Tag: transportation

The State of Mass Transit in the Philippines

Earlier I read a news about how, once again, the commuting masses face kilometric lines in the MRT. Apparently from close to 50 trains when the operations started, it went down to 30 then 20 and now 7. 

How can 7 trains accommodate the thousands that venture to use these services? 

I am reminded of a constant topic of discussion between a friend and I about how our government has wrongly prioritized transportation channels. 

Going North from Manila there are the networks of toll ways making land travel faster and more convenient. Going South from Manila sees the same. Is it wrong to improve these road systems? 

Well, not if you want to solely cater to the elite who can afford cars and hefty toll fees. 

Improving road networks are not wrong. It’s important to improve them for faster and easier travel. However, the toll ways were made with those who have private cars in mind. They are the ones who can afford the toll fees imposed due to the improvements and conveniences of dedicated highways. 

What we can see from every improved and developed nation – or even our next door Asian neighbors – are highly developed train systems. 

Train systems are the ticket to massive mass transportation. We were at the forefront of it when LRT 1 was constructed – the first and best in Asia at that time. But somehow we’ve lagged behind. 

Imagine. If we prioritize our train systems and we get to develop well functioning trains and even make way for high-speed bullet trains, then it would be possible for people in the nearby provinces to travel easily in and out of Metro Manila. 

Imagine a Metro Manila that is less congested because the people who live in its dense cities can easily go home weekly to their far flung provinces as aided by the train systems. Who knows, some may even go home daily eliminating the need to rent a temporary house within Manila. 

Trains are supposed to be the key to efficient public mass transportation. Yet in skewed prioritization it appears they are at the bottom list. 

chugging in the log bus

Horrifying. Appalling.

Harsh and excessive words yet I can think of no other words to describe the experience I’ve had en route to work today. I cannot fathom how heartless, merciless or plain stupid the administration can get for doing what they did to their “prized” agents. They say that agents are the backbone of the business. That agents are the ones who bring in the money. That without the agents, there would be no support whatsoever.

But why do they treat us like this? I have no qualms if they sent the “see-through” bus to pick us up, even at night when the wind is bitingly bitter and cold. But to have that bus pick us up when the weather is rainy, how stupid and merciless can they get? Don’t they know that the speed of the bus creates a wind force that could send even the tiniest droplets of rain pelting in our faces? I had to endure an approximately 20 minute ride to the work site and for that duration my face was wet with rain splashes. Not only that, I was bitterly cold even with a jacket and my hair was unceremoniously swept away in a most unfashionable way. To think I was sitting in the middle of the bus. I wonder how those sitting at the edges felt. I was boiling with rage inside.

Was it too much to ask for them to simply send over the mini-bus, a bus with decent roof and wall cover on such weather as this, especially since the bus was readily available and the number of people aboard that “see-through” bus, which is officially called LOG bus, is enough to fit in the mini bus.

Furthermore, was it too much to send the two vans to make the pick-up for the relatively small number of agents coming in at 10pm? I would moot the point that they were trying to save on gas because when I was the sole agent coming to the site for a particular shift, they would send the van for me when it would have been cheaper to just give me transportation allowance in cash.

I must say it was utter disrespect and disregard to basic human and employee rights to provide a transportation that would highly inconvenience even expose the employees to certain dangers and illnesses. I wish the management had employed more common sense in what they did. All sensibilities point out that I must make a case out of this with my supervisor and the other people concerned.

But I guess I’ll wait and see if they repeat the same atrocity again. (Atrocity.. hmm.. not quite the right word but I like the sound of it so indulge me.)

 

Addendum:

I later learned that the “support” people like the supervisors got to ride in the vans and enjoy its plush comforts. Apparently, everywhere there is discrimination of the classes. Tsk.