start of a new season at the AGS. we once again see boys at the school grounds and the cars that bring them to the school. they are not as plenty compared to regular school days, but it’s a good reminder of what happens in school.

we wonder what has happened to the unfinished business at the ateneo?

we have not heard anything from the ateneo on what they intend to do when classes start in june. pronouncement from the school said they will implement changes and improvements on traffic management and safety at the school but the parking lot of the AGS still look the same as previous. from the looks of the parking lot, it looks like nothing will change.

that worries me. not doing any changes in that parking lot can only mean the same dangers that were there last february continue to exist. didn’t the school learn its lesson from the tragic death of young boy at the parking lot last february?