I have been to Europe before but only for a couple of days for a company training. This time however is my first time to stay in Europe relatively longer. I am staying in Rotterdam, but I was able to visit several cities in the Netherlands such as The Hague, Utrecht, Amsterdam, Gouda, Delft, and my most favorite – Den Helder. In the three months of stay here, I have been amazed of some habits and conducts, I think would be good if the Philippines, say the Filipinos, would adopt. These are:
1. Four-lane roads
When I say four-lane roads, I don’t mean the lanes are wide enough for a faster vehicle flow. The four lanes I mean here are the lanes for car vehicles, for motorcycles, for bicycles, and the sidewalks for pedestrians. Some drivers may drive crazily but bikers and pedestrians feel safe because they are provided with their own lanes. Biking on the main roads is not a thing in the Philippines. But with the prices of fuel, maintenance cost of cars, traffic jams, environmental concerns, I believe it is also nice to bike in a tropical sunny weather, most especially with a lane intended for it. Well, this is the government’s call. Therefore we, ordinary Filipino citizens, should vote our leaders wisely :)
2. Honking only when necessary
According to the Smith system of driving, you should make other drivers aware of your presence. This is one of the principles for safe driving. In the Philippines, we do that by honking our horns – ALL THE TIME. Our roads generate noise pollution because of this. According to several studies, honking is one of the biggest contributors to noise pollution and it causes stress, headache, and many sorts of health hazards. I stayed 3 months in the Netherlands, and I have heard honks only thrice. Cars here wait for pedestrians. They also wait for the cars in front of them to move. In the Philippines, drivers use honks to tell the cars in front to move quickly, or to assert their position. It is just plain disrespectful and annoying.
3. Respecting pedestrian lanes
Do you know what are those white parallel lines painted perpendicular to the road? I hope you do. Because in the Philippines, those lines are mere decorations. Pedestrian lanes are designed to allow pedestrians to cross the roads. Drivers must slow down and stop before the pedestrian lanes to allow the people to cross and not the other way around. In the Philippines, drivers don’t seem to respect pedestrian lanes. But here in Europe, specifically in the Netherlands, I am so impressed with how patient the drivers are in allowing pedestrians to cross before they accelerate. Filipinos, pedestrian lanes are not just for insurance claims (kidding aside).
4. Observing respect to traffic/stop lights
When I was in grade school, I was taught that in traffic lights, red means stop, orange/yellow means prepare/get ready, and green means go. In the Philippines, well, in most of the cities, drivers only see green lights. Traffic lights are designed for safety, and I have seen a lot of accidents due to failure to observe respect to the traffic lights. Here in the Netherlands, people have good eyes. They know what is red, green and yellow.
5. Reduced use of plastics
5. Reduced use of plastics
Enough about the traffic. Let’s talk about plastic. I beg to disagree with Barbie. Life in plastic is not fantastic. The United Nations Joint Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Pollution (GESAMP), estimated that land-based sources account for up to 80 percent of the world's marine pollution, 60 to 95 percent of the waste being plastics debris. It is but proper to reduce the use of plastics. In the Netherlands, plastic shopping/grocery bags are not free. In the Philippines, when you buy stuff from the groceries, you are given free plastic bags. I am used to that. I always forget to bring plastic bags every time I buy groceries. Right now, I have a vast collection of plastic bags – Albert Heijn plastic bags, Action, Bazar, Spar, name it. With the plastic bags not given for free, it is practical to reuse them. Imagine if it is practiced in the Philippines. Waste generated from plastics will surely reduce. We don’t want to pay for a plastic bag. We want everything free.
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| I have collected a lot of plastic bags. I could've saved a couple Euros if I just reused the bags I first bought. |
6. Cleaning up own mess
When you eat in Jollibee, McDonald’s, KFC, Chowking or in Mang Inasal, I bet you just leave the place with the plates, condiments and all the mess in the table. Then the next customers will wait for the service crew to clean all the mess before they can sit and use the table. That’s just how it is in the Philippines. Come and eat in fast food chains here in the Netherlands. You don’t have to wait for a service crew to clean the table. People buss the table and leave it clean for the next customers. How courteous, right?
7. Everyone greets each other
I don’t have a lot of friends. I keep my circle small. But here in the Netherlands, you seem to be friends with everyone. When you encounter someone, may it be in the elevator, on the roads, or wherever, everyone stops to say hi. I found it weird at first, but when I got used to it, I found it very nice. Also, Dutch people are straightforward. We Filipinos use to sugarcoat. I just wonder how nice our environment would be if we find sincerity in every person.
There are also other things which I consider as honorable mentions, but I think, we couldn’t just ask for those things and level-off with these European countries because we are still developing. One is about work-life balance. Work-life balance here is amazing. We couldn’t just ask for that in Philippines. Our country is still developing, and we need to hustle and grind. Also, Europe is in the stage of energy transition. I can see a lot of efforts to reduce CO2 emissions, and to transition from the use of fossil fuels to a renewable source of energy. Our country can’t afford that for now. We have a lot of coal-fired power plants, which I believe is one of the few considerable choices we have for now because we are still in the build, build, build phase. We need cheap and readily-available energy source to fuel our developing economy. Hopefully nature will not take its toll on us.
I am sharing this based on opinion at a personal level. You may agree or disagree with some points. I love the Philippines. I really do. With my experience in Europe, I can just imagine what our country would look like if the Philippines, our people - the Filipinos will share the same practices mentioned. It would be very lovely living in a tropical country with safe roads, respectful and courteous people, and a clean environment. We don’t expect utopia, we just want a lovely place to live in.
