Some superheroes wear veils

(First of two parts)

Last month, a video of a Catholic nun directing traffic went viral online. It was posted by Facebook user Francis Samonte, who quipped, “Subukan mong ’wag sumunod, minus one ka sa langit!” [If you don’t follow her, you get minus one point in heaven!”]

When I discovered that the nun was Sr. Constance Tecson, OSB, based at St. Scholastica’s College Manila (SSC), I was not surprised.

Overseeing fund management and priory development for the order (see columns last July 7 and 14, 2017), this 57-year-old sister also now unravels jams along Leon Guinto and adjoining roads.

When asked about the video, Sr. Constance laughs.

“I’ve been directing traffic around SSC since 2022, after lockdown restrictions eased,” she says. “The first time, I wondered why cars were not moving at all, and asked the people nearby, who just said, ‘Traffic.’ I wanted to find out why, so I walked some way until I saw that the intersection was blocked, so I decided to clear it. These days, after morning mass ends at 6:45, I manage the traffic, 30 minutes on a usual morning, sometimes 45 when it is [especially] bad.”

The video attracted comments from netizens who say Sr. Constance is a regular and welcome sight.

A year ago, a grateful student posted another photo of Sr. Constance on Viber—she was directing traffic in the rain, an umbrella in one hand. “Some superheroes wear veils,” exulted a netizen.

“I am not trained as an enforcer, but I am a driver, so I know traffic rules,” Sr. Constance says. “The hardest part is that I am small! When I’m on one side of the road but need the cars to stop on the other end, I have to run—really run!—there so the drivers can see me. Then I stand there with my arms outstretched.”

While metropolitan traffic is a complex and tangled problem, a specific jam may have a root cause. “I don’t stay at the same corner every day. If I have to walk blocks farther from the school to find the source of the problem, I do that.”

For Sr. Constance, many traffic issues are ultimately caused by not wanting to give way—“walang bigayan.” Cars stop in the middle of the road, motorbikes cut off pedestrians, tricycles counterflow, leading to blockages at surrounding roads.

Sometimes, drivers are afraid to get caught and fined due to arbitrary rules.

“When the video was taken, I had just talked to a truck driver who was blocking the intersection. I asked him to move, but he said he had to keep his spot to turn left. This was causing blockages around. Good that the light then turned green and he could go! But we should prioritize decongestion and traffic flow. Instead of negativity, such as catching wrongdoing, we should emphasize positivity, such as giving way,” she says.

Another time, Sr. Constance saw that a narrow road had cars parked on both lanes, leaving barely one lane in the middle for cars to pass.

The people who collected the parking fares said these allowed them to collect more public funds.

Sr. Constance agreed with the need for fundraising, but pointed out that by allowing parking on both sides, the flow of vehicles through the road had all but slowed to a halt. She told them that she would discuss this issue with those in charge.

“The next day, I saw the cars parked only on one side,” Sr. Constance recounts. “Funds could still be raised, but traffic flow improved. So it was a good compromise.”

When asked about the risks of directing traffic, Sr. Constance says, “Aside from being a woman, I am also a sister. My white cassock is very visible. I thank God that most drivers will respect and obey.

“And if they find it funny that a nun is directing traffic, I hope it relieves their stress and provides a simple joy. There is so much negativity these days, all around us. Even sitting in traffic is a big, big stress. I hope to combat that with some positivity and joy.”

Next week: Raising good samaritans

Queena N. Lee-Chua is with the board of directors of Ateneo’s Family Business Center. Get her book “All in the Family Business” at Lazada or Shopee, or the ebook at Amazon, Google Play, Apple iBooks. Contact the author at [email protected].