We beg to differ.
It is no longer news that Metro Manila, the Philippines’ premiere urban centre is a mess, and its residents’ biggest bane is its mass transport system. For a metropolis the size of Greater Manila, the existing rail network is extremely sparse and public road transport is utterly chaotic. Over the last couple of years alone,…
Read More “Manila’s primitive public transport system: A national embarrassment!” »
Amidst the horrors of Metro Manila’s infamous perma-traffic can be found interesting stories of how ordinary Filipinos cope with the mess left by decades of administrative neglect. Australia’s SBS world documentary program Dateline featured the heartwarming story of Genaro Daclison, a Filipino father of two who made his living pushing a rail trolley on foot…
Read More “Life on the tracks of Filipino rail taxi ‘driver’ featured in Australian TV feature!” »
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…
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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…
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…
Read More “Manila’s Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3) stations: Disasters waiting to happen?” »