The Transporter

Every week, despite stressful tasks and tight schedule, I see to it that I find time to escape Manila (even just for a few hours) and go home to Cavite—sleep in my bed and hug my “sweet-scented” pillow. It’s also my way of “recharging” my spirit. Of course, I could just go to any church in Manila, but “church-going” isn’t the reason; it’s more of the ministry. Somehow, my service to God has been tested by adding “struggles” –the struggles of transportation.

Since summer, going home to Cavite has become a very tedious task. Instead of just going to Park n’ Ride to take the bus straight to Silang (and sleep throughout the travel), one would need to choose from a variety of not-so-good options.

Option A: Take the LRT or jeepney bound for Baclaran, and take the bus there (Yep, the bus terminal at the back of Chowking and McDonald’s)

Option B: Go to Buendia and take the Cavite-bound bus. But this has become more difficult these days because the buses are not allowed to enter Taft Avenue anymore (or at least during the times that I have tried going to Buendia). They are forced to drop passengers in Roxas Boulevard, which is very uncomfortable.

Option C: Take the Van parked in front of the Post Office (and be sandwiched inside) However, these vans don’t reach Silang, so I’ll have to take the jeepney to reach our place.

My friend Bong (who takes up Law at PCU) said the Cavite-bound bus companies are the ones to be blamed because they didn’t file (or something like that) their franchises on time. However, I can’t help but wonder other possible reasons for not allowing the Cavite buses inside Manila. If it was about traffic, then I suggest that the Manila Traffic Bureau castigate SM Fairview buses (particularly Universal Guiding Star buses, which transformed Pedro Gil corner Taft Avenue, specifically in front of PCU, into their terminal) and Alabang-bound buses, which similarly transformed the south-bound lane into their terminal.

Moreover, I am really curious why no one seems to take care of this problem that really affects passengers, particularly students and employees who travel everyday from Cavite to Manila and vice versa. Fortunately, the Philippine Daily Inquirer had a tinge of discussion of the matter in their Editorial last Sunday (August 7, 2010) and hopefully, this could be the start of something that would solve the problem. Here’s a portion of it.

How traffic control can run out of control can be seen in Manila, where Mayor Alfredo Lim has banned provincial buses from entering the city since April 1, in violation of the buses’ franchises. Gravely inconvenienced are the daily commuters from the provinces who work in offices or study in schools in Manila.

The ban is obviously politically motivated: Lim does not want the provincial buses to park at the Park and Ride on Lawton, which had been built by his predecessor and political foe. The complex has become a white elephant, a waste of taxpayer’s money, as a result. During the election last summer, to appease irate commuters, Lim promised to further waste taxpayer’s money by putting up a public bus terminal at the old Manila ice plant site at the foot of Quezon Bridge. The pledge indicated that it was wrong in the first place to ban provincial buses from the Park and Ride, but Mayor Lim would not admit that. In the meantime, he complains that Manila’s income has dipped. Why? Of course, because he has banned people from the provinces from entering his city and, in effect, from shopping and doing business there!

A country that aims for progress should not just look into the roads that would bridge places; it should also prioritize the modes of transportation that are available for the majority of commuters and traders.