PRESIDENT Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. will deliver his third State of the Nation Address (SONA) in the Batasang Pambansa complex in Quezon City today, July 22, 2024, at 4 p.m.
The SONA is the president’s yearly address in which he informs the nation about the country’s current economic, political, and social situation after the previous year.
Photo Courtesy: Presidential Communications Office | Facebook
It also allows the president to recap their accomplishments from the previous year and name planned programs for the remainder of their tenure in office.
This year, President Marcos Jr. has a wide range of issues to discuss with Filipinos. One of the many issues discussed was how the public transit system has improved over the past year.
During the first quarter of the year, a lot happened in our country’s transportation sector. Not to mention the well publicized Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program (PUVMP).
This is only one of the government’s efforts aimed at bridging the gap to the future. With PUVMP, phasing out traditional jeepneys could potentially cut our country’s carbon emissions.
According to the president, this is a means to make our country’s transportation smarter and more sustainable in the years ahead. Government offices are trying to implement additional initiatives that will suit the demands of the Filipino people.
Photo Courtesy: Yannes Kiefer | Unsplash
“There is still a long way to go, but we are committed to making the Philippines a leader in smart and sustainable transportation,” the President said during the Indo-Pacific Business Forum.
“While we have not yet reached the point of seamless smart transportation, we are not standing still either. We have a wide range of programs and projects underway, all aimed at making our transport systems more efficient and our cities smarter.”
There is no doubt that the current administration has worked relentlessly to meet the needs of the Filipino people. The question is, how much progress has the country made already?
There is no better way to determine whether the country’s public transportation system is improving than to experience it firsthand.
Now, how long will it take to commute to Intramuros? Here are some commuter perspectives from republicasia interns.
Transportation from Sampaloc is either a hit or miss. Although everything is accessible in the area: hospitals, groceries, wet-markets, and other miscellaneous stores that are needed in everyday life, there is the difficulty of commuting to and from offices and schools.
Being an intern having to travel from Sampaloc to Intramuros has been a struggle, especially during rush-hour commutes. As part of our fieldwork, I commuted to the office at 7AM on a Friday to compare it to my daily trips.
I would have three rides before reaching my destination: one tricycle and two jeepneys.
From home, the tricycle (₱25.00) would take me to Altura street where I’d take the first jeepney (₱13.00, student) with the route to Divisoria, drop-off at Avenida. I’d have to take another jeepney (₱12.00, student) from there with the route of Pier 15, South and get off at Soriano avenue, corner Arzobispo street. It would be my daily cardio to walk from Arzobispo all the way to Real street to arrive at the office.
Photo Courtesy: d.zarcal | flickr
A total travel time of 35 minutes during a 7 AM commute that totaled to an amount of a ₱50.00 fare.
On the contrary, the daily commute would usually take 35 to 45 minutes–35 minutes on a good day where the jeepney I’d take would drive faster than an F1 racer.
That 10-minute difference would be an accumulation of being stuck in traffic or having difficulty hailing a jeepney because it would have been full.
Pureza, Legarda, Recto, and Avenida are often the areas where I encounter traffic caused by narrow roads. The travel along Pureza and Legarda can be unpredictable, random road constructions or Maynilad maintenance would be a common sight as your jeepney finally passes the head of the traffic congestion.
Aside from unbearable traffic, the lack of accessible walkways in Metro Manila is one issue for commuters like myself. I have the option to walk as opposed to taking a tricycle. However, parked vehicles would take up most of the nonexistent walkways and tricycles, motorcycles, and cars would not hesitate to take up the remaining space just to breeze past in the street.
The same can be said to areas like Recto for Avenida stops, where jeepneys would drop off commuters in the middle of the street just before the stoplight.
Photo Courtesy: rebelwithacross | flickr
It seems like there is more space for private vehicles in Manila than those for the average commuter.
Motorcycle ride-hailing apps have become the solution to tedious commutes with faster travel time and less hassle of moving jeepneys. Compared to my usual travel time of an average of 40 minutes, the commute with motorcycles would cut down 20 minutes.
But comfort comes with a price, as the fare would be ₱90.00, a 40-peso difference to my daily fare.
