At first glance, the Philippines’ tourism recovery appears incomplete. International arrivals have not returned to pre-pandemic highs, and the pace of inbound recovery lags behind that of several Asean peers. Yet beneath this apparent weakness, tourism receipts have surpassed pre-pandemic levels even as visitor volumes remain below 2019 numbers. This divergence signals a structural shift...
Tag: transportation
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When apps are gamified, workers rarely win
On a Thursday afternoon, just after the lunchtime rush, a pack of motorcycles pulled into a narrow alleyway in a Metro Manila city. Their riders parked their bikes in front of a makeshift rest area. The space resembled a typical “tambayan.” Equipped with a wall fan, and a water and a charging station, it was...
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‘Ride Safe 2.0’ expands the initiative on bike safety
Ride Safe, a campaign begun in 2021 by leading insurance company Allianz PNB Life to push public awareness on bike safety and the benefits of active transport, has been beefed up. Having worked with local government units and partnered with key cities such as San Juan, Taguig and Manila in building more bike-friendly infrastructure, Allianz...
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Displacement, commute woes plague communities near delayed MRT-7 project
The ride from San Jose del Monte City in Bulacan to Diliman in Quezon City—a distance of about 23 kilometers—shouldn’t take more than one hour and a half. But for commuters like students Sarwen Abad and Lei Ann Soreto, it takes two and a half hours. “It’s suffering before the success,” 19-year-old Abad said. He...
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Grab fares surge under opaque algorithm
Rica Torres, 37, used to take a Grab car almost every day to take her six-year-old son to and from school. The app-based service was more convenient than riding a jeepney, a tricycle, and crossing an overpass. “I don’t want my son to go through all those because it saps his energy or sours his...
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Why not electric jeepneys to modernize the ‘kings of the road’?
When eFrancisco Motor Corp. chair Elmer Francisco rattled off their ejeep’s accessories during a virtual launch on the night of Nov. 30, Bonifacio Day, some viewers gasped in awe. There’s nothing like it yet on the market. It’s got Wi-Fi, GPS system, CCTV, video and audio system, dashcam, AC. But that’s just the bling. The...
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Imagine if gov’t allocates P15B for PUj modernization
That amount is equivalent to only 14.7% of the budget for the planned Mega Manila Subway (P102 billion), which is expected to carry 370,000 passengers per day. It’s also equivalent to just 9.8% of the budget for the planned North-South Commuter Railway (P152 billion), which is expected to transport 400,000 passengers per day. It’s likewise...
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Jeepney driver says: Let us run our own show
By all means, phase out the traditional jeepneys, but let the operators and drivers modernize on their own—basically, run their own show—without the need of a cooperative that may only serve big business. This, in essence, is jeepney driver Rey Escanilla’s stance on the government’s fresh push to modernize the Philippines’ iconic “king of the...
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Needed: a just transition for jeepney drivers and operators
EDITOR’S NOTE: What was intended as a weeklong strike starting March 6 to protest the phaseout of traditional jeepneys was ended late the next day by strike leaders after a meeting with officials in Malacanang. Manibela chair Mar Valbuena said the protesters were banking on President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive to concerned agencies to fully...
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They should have built more rails—or the transport crisis continues
Having lived on the fringes of Metro Manila—for a long time in North Caloocan and in recent years in Las Piñas City—I have experienced all sorts of misfortunes and difficulties while commuting to Manila and Makati where I studied and worked. In fact, I must have ticked all the boxes representing the difficulties that commuters...