Paid Christmas Caroling

[Gary D]

11 hours ago, JDDavao said:

They never have these guys at the intersections of side roads and national highways where drivers from the side streets/roads have to force themselves out into traffic because there's no traffic control devices.

They deliberately keep them away because they cause total chaos whenever they get anywhere near real traffic.

[Tommy T.]

33 minutes ago, Gary D said:

They deliberately keep them away because they cause total chaos whenever they get anywhere near real traffic.

I will give CTTMO a bit of a defense. I have watched some of them who seem to actually improve and ease traffic flow here. Sometimes there are a few who are totally inept, but many stand out in the blazing hot sun and enforce some of the traffic laws, write tickets to violators and keep traffic moving when (which is often) the traffic lights are not functioning. I have only encountered the one nasty, drunk who wanted some cash that time. Two other times I have been let go with a verbal warning for speeding or "obstruction" when stopped or parking.

However, I do see them sometimes too in gaggles hanging out and yucking it up (in the shade) and not apparently doing anything...

[JDDavao II]

11 hours ago, Tommy T. said:

keep traffic moving when (which is often) the traffic lights are not functioning

Don't they turn the traffic lights to flash and manually direct traffic? I haven't seen the lights not working at all very often. Which doesn't mean much since i only go out a couple times a week.

[gery0x]

13 hours ago, Tommy T. said:

I will give CTTMO a bit of a defense. I have watched some of them who seem to actually improve and ease traffic flow here. Sometimes there are a few who are totally inept, but many stand out in the blazing hot sun and enforce some of the traffic laws

I agree!

*imho* it also heavily depends on the location. For example, I know of one bigger intersection where the CTTMO guys are really helpful during rush hours , but also another smaller one where traffic gets stuck whenever those guys are on the scene...

1 hour ago, JDDavao said:

Don't they turn the traffic lights to flash and manually direct traffic?

Possibly... I think during said rush hours this might make sense at certain spots!

 

As to the caroliners (which is the actual topic here);

I occasionally give them a couple of pesos, but not all the time - especially because I want to prevent them from coming back again and again.

But I do appreciate their effort, I think this is a nice American tradition!

Sometimes when real choirs with women from a local church show up (with real instruments and real singing voices) they even receive up to 100 PHP.

As in all areas: quality defines the price

[Tommy T.]

9 hours ago, JDDavao said:

Don't they turn the traffic lights to flash and manually direct traffic? I haven't seen the lights not working at all very often. Which doesn't mean much since i only go out a couple times a week.

Yeah... I do see that we have wandered way off topic again... my fault at least a bit... But I will venture one last comment regarding CTTMO...

You may be right, JD, but I cannot really tell. I drive almost daily between Matina and downtown and see the stoplights variously working or just flashing and sometimes with police or CTTMO boys working the intersections or not. I cannot fathom if there is a pattern or, if so, what the pattern might be. It seems to be one of the many mysteries of the Philippines?

[Tukaram (Tim)]

9 hours ago, gery0x said:

I agree!

*imho* it also heavily depends on the location. For example, I know of one bigger intersection where the CTTMO guys are really helpful during rush hours , but also another smaller one where traffic gets stuck whenever those guys are on the scene...

Possibly... I think during said rush hours this might make sense at certain spots!

 

As to the caroliners (which is the actual topic here);

I occasionally give them a couple of pesos, but not all the time - especially because I want to prevent them from coming back again and again.

But I do appreciate their effort, I think this is a nice American tradition!

Sometimes when real choirs with women from a local church show up (with real instruments and real singing voices) they even receive up to 100 PHP.

As in all areas: quality defines the price

We did some caroling in the US, but I never heard of paying carolers in the US.  Not sure where the Filipinos got that part.

[Mike J]

On 12/22/2019 at 7:29 AM, Tukaram (Tim) said:

We did some caroling in the US, but I never heard of paying carolers in the US.  Not sure where the Filipinos got that part.

How else can you get them to go away?