As of 2020, there are over 2 million commuters in Metro Manila, a large number of that being private vehicle owners that add to the city’s traffic congestion. Accessible and feasible commutes via Public Utility Vehicles is a solution that can alleviate the amount of vehicles traveling on roads. Another solution is for convenient walkways and sidewalks to promote more foot traffic than taking jeepneys for close distance areas.
The transportation system in the Philippines is an issue that has yet to be solved and addressed for the sake of Filipino commuters who are already suffering at the cost of their time.
It is as troublesome to live in Tondo as it is to get out of it. To commute to work from my home in Balut, I would need to take two rides with several minutes of walking in between taking anywhere between 50 to 90 minutes of traveling to reach the office.
I will be using my experience from commuting on a Friday at 7:00 AM, this being one of my fastest travel times with 53 minutes, and comparing it to my daily commute while also citing situations wherein traffic jams were at their worst.
I left the house on the dot, taking me five minutes to walk towards my first jeepney ride (₱11, student) that usually waits for passengers to fill in the seats. The ride takes me from Balut to Blumentritt. It took me 15 minutes from the usual 20 to 30. I assume it was faster this time because the roads were uncharacteristically free from other vehicles.
Photo Courtesy: Kevin Pudon | Flickr
Arriving at Blumentritt, I took a three-minute walk towards my second jeepney (₱13, student) which will take me from Blumentritt to Intramuros. It took me a quick 20 minutes to arrive at the walled city, faster by 5 to 10 minutes from the usual travel time, leading to another 10 minutes spent walking towards the office for a grand total of 53 minutes and some change.
However, there was a time wherein my commute took the entire 90 minutes due to multiple road constructions and issues with jeepneys I rode. My usual travel time takes a little past an hour, with the two jeepney rides taking 20 and 25 minutes each respectively.
In other words, I would first need to allocate an entire hour and a half even before I go onsite, time I could have spent either resting or writing an article instead.
If I wanted to arrive earlier or faster, I would need to either wake up significantly earlier, spend twice my fare for a fast motorcycle ride-hailing service, or simply be lucky with the traffic.
The first option is too difficult since I already need to wake up almost two hours prior to leaving because of how long I need to prepare for the day.
On the other hand, the second solution is an alternative I often use but the expenses rack up too much and prove to be hard to maintain; doing it once or twice is okay, needing to do it more than that is a luxury.
Photo Courtesy: Alvin Cabaltera | Flickr
The travel time gets cut down by half, down to 20 to 30 minutes; a considerable improvement. But the fare goes up to an entire ₱100 without vouchers, from my usual fare of ₱24.
With that, the solutions that must be applied must come from a national level, and not a personal one. I am already taking an hour to travel from Manila to Manila; how long do those who live outside of the city have to spend every day to arrive at work?
The challenges of commuting goes beyond the boundaries of Metro Manila. Another intern from republicasia, Crissa Ayson, travels all the way to Intramuros, Manila from Kawit, Cavite to get to the office.
It would take her four rides to get to her destination. Her commute would result in a travel time of 2 hours and 30 minutes to 3 hours during a 6 AM commute that totaled to an amount of a ₱72.00 fare just for her travel going to the office.
Crissa would have a longer commute going home with 5 rides. It would be relatively shorter compared to her commute on the way to the office, ranging from 2 hours to 2 hours and 30 minutes. Her journey home would cost her ₱80.00 for her fare.
It takes Crissa an average of 5 hours to commute everyday with a total of ₱152 for her fare.
Mondays and Fridays are the hardest days during the week for her commute due to the density of commuters at PITX. This coincides with the disarray of lines to get on buses. Crissa also faces issues like bus conductors that would ask for fare prices outside of the usual pricing.
Meanwhile, another intern Gella Aboratigue takes four rides to arrive at the office, taking almost three hours of travel on average, costing her ₱58 each time. It takes her roughly the same time to get home, but with an additional ₱25 to the total fare.
Photo Courtesy: Ulf Sandström | Unsplash
She commutes from Pasay through four rides. All these, together with her walking, tallies her travel time for over two hours. Altogether, her entire fare to and from the office, comes to a total of ₱140 a day.
