Watch her zigzag through the urban maze here.

As I biked with Iya virtually, her laps and turns and stops reminded me of a U2 song, “Where the Streets Have No Name.” Depending on how you’ve soaked in U2 history, the song is an ode to breaking free or to a world not segregated according to wealthy or filthy streets. The Philippines is one of the most class-conscious societies in the world, as eminent writer and teacher Butch Dalisay told us in this interview, and there’s no better proof of this than the streets where we live.

It doesn’t take much to realize it. If you live in an upper middle-class neighborhood, you’d have no trouble finding bike lanes for your daily exercise. A wealthy, well-managed city such as Iloilo City, named top bike-friendly city in 2021, can offer a bike tour – something that other cities are unable to. Iya herself concluded that Taguig, in particular, the elite BGC enclave, scored high in the bike-friendly department in the metro.

Why are there no sufficient spaces for bikes and more accessible means of transport? Again, class. As Iya’s investigation showed, our roads are built and maintained for private, not mass, transport, to the extent that they have become extended parking areas for cars. The biggest obstacle to a safe bike journey is the number of parked vehicles along Metro Manila’s major streets, according to Iya’s report. It’s after all an undeniable fact that most cities and towns have a bias for cars and private vehicles.

But it’s never too late to reimagine our cities.

The COVID-19 lockdown gave rise to pop-up bike lanes, and our daily traffic nightmare that’s costing us sanity and money is pushing us to look collectively for solutions.

• Over a third of Philippine households now use bikes, according to a Social Weather Stations survey in March 2023.
• A new generation of young adults is cycling toward sustainable communities. Read about it here.
• But as this story points out, can the Metro Manila cycling boom survive a revenge in car buying?
• With a tighter budget for bike lanes and pedestrians this year, the transportation department is nonetheless pushing through with the construction of the EDSA Greenways Project. It’s funded by a $123-million loan from the Asian Development Bank.
• How can you start pocket parks and people’s streets in your communities? Rappler’s community lead Pia Ranada-Robles tells us about it in this story.

Beyond the need for more lanes for active transport is the gaping hole in the country’s mass transport system. A few, even if delayed, fixes are being done, however.

Rappler’s Lance Spencer Yu gives us a tour of the initial construction phase of the Metro Manila Subway. Watch his report from 38 meters below the ground at the subway’s North Avenue Station in Quezon City. How will the 33-kilometer subway work once done? Here’s a guide to its 17 stations.

Unfortunately, there’s a price to pay for modernization: the Philippine National Railways will cease operations for at least five years, starting on March 28, to give way to the construction of the North-South Commuter Railway.

Will our roads – and therefore lives – get better in the coming years? We, at Rappler, don’t only hope for that, we’d like to do our part in making our cities liveable by starting with a campaign to #MakeManilaLiveable. We have created a dedicated space for stories and reports about the liveability of Philippine cities. Check out this page. For meaningful conversations on what we can all do together, join our chat room on liveable cities – but you first need to download the Rappler app (on iOS; on Android).

Let’s do this – one city at a time. – Rappler.com

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“Tuloy na tuloy (It will definitely push through),” said MMDA chairman Romando Artes, in a press conference on Monday, March 11, at the MMDA head office in Pasig City.

Earlier, transport and mobility groups asked for a delay in the enforcement of the restriction of e-bikes and e-trikes in national roads in Metro Manila. Move As One Coalition, composed of over 100 groups, also asked for more public consultations on guidelines for light electric vehicles and better bike lane infrastructure in the capital region given that these are shared with e-bike users.

But Artes said that rather than delay the April 15 implementation, the MMDA would just release the draft IRR to these groups “at least 15 days before” so that they can give their feedback.

The IRR, said Artes in a meeting with the transport and mobility groups before the press conference, would clear up aspects of the policy. Confusion and alarm had greeted the “ban” when it was first announced because it appeared to cover all two-wheeled e-vehicles, even those that could already reach speeds of traditional motorcycles.

