Is this really Los Banos?
Have you recently been to Los Banos, Laguna ?
Seven years is a long time to be away from the place I love. And of course I expected change. But nothing prepared me for how nice that change was. Los Banos has now become a model place to live. Eveything is so clean and orderly. There are no litter on the streets anywhere. It’s unlawful to throw trash or smoke inside the jeepneys, and by law every public transport has to have a trashcan. They have a waste and recycling management that puts Baltimore to shame. Los Banos residents use their biodegradable trash so well that the plants around town have benefitted from the richer soil. The city is even now declared as a Science and Nature City, a testament to the marked improvement as a well as the abundant nature sites and scientific learning centers. There is even a neat children’s park beside the municipal hall.
The highway lanes are now marked with white and yellow strips and there are pedestrian lanes too, and surprise surprise (!) people actually use them. 
Traffic enforcers are serious about making people obey rules, so much so that a bullhorn will unbashedly describe you out if they see you disobeying, “Hey, you! the woman with the blue umbrella that’s crossing the street! Here in Los Banos, people obey traffic laws so how come you’ve the guts to jay-walk! Be ashamed of yourself!” (HOY! ikaw! Yang babaeng naka-blue na payong na tumatawid ng kalsada! Dito po sa Los Banos, sumusunod ng traffic laws ang tao, eh bakit ang lakas mong mag-jay walking! Mahiya ka naman!”) Double shame on you if the mayor himself catches you disobeying the law. And he does, this mayor Perez. Everyone told me that he’s a frequent site at the junction, directing traffic or using the bullhorn.
Everyone I talked to says it with pride, how Los Banos has improved with a better public servant in office and innovative ways of running the town. It is a good place to live.
(The photo above was taken at the gate of the UP Los Banos campus)
(Part of a mini-series, ”My Journey Home ” chronicles this balikbayan’s return after 7 long years.)
6 Comments
It took a great mayor to bring out the best in the people of Los Banos. This mayor of ours has once again proven himself. As Barangay Captain of Batong Malaki he did it, for several terms as mayor he has done it again. I worry for one day his term limits will come and a new mayor will step in.
Mayor Perez we salute you.
Although there still is room for improvement like enforcing of laws regarding alcohol serving establishments, better educated or more intelligent LBTMO traffic enforcers(in yellow). Get rid of the LTMO enforcers (in blue)for they are arrogant and over bearing and don’t have an ounce of respect for motorists. Reduction of the number of public use jeepneys. There are too many, many run about empty, clogging up the narrow streets, stopping anywhere, coaxing possible passengers even if they don’t need a ride causing terrible traffic jams.
Otherwise, everything seems a-ok.
Congrats Mayor Perez, congrats Los Banos!
[...] Information about places in the Philippines like Abra, Paoay Church in Ilocos Norte, Los Baños, and [...]
sana po kapag nakahuli ng overloading sa motorcycle may warning muna kapag first offense, hindi yung kukunin agad ang plaka.
magkano po ba talaga bayad bakit walang amount sa resibo?
[...] province are you from?” (Taga-saan ka sa atin?). If they are Tagalog, I would tell them my hometown in Los Banos, Laguna. If they are Bisaya, I would mention my tiny seaside birthplace in Negros [...]
tagal ko na sa los banos, ang ayaw ko lang eh namimili ang nanghuhuli sa LB. Saka ningas kugon din sila. Saka inde tama yung ipahiya mo ang tao, lalo na naka megaphone ka pa. Yung nag-sasalita sa crossing, ang sakit na sa tenga, ang tingin ko sa los banos eh isang perya. Delikado din yung ginagawa nila na mag-counter flow, una sa lahat makipot lang ang kalsada, pangalwa delikado para sa pedestrians. Minsan kahit malakas ang ulan or basa ang kalsada, gusto nila mabilisana ng sasakyan. Dami kong nakikita dito sa LB na mali.
-may mga trucks na nag-lalagay sa mga yellow boys.
-minsan, siguro tinatamad sila or baka maunti sila, hindi nila pinapansin ang walang helmet. Pero pag marami sila, labasan na mga tapang nila.
-May mga instance na hinuhuli ang driver pag tumigil sa ibabaw ng pedestrian lane, pero mas maraming beses akong nakita na mismo yung mga nakayellow eh ok lang na dun tumigil, yung mga taong tatawid parang langgam na nagkalat pag tatawid kasi nakaharang yung sasakyan sa pedestrian lane na kagagawan ng yellow traffic enforcer.
-3 times na rin akong nakakita ng aksidenta at ang dahilan eh dahil sa kabobohan ng traffic enforcer..hahahaha
-may times din na bawal mag-baba sa “loading and unloading area” Anu ba yun? ang lake ng nakasulat sa kalsada pero yung mga traffice enforcer eh nakaharang kayat hindi makapagbaba.
-Eto pa, ang bobo talaga nila, iniipon ang sasakyan tapos pag traffic na, counter flow na..hahahaha, mas maganda kung walang nag-t-traffic sa gitna,walang traffic.
Oh ano? bilib pa ba kayo? or hinde lang kayo tiga dito sa LB.
@ comment by “cesar perez” impersonator. Ako dito ako lumaki sa Los Baños. 44 years na ako dito bale. Ikaw, matagal na as you said? mga 2 years maybe?
To be completely honest, your comments are totally accurate and I agree with you completely. The other day I berated one of the yellow boys for their idiotic counter flow, for he was shouting at me to turn right after exiting from Robinsons even as counter flowing vehicles were bearing down on me!!! ANo ako papakamatay??? IDIOT! sabi ko… And this is only one example. Another is a yellow boy urging me quite rudely to hurry up sa crossing, as I did, an asshole was overtaking(!) at the crossing and almost got me head on! After all this, he had the gall to say: “ayan sige, magmadali ka pa!” IDIOT!!! I said again…
@vsdepadua’s comments, I also agree completely. Simply because if you really are taga-LB like he obviously is, you would know how bad it was, really bad it was before Mayor Perez came. Whatever shortcomings they have now, they are still 100% better than any one mayor before him. Things have gone down a bit though recently as his term limits come. He seemingly has become not the “on hands” mayor he was during his earlier years. I hear he may be going for the congressional seat 2010. Because of this, services have gone to the dogs, garbage collection although still ok, is at times late or irregular. Traffic control, although still tolerable, has become a bit chaotic. Yellow boys ng LBTMO? Dapat kolektahin na din ng basurero yang mga yan. Isama na din yung blueboys ng LTMO at isa pang mga ugok yang mga yan!!! Sayang ang sinimulan ni Mayor kung hindi itutuloy o babantayan. Sayang. Most probably the next mayor will be Genuino na anak ng Pagcor. Nag sasaboy na ng pera sa mga barangay to ensure election in 2010! The good news is makikinabang tayo sa perang ikakalat nya sa LB in terms of projects, infrastruture, etc etc. Sa dami ng nakakalap nila sa Pagcor!!! I just hope hindi nila gawing milking cow din ang LB katulad ng gawa nila sa pagcor…..
Yes, ako bilib pa din, sa mga accomplishments nila, sayang lang at napapabayaan na. Ikaw wala ka namang alam, at apparently you weren’t even here before Perez became mayor…sorry, but sa totoo lang…