Gella says that her commuting experience is “too complicated” since she lives “in the boundary of Pasay City, regarded as the Travel City kaya ang daming intersections and vehicles, and Paranaque City na kilala sa heavy traffic din talaga.”
She shared that she always struggles because of traffic, especially at West Service Road during rush hour. Forcing her to allocate over two hours in her schedule just for commuting.
Adding to that, because the West Service Road is narrow, accidents in that location affect everybody going towards Pasay and returning to Merville.
Trying to look for alternatives, Gella tried to look for ride-hailing apps but the more than ₱250 costs discouraged her from them.
“I’d rather wake up early and bumiyahe nang matagal, para sure na hindi ako late or magmamadali, kaysa gumastos ng ganiyan kalaki.”
One of Crissa’s primary concerns, being a commuter that lives outside of Metro Manila, is her safety due to reports of crimes committed on public vehicles.
As a commuter that lives outside of Metro Manila, Crissa wishes for easier access to guides in each bus terminal for efficient navigation, one that does not need WIFI or data to be able to use.
To also avoid situations of unfair pricing of fares, she suggests readable and comprehensive price guides for transparency of conductors when charging commuters.
And being the average Filipino commuter, Crissa hopes for secure and safe travels, void of any dangers that commuters are exposed to.
On the other hand, Gella believes that the government should focus on improving public transportation and not rely on band-aid solutions to the traffic congestion.
Photo Courtesy: Donnie | Unsplash
She suggested an expansion of railway systems so that a majority of commuters will not rely on the roads. But should there be a focus on road development, there should be more space for public vehicles.
“Sa case namin sa Pasay and West Service Road, narrow lang ‘yung road and hirap na i-cater both ‘yung private and public transportation, so I think makaka-help din sa ibang may mga narrow main roads kapag in-expand ‘yung space and nagkaroon ng exclusive na roads for public transportation,” she said.
It is undeniable that Filipinos have numerous options for commuting. Depending on your location, there are many jeepneys, buses, UVs, and LRT or MRT stations where you can get a ride.
However, motorcycle taxi apps like Angkas, JoyRide, Move It, and others have become the monarchs of the street, serving as a dependable option for Filipino commuters over the years.
These days, Filipinos prefer to use these apps over traditional modes of transportation since it provides a more practical solution to the recurring problem of traffic congestion in big areas like Metro Manila.
With roads frequently congested at peak hours, motorbikes can move through traffic faster than cars or buses. This efficiency is obviously appealing to Filipinos.
Photo Courtesy: Angkas | Facebook
Another aspect boosting their appeal is that these applications are less expensive than having a private automobile. However, as compared to commuting, their prices are drastically different.
Despite this, Jewel Trinidad, a republicasia employee, is more prepared to spend the extra money to avoid the stress of commuting.
“Gumagamit ako ng motorcycle taxi halos araw-araw kapag papasok or papunta ng trabaho. Siguro nasa 500 pesos din ang nagagastos ko isang linggo,” said Trinidad.
“Mas pinipili ko na sumakay ng motorcycle taxi kasi medyo mahirap sumakay ng jeepney sa amin lalo na ngayon tigil muna ang operasyon ng PNR.”
“Dahil doon mas maraming volume ng tao sa amin ang gumagamit ng PUJs. Kaya mas gusto ko nalang mag-book ng motorcycle taxi para hassle free at hindi na makipagsabayan sa maraming tao,” citing the reason behind it.
Some people’s experiences may differ from Trinidad’s, but there is no denying that commuting is exhausting and takes a significant amount of time away from an individual. A person would thus opt to have convenience over saving extra money.
These experiences demonstrate that public transit and the commuting experience must be addressed holistically. Public roads contribute to a better public transit experience by limiting vehicles’ trip time.
People would not be at ease if it took nearly half of their day to commute, no matter how readily available these trips are.
The Philippines may be entering a period of improvement, but there are some reoccurring problems that require a firm solution in order to completely embrace the change that the countrymen desire.
With reports from Catherine Juvida & Prince Marquez
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