Must Read

Tiny e-trikes vs big roads: Gov’t admits it lacks regulations for electric vehicles

The MMDA officials asked e-vehicle groups to help update their e-vehicle classifications to reflect more current technology. The IRR, said Artes, can also allow e-bikes and e-trikes to cross or U-turn on national roads in certain parts.

‘Live in reality’

But discussions got more heated when the meeting turned to the gaps in bike lane infrastructure and infrastructure for e-vehicles. A recent Rappler documentary shows these glaring deficiencies in Metro Manila bike lanes.

Play Video

The e-bike and e-trike restriction means the only way e-bike riders can go on national roads is if that road has a bike lane. The active transport groups said the bike lane network in Metro Manila is still sorely lacking and unsafe, despite government funds being allocated for their improvement.

“Ang tanong ng aming mga grupo at ng mga vulnerable road users, imbis po na paalisin ang gumagamit ng mga e-bike at e-trike sa mga highway na ito, na saan na po ang nararapat na imprastraktura para po ma-ensure na maging safe tayong lahat?” asked Cristina Batalla of Make It Safer Movement during the MMDA meeting.

(The question of our groups and vulnerable road users is, instead of banning e-bike and e-trike users from these highways, where is the appropriate infrastructure to ensure we are all safe?)

She pointed to the Special Provision on People Mobility in the MMDA’s own 2024 budget. A look at the document states that: “The MMDA shall promote people mobility through road sharing projects and activities as well as the use of non-motorized modes of transportation. The amount appropriated herein for the Traffic Management Program shall be used to cover the funding requirements for the promotion of people mobility.”

The Traffic Management Program was allocated over P65 million.

Artes’ initial response was to question whether that special provision was in the Department of Transportation’s budget and not the MMDA’s. But proven wrong, he said that even if that were the case, Metro Manila’s road system just couldn’t accommodate the type of bike lanes the groups wanted.

“Kahit may ganyang mandato, siguro naman kung nag-iikot ka sa Metro Manila, ‘yung situation ng kalsada natin, hindi kaya lahat na ibigay o pagbigyan ‘yung ganyang klaseng mandato. Kulang na kulang talaga yung spaces natin,” he said.

(Even if there is that mandate, if you go around Metro Manila, look at the situation of our roads, we cannot give in to that kind of mandate. We really lack space.)

Later on, he sought to give advocates of wider bike lanes a “reality check.” For one thing, he said, did they not consider that there are many car-selling establishments along EDSA?

“Hindi kami papayag dahil imaginin mo, ang daming mga tindahan ng sasakyan doon. Kung isasara namin isang lane, paano sila lalabas, so didiretso sila sa second lane? Come on,” he told the groups.

(We won’t agree to that because imagine, there are so many car stores there. If we were to block off one lane, how will the car buyers get out? They will go to the second lane? Come on.)

“We have to live in the reality of life here in Metro Manila. We cannot insist on everything we want. And we cannot please everybody here,” he added later on.

Asked by Rappler at the press conference what the longterm plan of MMDA is given that laws like the Electric Vehicle Industry Development Act (EVIDA) orders government to construct lanes for e-vehicles, Artes said they would wait until vehicular traffic abates in the metropolis.

“Siguro ‘pag efficient na at maganda na yung mass transportation natin, particularly ‘pag nabuksan na yung MRT7, yung subway, mababawasan naman po yung sasakyan, baka by that time po, lumuwag yung kalsada na ma-accommodate sila,” said the MMDA chief.

(Maybe when our mass transportation improves, when the MRT7 and subway start operations, the cars will be lessened. Maybe by that time, the roads will be less congested and we can accommodate them.) – Rappler.com

Improving transportation infrastructure and policies is part of the call of various groups to #MakeManilaLiveable. On Rappler, we have created a dedicated space for stories and reports about liveability in Philippine cities. Learn more about the movement here.

The situation was exacerbated during the pandemic, when the government imposed restrictions and prohibited cars and public utility vehicles from plying the roads.

Because of this, many people have turned to biking as an alternative mode of transport. In response, local governments across the country created pop-up bike lanes. The Department of Transportation (DOTr) even opened the 313-kilometer bike lane network in Metro Manila in 2021. 

