Yes, the Philippine transportation system is broken. There’s no denying it. And if want any shot at fixing it, first, we’re going to have to talk about it.
Journalist Atom Araullo recently got everyone doing exactly that after sharing recent transport woes he experienced upon re-entering the Philippines after an overseas trip.
“Just arrived at the airport from an overseas trip. No coupon taxis, no metered taxis, no Grab. Wala rin tayong mga bus at tren dito,” Araullo tweeted several days ago. “Basically kung wala kang sundo, you’re dead. It’s been an hour and counting. This is what a broken transpo system looks like.”
He was able to book a Grab ride—though it did take him almost two hours to do so. That, and he still had to endure Metro Manila traffic on the ride home.
Araullo’s tweet sums up the current transport situation perfectly: If it isn’t long lines at stations or terminals, it’s a lack of viable alternatives or having to slog through traffic-filled streets.
So, is there anything the country can do to fix this mess? We asked you guys on Facebook, and here are your answers.
What can PH do to fix its ‘broken’ transportation system?
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Unang una, mag commute ang mga government officials. Make them the users of their own public transport. - Hidalgo Guadalupe
I've been saying this since the 80s. Encourage people to migrate back to the provinces by bringing development and infrastructure over there and limit the same here since it is overdeveloped already. That is the only way you free up congestion here including density problems, pollution, skyrocketing land values, etc. - John Stephen Fuentes
Bring the big companies out of many city centers to develop the countryside or even relocate them to provinces to decongest the cities. - Jaime Robrigado
Copy what other countries are already doing right. No need to be creative and be different. - Numba Toby
Remove the big cheese in Manila. Kaya tayo nilalanggam eh. Kasi andito daw ang malaking kita. Totoo naman. Pero hindi na kayang i-handle ng Manila ang populasyon. Its about time to realocate most opportunities sa mga provinces. Alisin yung provincial rate. Establish more wfh setup. Hindi ako nag mamarunong pero we all know why this is not happening. - Jobar B. Jomadiao
No hope in sight, really. A hopeless country. Our leaders never really think of the people just their pockets. Welcome to the 5th world category country. - Sidney Schneider
Crackdown on taxi services. Stop the interview process before they take on a passenger. Require taxi drivers have a license to drive a taxi, screening out reckless drivers, and those who are picky about passengers and destinations. - Din Atienza
The rate the population of the NCR is increasing will outgrow any fixes to improve traffic congestion. It is hopeless, fixes should have been done 20 years ago. The only way to improve traffic is to decongest NCR. Develop CBD's outside the NCR, Give tax incentives to businesses who is willing to relocate to these new CBD's. Reduce residential areas in the Metro, again giving incentives to those who will relocate. This can be done with a 15-20 years plan. - Ric Rojas IV
Basically, rather than penalize car ownership, make it so that the commuting experience is better than driving a car. I know we like our version of the American dream where a car is both a status symbol and a requirement, pero our cities can do so much better trying to emulate a dated symbol of mobility. For long-distance trips and vacations, sure. Pero for day-to-day? Commuting and the people who participate in mass public transport should be given better conditions and respect. - Envy Smith
Decongesting NCR is the key. Development ng other areas of the country. Para hindi lahat nag sisiksikan dito sa Manila. - Andrés Felipe
