Stephen Bentley - How to Drive Like an Idiot In Bacolod: An Expats Experiences of Driving in the Philippines and How to Survive

How to Drive Like an Idiot in Bacolod

AN EXPATS EXPERIENCES OF DRIVING IN THE PHILIPPINES AND HOW TO SURVIVE

Copyright 2017 by Stephen Bentley

Published by Bentley Sabrine Books

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, without prior written permission.

www.expatinbacolod.com

How to Drive Like an Idiot in Bacolod/ Stephen Bentley

Acknowledgements

To Zabrina, who provides me with the love, patience and space to enable me to write prolifically in retirement.

To all the good people of Bacolod, especially those who encouraged me to write first the series of articles in my blog then this book. In particular, I thank all the participants in both Bacolod Facebook groups, I Park Like an IDIOT Bacolod, and I Drive Like an IDIOT Bacolod.

To Annoula for the great eBook cover design.

Salamat!

Foreword

This is the revised edition of How to Drive Like an Idiot in Bacolod. A decision was reached to delete the original title because on reflection it painted an incomplete picture of Bacolod, the City of Smiles.

Much of the original content remains with minor edits. That original content is still intended to serve a serious purpose to educate anyone who uses the roads in Bacolod or anywhere else in the Philippines.

That aim extends to Filipinos, expats who either live here in the Philippines or intending to live here, and tourists to this wonderful archipelago. Reading it may just save your life!

Please note that the content in Chapter Two, referring to corruption in the Philippines has been overtaken by recent political events. The Republic of the Philippines now has a new President. He appears to be doing his utmost to stamp out corruption at all levels of Filipino society.

This second edition includes chapters on the great things about Bacolod.

The original foreword follows below and after that I have taken the liberty of inserting the two 5* reviews following the publication of the 1st edition.

I use American English throughout this book in case you were wondering why a Brit would do that. Simple answer is that many of my blog followers are American. Also Filipinos use American English spellings.

Stephen Bentley

***

Id venture driving in Iloilo City but never in Bacolod City, said Ed, a Quality Control Manager who has worked and lived for more than 40 years in the US and who eventually settled in his hometown of Culasi, Antique after his retirement from Sunkist in California several years back.

Ed issued that statement during my first meeting with British citizen Stephen Steve Bentley who, like my family, was being hosted by Ed for a vacation at his beach house which he considers (rightfully so) as his little piece of paradise on earth.

Antique is a laid back province in Panay Island where the center of commerce is in Iloilo City in the Province of Iloilo. Bacolod City is the capital of Negros Occidental, the western side of the island which is considered the Sugar Bowl of the Philippines.

Steve was impressed by the unhurried pace of life, succulent food and the jovial people of Negros and that he wishes to reside in Bacolod City, the provincial capital. He further disclosed that he was contemplating buying an SUV to get around the City of Smiles and to see the other charms of Negros Island.

Ed and I cautioned him about the hazards of driving in Bacolod.

Id rather take a company car or a taxi to get me around the city than personally drive and joust in the road with Bacolod drivers, I told Steve.

Steve was undeterred. Banking on driving credentials as long as the arm in his 6 4 frame, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeths subject rushed on in his SUV into the streets of Bacolod. To borrow Lord Alfred Tennysons words, Steve was strong in will to strive, to seek, to find... albeit you can bet he had to yield.

We who have gotten accustomed to the norm of Bacolod traffic will be simultaneously bemused and red-faced at how a foreigner sees the way we behave in our streets.

From drivers, pedestrians, and the ubiquitous city street vendors, we can learn more than just a thing or two on how we should conduct ourselves safely on the road from the characteristically tongue-in-cheek British wit and sometimes audaciously blunt observations of the author as he maneuvers in Bacolod traffic.

Next to getting behind the wheel of a vehicle, this is the closest you can get to experience How to Drive Like an Idiot in Bacolod.

R. BUTCH S. BACAOCO

Corporate Communications Consultant

Former Editor-in-Chief

Sun.Star Bacolod Newspaper

Bacolod City, Negros Occidental

***

First Edition Reviews

Buy This Book To Save Your Life - Seriously, I'm not joking, if you want to survive in the Philippines , March 13, 2016

By

Gerald Wennerstrom

I have lived in the Philippines for almost two years. I've been to Davao, Cagayan de Oro, Manila, Cebu, Bacolod and Valencia City. Steve's book '

How To Drive Like An Idiot In Bacolod' covers about 98% of the Philippines. Steve paints the picture exactly how it is. If you plan on coming to the Philippines buy this book as your guide to driving. Pleased, also heed his warning about driving at night - very dangerous. My wife and I have a car, but I do not drive, she does - and I have given up attempting to teach her the 'proper way' to drive. He is also correct about the wonderful people here. The smiles are wonderful, in fact infectious :-) The Filipinos are wonderful to be with - I should know I fell in love with the most wonderful Filipina. Come to the Philippines and enjoy some of the best people on the Earth. You won't be disappointed - but don't drive yourself :-)

An eye-opening look at the way Filipinos drive, from a foreigner's perspective , April 26, 2016

I honestly didn't appreciate the title because Filipinos aren't idiots. We just drive a certain way because if we didn't, we'd never get anywhere on time. Or at all. We just have a gung-ho attitude about getting someplace, though we also have a laissez-faire attitude about it as well.