Introduction
Metro Manila being the capital of trade and as the economic center of the
Philippines faces a major problem. Throughout the years Manila has experienced
rapid growth from the business sector to an increased population of people which
has produced complex problems that needs to be addressed and if not taken
care of it can lead to far-reaching solutions. One of the most controversial issues
lately is the traffic congestion. The condition of road in Metro Manila has greatly
made an impact to the daily lives of the commuters. It affects not only our
valuable resources but also our economy. The Metro Manila Development
Authority in recognition of this problem has implemented various actions to be
able to minimize congestion in the city and to find an end to these problems; one
of it is the truck ban.
The basic concept of truck ban is that by eliminating trucks along Metro
Manilas major roads during peak hours, the traffic congestion problem may
lessen. During the implementation of the truck ban, in its first weeks we have
seen the positive effects in almost all areas of Manila, something that is only
experienced during Good Friday and whenever Manny Pacquiao has a battle to
win. Driving in Manila has never been this exciting: as if we were living in the
glorious days of the Philippine economy. Those were the years when traffic
congestion was a strange word and the price of gasoline was unimportant. The
objective was to decongest the continuing and habitual traffic problem in this part
of the country, which has gone from bad to worse. The deliveries of the goods
are delayed and export volume picks up. The available parking areas can
accommodate only a limited number of trucks and this leads to port congestion,
another problem. The city in its desire to promote improvement and to exceed
the achievements of the previous administration should have an intelligent
judgment. This study aims to determine the effects of the proposed scheme to
consumers.
To understand the transport and economic impacts of the truck ban
scheme, it is necessary to look into the changes in the market operations after
the truck ban has been implemented. Truck ban have been implemented in so
many cities around the world and they have succeeded, which gives us a relief.
The importance of knowing the effects of truck ban is it will give us light to the
real problem, that it is not just about the traffic congestion but the lack of
information and research about the real problem.
Despite the implementation of truck ban and several traffic measures, the
traffic situation in the roads of Metro Manila still worsen, that even on Saturdays
traffic congestion is still experienced almost everywhere in the metropolis. The
MMDA, in recognition of this dilemma, further amended Ordinance No. 5, Series
of 1994, by issuing Ordinance No. 96-008, which now includes Saturdays in the
truck ban period. In 1999, MMDA Regulation No.99-002, amended Ordinance
No. 5, Series of 1994, wherein the gross capacity weight has been amended
from 4,000 to 4,500 kilograms.
Theoretical Framework
In 1957 Herbert Simon challenged the classical economic theory that
economic behaviour was essentially rational behaviour in which decisions were
made on the basis of all available information with a view to securing the
optimum result possible for each decision maker. Instead, he contended that in
today's complex world individuals cannot possibly process or even obtain all the
information they need to make fully rational decisions. Rather, they try to make
decisions that are good enough and that represent reasonable or acceptable
outcomes. Simon proposed a less ambitious view of human decision making
which he called "bounded rationality" (BR) or "intended rational behaviour". It is,
as he called it that property of an agent that behaves in a manner that is nearly
optimal with respect to its goals as its resources will allow. He described the
results it brought as "satisficing." As early as 1947, he rejected the notion of an
omniscient "economic man" capable of making decisions that bring the greatest
benefit possible. Instead he and proposed the idea of "administrative man" who
"satisfices i.e. looks for a course of action that is satisfactory or `good enough.' "
Parminter and Wilson (2003) describe the model as follows: The model
addresses the internal (psychological) determinants of peoples behaviour across
a wide range of physical and social situations. The Theory of Reasoned Action
(TRA) is based upon peoples behaviour being strongly related to their attitudes
towards that behaviour. People form attitudes by systematically deliberating on
any information that they have about the behaviour being considered (Fazio,
1990, cited by Parminter and Wilson, 2003). In turn, attitudes result from an
individuals beliefs about the consequences of a particular behaviour and their
(his or her) evaluation of those beliefs. The more an individual expects that a
particular behaviour has good consequences for themselves, the more that
individual will have a positive attitude towards that behaviour. Similarly, the more
that an individual expects a behaviour to have undesirable consequences for
themselves, the more that they will have a negative attitude towards it. Peoples
attitudes influence their behaviour through the formation of intentions to behave
in certain ways.
Consumer Behaviour Theory (CBT) takes the needs of producers and
uses this as a starting point for evaluating the advantages and disadvantages of
an innovation. CBT assumes that a prospective adopter actively searches for
information and devotes a great deal of time and energy in making decisions.
Conceptual Framework
The study adopted the system approached known as input process
output model (Hiu 1991: 57 Slack , et. al., 1998: 9-17).
Input
Profile of the
Respondents:
Age
Sex
Civil Status
Highest
Educational
Attainment
Aspects of the effects
of truck ban in Manila
to consumers:
Process
Output
Assessment of the
effects of truck ban to
consumers
Presentation, Analysis,
and Interpretation of
Data through
Questionnaire.
Quantity of the
products available on
consumption
Variety of the
product available on
consumption
Price of the
product
Operation of the
store where the
consumer buy the
product
Feedback
The first frame or input contains leading variables in the effect of truck ban
to consumers in the following aspects age, sex, civil status and highest
educational attainment.
The third frame or output variables, contains the effects of truck ban to
consumers assessed.
2. How do the respondents assess the effects of truck ban in Manila in terms
of the following aspects?
2.1 Quantity of the products available on consumption
2.2 Variety of the product available on consumption
2.3 Price of the product
2.4 Operation of the store where the consumer buy the product
3. Is there a significant difference in the respondents assessment of the
effects of truck ban in Manila to consumers when they are grouped
according to profile?
Hypothesis
There is no significant difference in the effects of the truck ban to in Manila
consumers when they are grouped according to profile.
This study is, however, limited only to the students, employees and faculty
members of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines, Sta. Mesa, Manila.
Drivers. This study is important because truck drivers can know that they
are not the only ones who are being affected of the truck ban but also the city
people.
Suppliers. The study is helpful for the suppliers for it will provide them
insights with what the consumers think about the truck ban.
Consumers.
relevant informations that will help them in choosing the right place and time in
satisfying their needs and wants.
Students. Results of this study will lead to the students improvement of
their studies and academic performance to the best of their potentials.
Parents. Results of this study may provide parents a feedback on the
nature of the truck ban thus gving them information about wise buying.
The Community. This study is important because it can help the
community; particularly the officials and members of the government about the
guidelines of implementing a ban in a city.
Administrators. The results of this study will serve as an eye-opener to
administrators for effective planning, direction or guidance by encouraging
student and its employees to use more applicable, suitable, and effective
methods and strategies which will improve their buying behaviors.
Definition of Terms
The following terms have been conceptually defined according to the
overall orientation of the study.
behavior.
The
study
of
psychology
as
it
relates
to