[MMDA General Manager Thomas M. Orbos (“TIM”) is shown here with his signature smile which ought to bring us all of his friends, KIN and KITH alike; to exert an extra mile into helping TIM and to put in some degree of extra patience as all efforts are being waged into solving the monstrous traffic problem in the metropolis’ midst.]  

 

 

I first met him in the late 80s  in K-VILLE¹

After my son TON² was born in 1988 APRIL,

He willingly agreed to become a NINONG;

Though the venue’s reception  was remotely far-FLUNG³…

 

 

 

We  were in fact next-door NEIGHBORS,

But my Dad-in-law wanted the event at his DOORS⁴ ;

For which reason the baptismal was had at the Assumption Church⁵ ZONE,

A 19th-century Neo-Byzantine-Romanesque church made of STONE!

 

 

 

I remember having co-served with TIM at the KVTHA⁶,

Though it was just so brief as they had a quick STAY;

Having just rented the K-VILLE HOME;

Am sure, the couple⁷ wanted a home of their OWN…

 

 

And then I learned Tim became Prexy of O.R.C.A.⁸,

It’s an advisory group with strengths,   in full BONANZA⁹;

And now he is fully focused into TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT¹⁰,

That’s his main thrust at the MMDA¹¹; it’s his TOP COMMITMENT!

 

 

The vehicular volume has indeed reached its PEAK,

So let’s not expect too much of an EPIC;

The sight of TIM doing the rounds at EDSA’s^{12  ROW},

As for me… it’s indicative of a passionate doer– working VERDADISIMO BUENO¹³!

 

 

 

 

To those who love and respect TIM MUCH,

Let’s do our share and help TIM as SUCH;

Let’s all religiously observe those traffic RULES,

Let’s not violate the traffic lights as though we’re bound by FERRULES¹⁴!

 

 

What is even more exacting to FOLLOW,

As we want all our streets to be quite SHALLOW¹⁵;

Let’s not all drive around when our number¹⁶ is BANNED,

Even if the distance  is just truly SHORT-SPANNED!

 

 

And the best gift that we could give to TIM,

Is not to brag about and drop his NAME;

For those MMDA constables could be so POLITE,

Hearing TIM’s name might make them

 quite blind and UNBRIGHT!

 

 

 

JUST BEING JOCULAR… unto MY SON’S GODFATHER, WHO’S GROWN SO POPULAR!

 

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BOSS TIM!

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[Legend: 1 – K-Ville Townhomes is that small community within Sanville Subdivision in Tandang Sora, Quezon City where I and my Kumpadre Tim Orbos became next-door neighbors.

2 – TON, is my only son, and is fully named as WALTER ANTHONY E. YOUNG.

3 – Far-flung – Though we were then residing in K-Ville, in compliance with the wishes of my father-in-law, Antonio S. Evangelista, TON, being his namesake too—the baptismal rites and the reception were both held in Bulacan, Bulacan.

4 – My father-in-law then owned a private resort named VILLA EVANGELISTA in Bulacan, Province of Bulacan which is just almost across the Roman Catholic church thereat.

5 – The Our Lady of Assumption Parish Church, commonly known as the Bulakan Church, is a 19th-century Neo-Byzantine-Romanesque stone church located at Barangay San Jose, in the Municipality of Bulakan (formerly spelled as Bulacan), Bulacan Province, Philippines. It is one of the parishes of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Malolos under the Vicariate of the Immaculate Conception. The church was declared Marked Historical Structure of the Philippines in 2007 by the National Historical Institute, the precursor of the National Historical Commission of the Philippines. A historical marker bearing a brief history of the church was therein installed by the commission.

6 – KVTHA is the K-Ville Townhomes Homeowners’ Association.

7 – The couple refers to Kumpadreng Tim Orbos and his pretty wife, Kumadreng Ditas Colet Orbos.

8 –  O.R.C.A. is acronym for Orbos Research Consultancy and Advisory Corporation. It is an advisory group that specializes in providing the proper business, legal and government relations roadmap for companies doing business or intends to do business in the Philippines. Among  its clients are: a European conglomerate with strengths in information technology, defense and transport; a Korean group that is into telecoms and energy; a European aviation company and a Philippine top 100 corporation engaged in various industries.

10- TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT has now become the top concern of the MMDA considering the appalling report that the traffic problem is costing the Philippine economy almost Php 3 billions daily.

11- MMDA is acronym for the METRO-MANILA DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY. The MMDA is an agency of the Republic of the Philippines created embracing the cities of Manila, Quezon City, Caloocan, Pasay, Mandaluyong, Makati, Pasig, Marikina, Muntinlupa, Las Piñas, Parañaque, Valenzuela, Malabon, Taguig, Navotas and San Juan and the municipality of Pateros. Metropolitan Manila or the National Capital Region is constituted into a special development and administrative region subject to direct supervision of the President of the Philippines. The MMDA performs planning, monitoring and coordinative functions, and in the process exercises regulatory and supervisory authority over the delivery of metro-wide services within Metro-Manila without diminution of the autonomy of the local government units concerning purely local matters.

12 – EDSA which is acronym for Epifanio de los Santos Avenue , is a limited-access circumferential highway around Manila, the capital of the Philippines. It is the main thoroughfare in Metro-Manila passing through 6 of the capital region’s 17 local government units, namely, from north to south, Caloocan, Quezon City, San Juan, Mandaluyong, Makati and Pasay City.

13 – VERDADISIMO BUENO is a Spanish phrase meaning TRULY GREAT or TRULY GOOD.

14 – FERRULE is a metal band strengthening or forming a joint. Thus, by way of POETIC LICENSE, the term implies a very strict rule that binds us to compliance.

15 – SHALLOW is synonymous to SLIGHT. Thus, again, by way of POETIC LICENSE, a SHALLOW STREET is one with very SLIGHT TRAFFIC.

16 – Number is the car’s plate number particularly the ENDING NUMBER which on a ONCE-A-WEEK sked, is banned from the metropolis’ streets from 7 am to 8 pm everyday.]