For an average Filipino working
in Metro Manila, the commute to work is a daily struggle. In a recent report
done by KPMG, Urban Mass Transportation in the Philippines was considered one
of most poorly developed transport systems in the ASEAN region. The average
commute of an individual to Makati would be 3-4 hours with several transport
transfers of tricycles, jeepneys, UV express, buses, MRT and LRT. Due to this
long commute, the rate of productivity and efficiency of our workers decreased
over the past few years connecting to loss in revenue for our services and
businesses in the country. [1]
The Metro Rail Transit (MRT) has
been a controversial topic over the past few years due to its facility deterioration
and poor maintenance. MRT has started its operations in 2000 and according to
DOTC, there are approximately 600,000 riders daily for the MRT which is roughly
about 18 million passengers monthly. [2]This
heavy load of passengers and lack of proper maintenance subsequently equates to
long lines, unserviceable coaches, delayed trips and accidents has become part
of the MRT's daily operations. Many riders are dismayed with the kind of
service the MRT currently has, however they chose to ride the MRT because of
the faster travel time as compared to riding the bus.
As a response to the public
clamor to improve the MRT, under RA 10652, the government allocated an
additional appropriation of Php 1.2 billion for the Rehabilitation of MRT 3.[3]
According the provisions in the law, this amount shall be used for fixing the
elevators and escalators in the stations and signalling system of the trains.
This is on top of the budget amounting to Php 3.5 billion allotted as
government subsidy for MRT operations
based on the 2015 General Appropriations Act.[4]
In addition, the DOTC has also ordered new coaches which are set to operate within
2016 which hopefully will lessen the overall travel time of the riding public.[5]
Notwithstanding these future
improvements to be seen in the MRT, we can only anticipate that it shall be
sustainable in the long run as to mitigate any future deterioration in our
urban mass transportation system. The next administration should prioritize
building more mass transportation options within their term to ease the traffic
in our roads and lessen the time spent on commuting to work since based on
studies, this directly correlates to our worker’s productivity and in the long
term will be beneficial to our economy and country as a whole.
[1] http://www.aseanconnections.com/pdf/Infrastructure-In-depth-Philippines.pdf
[2] http://www.gov.ph/2014/02/18/dotc-brand-new-mrt-coaches-may-help-ease-traffic-by-2015/
[3] http://www.gov.ph/2014/12/23/republic-act-no-10652/
[4] http://www.dbm.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/GAA/GAA2016/VOLUME%20II-B/DOTC/DOTC.pdf
[5] http://www.rappler.com/business/industries/208-infrastructure/119426-mrt3-coach-tests-march-2016
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