According to Joshua Vargas, a Filipino student taking up Urban Studies at the Yale-National University Singapore, Filipinos have restrained choices when it comes to public transportation: Either they get stuck in a never-ending line, fighting for a seat just to get home, or they pay exorbitant fares from ride-hailing services. The choice—or more often than not, the lack thereof—boils down to what one can afford.

Such issues in public transportation extend to the supply side: the transportation workers themselves. This is according to Hyacenth Bendaña (AB MEC ‘19), who is part of the Move as One Coalition, a group of Filipino organizations and individuals who advocate for a safer and more inclusive Philippine public transportation system. A proud daughter of a jeepney driver, Bendaña shares that they suffer limited support from the concerned institutions.

For instance, road-widening projects—with their cost-efficiency and visibility—have become a common avenue for local governments to spend their budgets. In reality, Vargas claims that these projects actually worsen traffic congestion and commuting, as more roads lead people to want more cars. Despite the implementation of traffic reduction strategies such as the Number Coding Scheme, systemic changes barely happen since high-income families can purchase multiple cars to evade coding.

To alleviate the situation, Bendaña proposes that road lanes should be divided accordingly, instead of all being allocated to private cars only. For instance, in highways like EDSA or Commonwealth, the first lane should be one where people can walk freely without the hindrance of faulty fire hydrants and trash bags. The second lane should be allocated for bike lanes, and the third and fourth lanes should be intended for public transport vehicles. The last two lanes should then be allocated to private vehicle owners.

Bendaña also highlights the importance of the private sector when it comes to public transportation. “A lot of the [incentives] to shift to different modes of transport really comes from the private sector,” she expresses.

The commuting woes of Langurayan, Vargas, and Bendana all provide a glimpse into the long-standing wrongs of the local transportation scene. Transcending mere personal problems, their narratives emphasize where the urban planning, budget allocations, and policy implementations went wrong. The government may impose temporary solutions such as the Libreng Sakay, but with its criticized unsustainability, public funds may be better allocated to systemic reforms that yield long-term results.

Langurayan’s commuting tales reflect a lived reality experienced by a lot of other Filipinos. With that, she draws on the power of the individual in holding the government accountable: