EDSA 2020

There are two topics that I can think of with very strong staying power in the media—the Good Conduct Time Allowance (GCTA) and the discussions on public transportation coupled with the EDSA traffic.

Another story that has stayed in the news is the traffic mess, particularly in EDSA and in the entire Metro Manila, in general. The traffic situation is tightly related to the various issues of public transportation.

A famous line in movies is the outburst of Albert Finney’s character in “Network”—“I am mad as hell, and I’m not going to take it anymore.” Being stuck in Edsa’s horrendous traffic jam tempts one to burst into an Albert Finney moment.

Edsa is one reason Metro Manila is the ugly duckling of Asia and a blot in urban management over the decades since its completion in the early 80s.

This 23.8-kilometer long circumferential road, albeit the most important of the capital, is one of its most congested, chaotic, noisy, ugly and polluted in the Philippines that contributes to immense economic and social cost.

Completed 50 years after it was started in the 1930s as a highway, Edsa links the NLEx and SLEx (North and South Luzon expressways) and traverses five cities. Following rapid and uncontrolled urbanization, Edsa has evolved into an avenue with high density establishments along its route.

With the management of Edsa following the car-centric American model instead of mass transit-oriented European model, about 370,000 vehicles, two-thirds of which are private, use it daily. With its design capacity overwhelmed, Edsa has become a very inefficient traffic corridor despite almost the entire right-of-way being allocated for motorized traffic and engineering refinements introduced in late 1980s.

The EDSA Revolution certainly did not set out to be a revolution. As is well known, some military officers tried to pre-empt their arrest by the regime by occupying Camp Aguinaldo and then Camp Crame and appealed for public support. It became revolutionary in its execution through a mustering of the people by the hundreds of thousands in a popular and peaceful protest.

The outcome was less revolutionary. The dictator was overthrown and his regime met its ignominious end. However, the same extractive and suppressive institutions were maintained. The powers-that-be simply ensured that their class interests prevailed. A rare historical opportunity was squandered in transforming the existing social order toward a more equitable society. When the heady afterglow of EDSA faded many of the corrupt officials of the previous regime were rehabilitated and oligopolies restored and the oligarchic structure was maintained. There would also be a new group of favored businessmen and politicians that essentially maintained the system of vested political interests, dynasties, and powerful clans. There had been no structural transformation of the Philippine economy to empower ordinary citizens to participate actively and benefit equitably from the fruits of development.

When it took interminable hours to untangle traffic gridlock on Edsa and elsewhere, the Management Association of the Philippines (MAP) unveiled a holistic traffic and transportation plan for Metro Manila.

Included in the plan was the “Edsa Dream Plan” to address the dysfunctional mass transportation system, severe traffic congestion, air pollution, lack of pedestrian space and greeneries. This dream plan applied universal practices in urban road space planning and mass transportation system.The plan calls for a paradigm shift in urban street engineering and transportation planning. Decongestion through efficient and space-saving mass transit system coupled with more equitable sharing of the Edsa road space to satisfy community rights are the key strategies of the plan. Edsa is a vital community resource that must be used efficiently and shared in an inclusive manner with road space distributed among stakeholders to achieve urban justice where both mobility and community rights are well served.The main strategy is to optimize use of the Edsa road space to open up space for pedestrians and the greening of Edsa. Optimization is sought to be achieved by employing high capacity transit systems to efficiently move commuters with the least number of vehicles, to minimize the use of road space. Arguably, a rail-based train with multiple coaches is the most efficient people mover used by cities the world over.The MAP plan calls for maintaining the existing overhead MRT 3 light train line and complementing it with a high-capacity subway line with heavy trains. These two train lines are envisioned to form the backbone of the transportation system on Edsa that could accommodate passenger demand well into the future. This system may be complemented with park-and-ride facilities for motorists to leave their vehicle and take public transit to the inner city. With this mass transit system in place, less road space will be needed and the excess space can be made available for nontransport use such as sidewalk widening and bicycle lane at the ground level.

At the policy level, he suggests car-pooling during rush hour, continuing with the jeepney modernization, re-rationalizing franchises of all public utility vehicles, and even the relocation of government agencies to Clark.

But there are other things to consider, such as the financing of these infrastructures. While it is relatively easier to borrow money, we also need to worry about repaying those loans. Certainly, we do not want the economy saddled with debt servicing in the future.

For all its challenges, the Philippines is well past the major governance upheavals of the past decades that hobbled economic growth then. Stability and good governance are vital in fostering conditions conducive to respectable and sustainable economic growth of the country. The nation though needs to be vigilant in voting wisely as retrogression in good governance can easily plunge again the country in a renewed crisis – just look at Thailand. Memories are frail while a new generation has no memory at all of the Martial Law years. It is vital to remind people of the gains that had been made- but also to be critically aware of the arduous tasks that still lay ahead especially in resolving poverty and unequal income distribution.

Patients die as Manila traffic jams

Special lanes for emergency vehicles are not enforced, the infrastructure is outdated, and local drivers are often unwilling or unable to make way  a situation experts say is causing patients to die en route.

President Rodrigo Duterte again chided Sen. Grace Poe for supposedly blocking his emergency powers to ease traffic congestion in Metro Manila, saying that the traffic gridlock in the capital region was the lawmaker’s “legacy.”

The President said Poe had been suspicious that the money for traffic-related projects could be lost to corruption.

A patients die as Manila traffic jams block ambulances.

Gridlock in Manila is costing lives as ambulances stuck in traffic face severe delays in the race against the clock to reach the city’s hospitals, medics warn.

The most difficult problems—such as the EDSA traffic—sometimes need extreme ideas to solve them. At this point, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) seems to remain open to any suggestion.

Even with an encyclopedic knowledge of short cuts or aggressive driving such as blasting their horns or bumping unyielding vehicles, it is not always enough to arrive in time.

The MMDA entertained a proposal for a one-way scheme on EDSA and C5 to solve the metro’s traffic woes. Now, agency spokesperson Celine Pialago notified us that a ‘vehicular brand reduction program’ will be presented to the MMDA on Monday, September 2, 2019.

What can government do about people dying in ambulances because of Metro Manila’s infamous traffic jams? Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo suggested the use of choppers to airlift patients. But why did they do that?

Panelo said government hospitals can ask the Philippine military to let them use their choppers for such emergency situations.

It’s one of the ways government can be “creative” in dealing with the literally deadly traffic nightmare in the megacity while the Duterte government does not have emergency powers over the situation.

Of course, like the current number-coding scheme imposed on EDSA at the moment, the proposed scheme makes a number of exemptions for certain vehicles. See the list of exempted vehicles below:

• Ambulance, fire trucks, police patrol cars, military vehicles
• Cargo trucks, other heavy vehicles (trucks weighing 4,500kg and above)
• Vehicles accredited by the Department of Tourism
• Vehicles commandeered by the government—duly directed by a person in authority or his agent, a medical practitioner, or a military relief—for emergency purposes
• Vehicles carrying a person needing immediate medical attention (in case of emergencies)
• Vehicles with diplomatic plates
• Trucks accredited by the MMDA
• Government vehicles with appropriate plates or LTO stickers

We have yet to find out other details about this proposed coding scheme. Just like you, we have so many questions. We will have to wait until the presentation to get answers.

In the meantime, Do you think something this extreme would actually work?

Despite the crisis-level proportions of Metro Manila’s traffic woes, Duterte has not certified as urgent any legislative measure to grant his government emergency powers.

May Forever

Nagsimula ang lahat sa pagtitig
At tumagal lagpas sa isang segundo
Isip ko'y umiikot sa'yo
Naghangad ng tunay na pag-ibig
Na paninindigan ikaw at ako
Walang hanggang pinangako mo

Yung puso ko nahulog sa'yo
Hala unti-unting nagbabago
Yung puso ko, nahulog sa'yo
Pero bakit 'di mo sinalo

May forever sa edsa
May forever sa iyong mga mata
Ang tagal mo rin naghintay
Pilit na sinuway ang tadhana
May forever sa pila
You said you never let go
Pang habang buhay ka pa
May forever sa lahat ng 'to
Ba't kaya, tayo wala

Tumagal naman tayo for 2 years
And for the longest time I thought this was it
Nalingat lang saglit
Nasan na ang pangako mong forever sinta
Oh no, tell me bakit nagbago ang ihip
Nang hangin natin noo'y nag iinit
Akala ko tunay na
Bakit naglaho nung nakita mo siya

'Yung luha ko natraffic sa'yo
Hindi pa natuwa, binangga mo
'Yung luha ko natraffic sa'yo
Paano ba patitigilin 'to

May forever sa edsa
May forever noon sa 'yong mga mata
Ang tagal mo rin naghintay
Pilit na sinuway ang tadhana
May forever sa pila
You said you never let go
Pero ngayon nasan ka
May forever sa lahat ng 'to
Ba't kaya

May forever sa edsa
Sa QC
Nagbago ka baby
Have you seen us lately
Sagad na sagad na ako
Paano tayo humantong sa dulo
May forever sa fort
Sa Makati
Your love turned too lately
I'm done with the waiting
Hindi naniniwala sa'yo
Panandalian ang forever mo

May forever sa edsa
May forever pala sa pagiging tanga
May forever sa moving on
Pero life goes on
Kaya na

Gaya ng nawala ka
Nang forever mo ay
Sa piling na ng iba
May forever sa lahat ng 'to
Ba't kaya
Tayo wala

Ang Alamat ng EDSA

Once upon a time there was a farmer named Eduardo and a haciendera named Saturnina. Eduardo lived with the northern families while Saturnina lived with the Southerners. One day during a town fiesta, Eduardo met Saturnina and the two fell in love instantly. They met in secret for fear of getting caught by Saturnina’s strict parents. Because of this, the only time they could be together is when Saturnina ventures to the North for her studies escorted in secret by Eduardo and when Eduardo goes south to sell his produce, accompanied by Saturnina in disguise. One day, Saturnina got caught while she was up north and was summoned to go back south. Eduardo knew they’d never see each other again, so he wished that their journey south would take as long as a lifetime so that they can be together forever. A diwata heard Eduardo’s wish and felt bad for him. With one enchantment, the Diwata cast a spell on the road so that they can keep moving to their destination forever in each other’s company. Eduardo and Saturnina never reached the south. Some say that Eduardo and Saturnina are still traveling the road, which people renamed after the two – the Eduardo Saturnina road which was later shortened to EDSA – forever bearing the enchantment that anybody travelling there will take forever to get to their destination – a symbol of Eduardo and Saturnina’s unmoving and unending love for each other.

That is why, some nights you will still hear the cries of Saturnina’s family in anguish when traveling that very same road. “Hayop ka EDSA, gumalaw ka naman!”

The end.

Bus ban on EDSA

Violators of the ordinance will be fined P2,000.

Buses coming from the provinces are no longer allowed to ply EDSA during the rush hours starting August 15, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) announced.

Under the proposed scheme, buses coming from the north shall end their route in Cubao, Quezon City while those coming from the south shall end their route in Pasay City.

Valenzuela City Mayor Rex Gatchalian joined MMDA and Land Transportation and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) officials at the inspection of Valenzuela Interim Terminal to assess if it can operate as a station for provincial buses starting August 15.

The policy takes effect during “rush hours” or from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. and from 6 p.m. until 9 p.m. from Monday to Friday. Violators will be slapped with a P2,000 fine.

Garcia said the five-hectare terminal in Valenzuela City has yet to comply with the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) requirement, including the installation of waiting sheds, comfort rooms, and walkways, among others, before provincial buses can fully utilize the facility.

Once operational, provincial buses coming from the north can drop off their passengers inside the terminal located on Paso de Blas Road where Metro Manila-bound commuters can transfer to city buses.

Among these are the establishment of designated areas for provincial and city buses; management of queues for jeepneys, buses and UV Express vans that share the terminal; and completion of waiting sheds for passengers.

Nevertheless, the MMDA will still implement on August 15 the ban of provincial buses on EDSA during rush hours.

This means that starting August 15, MMDA personnel will begin apprehending provincial buses on EDSA from 7am to 10am and 6pm to 9pm.

How to Beat the Horrific EDSA Traffic?

There’s no way you can beat EDSA traffic during rush hour, either you use a nonexistent teleport machine or you ride a helicopter and fly (which commoners like us have no access) over the long highway turned parking lot.

Traversing EDSA on a rush hour equates to a #chaotic, #formidable, #life-draining experience. It’s an everyday event that becomes a common and ordinary part of every daily grinder’s life. But have you think about which mode of transportation in EDSA you can actually trust in case you’re caught up in the rush hour window?

With the endless lines of MRT commuters on the entrance, the moving human-sardine bus, and the bumper-to-bumper traffic in the private lanes, choosing your transportation may be a hard decision.

Surprisingly, MRT is still the best & fastest way to get through EDSA. You can read the full account and adventure of the reporters in EDSA time travel: Fastest by car, bus, or train?

Epifanio de los Santos Avenue

Quezon may be disappointed that Edsa did not turn out to be the most beautiful in the country, but it remains the longest—from Caloocan at its northernmost end, passing by Quezon City, Mandaluyong and Makati, to its southernmost end in Pasay.

The story about its name that I first heard in the board of the National Historical Institute three decades ago was that, the government wanted to rename Highway 54 in honor of a Filipino historian. But the most eminent ones at the time, like Teodoro A. Agoncillo, Gregorio Zaide and Horacio de la Costa, were ineligible because they were still alive. With an unwritten rule that streets can only be named after dead people, it became Epifanio de los Santos Avenue.

This is, in fact, fake news, because the real contenders were US General Douglas “I shall return” MacArthur, and the much loved Ramon Magsaysay, who died in a plane crash in 1957. Then there was Jose Rizal, who already had a surplus of streets named after him. Still, the Caballeros de Rizal proposed that Highway 54 be renamed “19 de Junio” to mark the National Hero’s birthday. It could not have been “12 de Junio,” the date of the 1898 declaration of Independence in Kawit, because, at the time, Philippine Independence Day was celebrated on July 4, as in the United States, until Diosdado Macapagal moved it to June 12 in 1962.

Eulogio Rodriguez Jr. was the first to propose Edsa with House Bill 2832, on the grounds that the street passed through the province of Rizal and should honor an illustrious son of the province. Unfortunately, the Rodriguez bill did not prosper and the proponent passed away. Under a new Congress, the initiative was taken up by Nacionalista Party member F. Sumulong and the Liberal Party’s Benedicto Padillo. The Sumulong bill was filed, first supported by the Philippines Historical Committee, the Philippine Historical Association, the Philippine National Historical Society, the Philippine Library Association, the Association of University and College Professors, etc. Other resolutions of support were passed by Quezon City in 1954, Pasay in 1955, and Makati in 1958. Politicians in Caloocan and Mandaluyong could not make up their minds and abstained.

Sumulong’s bill was unanimously approved by both the House of Representatives and the Senate, and was signed into law by President Garcia as Republic Act No. 2140—“changing the name of Highway 54 in the province of Rizal to Epifanio de los Santos Avenue in honor of Don Epifanio de los Santos, A [foremost] Filipino Scholar, Jurist and Historian [of his time]”—on April 7, 1959, birthday of Don Panyong.

It is sad that Epifanio de los Santos is all but unknown to millennials today. He was a man described by contemporaries as the most learned man of his time, the best guitar player of his time, and the most eminent collector, writer, critic, historian and director of the National Library of his time.