Tag: mrt

The #Philippines suffers from acute intellectual bankruptcy and a lack of common sense

January 5, 2015 benign0 28 Comments

[The following is a piece originally published in The Manila Bulletin on the 09th April 2000 and featured in Get Real Philippines on the same year. How many of the issues mentioned here remain the same unchanged ones today? Remember, this was written back in 2000.] * * * AN admired Filipino economist, based in…

Crime, Culture, Development, Economy, Government, Politics, Society

Why “Simple People” Photo-Ops Reflect a Problem in our Society

December 9, 2014December 9, 2014 ChinoF 16 Comments

The latest “viral” photo of a politician being portrayed as “simple” and doing something “out of the usual” is of widow and congresswoman Leni Robredo of Camarines Sur. The photo supposedly shows her waiting for public transport along a major highway, instead of having a special ride. Some might be reminded of another “simple” politician,…

Culture, Politics, Society

DOTC Secretary Jun Abaya’s epic MRT public relations fail

August 29, 2014 benign0 14 Comments

Not surprising. Political observers gave Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC) Secretary Jun Abaya a unanimous Fail in his most recent public relations stunt. Yesterday, the 28th August, Abaya stepped up to a self-imposed challenge to prove Manila’s decrepit Metro Rail Transit was “safe”. The MRT has been beleaguered by recent high-profile mishaps, among them…

Development, Government, Lifestyle, Politics

Manila commuters’ nightmare: SM City ‘grand central station’ plans for MRT and LRT lines now in pieces!

June 12, 2014 benign0 27 Comments

What was once a grand plan to construct what could have been considered Manila’s first true “Grand Central Station” near SM North EDSA Mall has stalled and has literally broken up into little pieces that will leave commuters, as usual, grasping the short end of the stick. The station would have linked tracks being built…

Development, Government, Lifestyle, Politics

Manila’s Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3) stations: Disasters waiting to happen?

February 27, 2014 benign0 27 Comments

It seems MRT-3 stations are becoming potential death traps as dangerous crowd control practices are now being used to “manage” the increasing volumes of passengers using the line. As seen in the following photo, passengers are made to queue on stairs leading to the train platforms packed like sardines. The photo was posted by a…

Development, Government, Lifestyle

The DoTC Rocking Horse Complete’s Study to Make Metro Manila Commute Cost Efficient

July 4, 2013 P. Farol 6 Comments

“It’s fact of Filipino life that you never really know when or if you’re going to arrive at your destination after leaving the house.” — Said by some random stranger inside an MRT coach. What Public Transport System? Before getting into the DoTC’s recently completed World Bank funded (WB)-funded Philippine Transit Information Service (PTIS), I think…

Development, Uncategorized

How an MRT ride home inspired me to write about self-assurance, and its relevance to the 2013 mid-term elections

March 12, 2013July 25, 2013 FallenAngel 79 Comments

If you ride the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) system in the Philippines, especially during rush hour, chances are you will not find anything to pleasant to say about it. The experience is harrowing, to say the least. The minute you line up at the platform, you will find the queues disorderly. Instead of sticking to…

Civics, Culture, Development, Society