Bad trip

A councilor of Quezon City has an intriguing proposal: that all elected or appointed government officials holding office in the city be required to take the Metro Rail Transit, Light Rail Transit, or any other form of public transportation on the last Friday of every month. “The only way government officials will understand the plight of commuters is if they themselves take public [transportation] regularly in order to experience and pinpoint how the same must be addressed accordingly,” Councilor Ramon Medalla said in presenting his proposed “Public Officials’ Commute Day” ordinance.

Quite right, given that high government officials live in rarefied enclaves, travelling to and from their offices in expensive, air-conditioned vehicles, often with motorcycle escorts to clear the traffic that the rest of us have to endure. They seem to have no idea how their constituents live. For if they do, being public servants, they would make haste to ease the common folk’s misery, such as what occurs in the streets.

Is it too much to expect safe, reliable and affordable public transportation in the touted “next Asian tiger”? The gridlock occurring now almost daily on busy Metro Manila highways and even inner streets is exacerbated by assorted problems plaguing the MRT, ranging from lightning, computer glitches, suicides, accidents, even the relief of its controversial former manager, Al Vitangcol III, due to allegations of corruption. The sorely-needed new coaches won’t get here until 2016. Last month, the Department of Transportation and Communications hinted that it would sue the Metro Rail Transit Corp. for breach of contract and is asking Congress for P53 billion so it could take over the train line and improve the service. But it’s not likely that the public is holding its breath.

It doesn’t help that the people in charge are hardly reassuring. After the worst MRT incident to date—a loaded train crashed through the metal barrier and derailed in Pasay City last month, injuring 38 people—Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya impertinently said he couldn’t force commuters to ride the MRT when he was asked whether the train line remained safe. Days later he rode the MRT after noon, hardly the rush hour, with bodyguards in tow, and was photographed walking on the rails with an aide holding up an umbrella for him. Worse, he was reported to have taken the coach reserved for the elderly and persons with disability. What was he thinking?

Sen. Grace Poe made quite a contrast during her own trip in the MRT. In preparation for the Senate inquiry into the MRT mess, Poe decided to take the train unannounced, standing in line and waiting her turn to board without fanfare or preferential treatment. Thus, she experienced the lengthy queue, the ticket machine jamming, and a technical malfunction that turned what should have been a 30-minute trip into an hour-and-a-half slog. “It was a long ride. In spite of that, people are so patient. The government is so lucky that the people’s patience is so long and tested,” the senator said.

Quite right.

But it shouldn’t be this way. Around the world, efficient and impressive metro train systems stand as symbols for cities with the best standards of living. The London Underground is more than 150 years old but empowers the British who rely on it for day-to-day travel. Singapore’s SMRT has won awards for its efficiency and innovation—including a citation for “Most Improved Odor”—and serves more than 600 million passengers yearly. Surely something can be done about the decrepit MRT that serves more than 500,000 commuters daily.

Councilor Medalla’s proposal needs fine-tuning, but it pushes the right buttons. It should be back to the basics for public servants who have grown fat on the job. In civilized countries, officials do not think it beneath them to take public transport with the rest of the population. But then again, those countries have effective transport systems that are well maintained, run on a strict schedule, and thus move masses of people efficiently. For them, “public service” is not just a laughable phrase. For us, our transport problems are a bad trip and a horrible reality with seemingly no end in sight.