What I learned from taking the MRT and LRT

A year into Pres. Duterte's term, I decided to take a trip from Makati to Marikina using the MRT and LRT to see how well, or how badly it still is. Here is what I discovered.

Saturday, 22 July

6:30 am: I boarded the MRT at the Ayala Station to take the northbound train heading for Cubao. The fare was Php20 for a single trip, one way. There were not too many people yet, although I had to stand for the entire duration of my trip.

The a/c was running better than I had expected, making the ride quite pleasant. Although this was early morning, and the sky was cloudy. When the seat in front of me was vacated by a passenger getting off at Boni Serrano, the man standing next to me gave me first dibs. I declined saying I was getting off at Cubao, then offered it to the lady standing next to me, who thanked me politely.

There was no pushing and shoving on this ride. I didn't really fear for my safety or that of my possessions, although I noticed, some passengers were wearing the backpacks in front of them (to keep an eye on them, and prevent people from pick-pocketing). I initially did "as the Romans do", but then decided to put the back pack on my back, as I felt no real risk.

6:45 am: I got off the MRT at the Cubao station and proceeded down to the LRT station on Aurora Blvd. I didn't pass through Araneta Center, but walked all the way down to the sidewalk where there was a police public assistance desk. I walked all the way to Aurora Blvd and turned right, then made my way up to the LRT platform.

It started to dawn on me why peace and order is such a big issue for ordinary, working class Filipinos. If you are a rich person who happens to drop or lose your wallet out in public, then you probably have enough stored in your bank account to manage. It hardly affects you. But for an ordinary person, who gets pick pocketed while traveling home on a pay day, what little you have can get taken away. 

They say Duterte has misplaced his priorities, by focusing his campaign on petty criminals and not capturing the big fish. But for ordinary people, they don't necessarily care about grand theft or capturing white collar criminals. It is petty theft that they are concerned about, because it affects their personal safety, and threatens their property as they journey through the streets of the city.

7:00 am: Didn't have to wait long for the LRT train to arrive. When it did, the guard manning the station tells me that I was queueing at the place designated for seniors and people with disabilities (the front cab section), so I move to the queue for ordinary passengers. 

We make our way through Katipunan, Anonas, towards Santolan station. I notice the cab of the LRT is wider than the MRT. The aircon is just as strong, and the speed of the train quite fast. It's true what they say about the better maintenance and operations of the LRT. Even the station seemed more spacious and the escalators were working.

The views of the city were quite captivating. I stared out as we crossed the Marikina river and saw the buildings of Eastwood, Libis from a distance. Having been used to taking public transport in Adelaide, I have to say that the LRT ride felt like any other train ride that I had been in. It was quite pleasant, almost too good to be true. Total cost of the trip was Php15. Good value for money, as far as I was concerned.

7:15 am: After getting off at Santolan, I hailed a cab that was already parked at the train stop. We headed for Marikina. I sat next to the driver (as we do in Australia, as opposed to sitting at the back). We chatted about the recent decision of the LTFRB to suspend the cease and desist order against Uber and Grab Cab.

He complained about the fact that cab drivers could no longer make their "boundary" or daily quotas after these ride sharing schemes took off. While new taxi franchise applications have been closed by the board, Uber's and GrabCab's seemed to be considered, which to him seemed callous. "Mga dilawan pa kasi ang mga nagpapatakbo sa LTFRB na yan!" he exclaimed. "Kailangan palitan na yang mga yan. Si Digong (meaning Duterte) lang ang may malasakit sa ordinaryong tao."

Quite an interesting perspective from the side of cab drivers, I thought. And he did seem to have a point. If the LTFRB does process the application of the Uber and Grab Cab operators, it should treat cab drivers the same way. Total cost of my trip to Marikina: Php 115.

12:30 noon: After spending the morning in Concepcion, Marikina giving a workshop to teachers in one of my 2klas affiliated schools (2klas is a program I founded which aims to equip young Filipinos with 21st century skills), I hitched a ride with my program manager in Marikina back to the Santolan LRT station, and took the same ride back to Cubao.

Upon alighting from the LRT ride, I decided to make my way through the Araneta Center. I nearly got lost in the mall. This is a downside of the disjointed way our MRT and LRT stations are configured. While it suits the operators of the mall, it is a disadvantage to seniors and people with disabilities.

Once I got to the Cubao station of the MRT, I was met by a long queue. Passengers were barred from entering the platform. I went to the ticket booth to enquire what was the matter. I was told that a train had broken down at Shaw Blvd, and that all southbound trips were suspended until they could clear the track.

1:00 pm: I decided not to wait any longer for the MRT to get fixed. I made my way down and crossed EDSA using the elevated pedestrian walkway. When I got down there were aircon buses with conductors yelling out, Ayala! Ayala! I thought rather than using GrabCab to book a ride back to Makati, I would use the bus system.

They decided to pack the bus to standing room. Luckily I boarded while the it was still half full and got a seat. Now riding packed buses is nothing new for me. In Adelaide, this often happens to me when taking an express bus from the city to my suburb after work. Even tightly packed trams and trains is usual fare at peak hour.

Despite the traffic, on a Saturday afternoon, we made our way through Ortigas, Mandaluyong and then Ayala, where I was let off right at the corner before the bus turned right. Apparently I had the choice of either making a well-timed, illegal dash to the Shell station on the opposite side to be able to catch a bus to Bonifacio Global City or making my way around to the pedestrian walk-way on the opposite side of Ayala. Luckily, I had a driver waiting to pick me.

Conclusion 

So a year after Duterte has assumed office, the MRT seems back to "normal" for the most part. The trains seem to be running again at top speed, except for the usual aberrations or break-downs, which seem to occur regularly. The LRT seems to be running smoothly, even better than the MRT, and the bus system along EDSA seems to pick up the slack when the MRT breaks down.

Overall I was pleasantly surprised with the state of our public transit system. It was not as bad as I thought. In other words, there still is hope! If we simply put more investment towards expanding and improving it (as Duterte's economic team plan to do), and learn from past mistakes of previous administrations, we should be on the path to a better functioning transport system.

I will say this: if our public officials simply walked in the shoes of ordinary Filipinos, it would go a long way towards developing empathy and understanding. Recently, former president Noy Aquino asked the question, "Could we have done things differently?" I think that is the right attitude to take, while in opposition. While Vice President Leni Robredo seems intent on making the "grand gesture" by going to far-flung villages to prove she cares, perhaps what she should train her eyes on is the day-to-day hardships of the vast majority of ordinary, working Filipinos.