But just how friendly are Metro Manila’s roads for bike commuters? 

To find out how bike-friendly Metro Manila is, Rappler rode a loop of 120 kilometers around the capital in January for a documentary. Riding 100 kilometers or more is part of the bucket list of many bikers due to its sheer distance and the challenge it poses.

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The loop covered Pasig, Marikina, Quezon City, Valenzuela, Malabon, Caloocan, Manila, Pasay, Parañaque, Las Piñas, Muntinlupa, and Taguig.

The loop went through 21 major roads:

The East Service Road was split into two in the reviews, owing to the completely different conditions of the section from Muntinlupa to Bicutan beside the South Luzon Expressway, and the section from Bicutan Circle to C-5 in Taguig. In the former, there was no bike lane and the road was two-way, making it hard to overtake. The bike lane began northbound after Bicutan Circle.

This brought the total number of assessed road segments to 22.

The accumulated mileage of all roads assessed was 84 kilometers. The rest of the 120-kilometer loop involved inner and connecting roads. 

How we graded bike-friendliness

To assess bike-friendliness, Rappler drew up criteria evaluating the bike lanes using four factors: lane width, road conditions, obstructions, and segregation. 

These are factors that affect a biker’s safety on the road, also take into account the infrastructure the government put in place, and gauge the attitude of other motorists with respect to the lane and the bike commuter.

Only portions of the major roads covered in the loop were measured in the scorecard. 

Lane width was evaluated using the Department of Public Works and Highways’ (DPWH) guidelines. Under Department Order (DO) No. 88 series of 2020, the DPWH prescribes a minimum of 1.22 meters to make way for a one-directional bike lane. The standard should measure 2.44 meters for a bidirectional bike lane. 

Sections without bike lanes were graded an automatic zero. 

Lane widths in Valenzuela and Malabon along Manila North Road differed slightly and were measured separately.

To assess road conditions, Rappler counted the number of manhole covers, potholes, steel plates, and drain grates. 

On sections without bike lanes, manhole covers, potholes, steel plates, and drain grates placed on the rightmost side of the road, or where a bike commuter would most probably pass, were counted.

For obstructions, moving and parked vehicles, pipe laying works, and vendors encroaching on the bike lanes were also counted. 

On sections without bike lanes, parked vehicles, pipe laying works, and vendors on the rightmost side of the road or where a bike commuter would most probably pass were likewise counted.

Rappler did not count moving vehicles sideswiping as there were no lanes whatsoever to count as encroachment. 

We graded segregation based on infrastructure used: dashed painted lines, solid painted lines, solid painted lines with occasional barriers, and solid painted lines with barriers. 

A completely segregated bikeway, as seen only along C-6, got a perfect score. 

We rode the same route another time in February to measure lane widths and assess road conditions. Obstructions were counted from the footage taken by the camera installed on the bike on the day the documentary was filmed in January.

What we found

Ten out of the 22 segments rated poorly – this is 45% of the segments evaluated.

Bike-friendliness of a segment or city does not only rely on infrastructure, but also on quality, maintenance, and people’s attitudes toward active modes of transport.

C-6, which got an excellent score in segregation, failed when it came to obstructions because its wide bike lanes, at 2.95 meters, were predominantly used as parking spaces.

East Avenue in Quezon City was the only bike lane with sections of concrete barriers in the whole loop. It was 1 out of 4 segments that scored the highest under segregation, with a score of 3.

But East Avenue got an average score on obstructions for the same reason, as some of the concrete barriers were already broken – becoming another hazard that bike commuters have to be wary of.

Rizal Avenue, which traverses Caloocan and Manila, scored zero on all factors. The avenue connecting the north to the capital did not have bike lanes.

It had dismal road conditions and many obstructions, such as parked vehicles and several pipe laying works that would push the biker either toward the center or the left lane.

Roxas Boulevard, a major thoroughfare almost synonymous with Manila, got a failing mark. The Manila side of the boulevard did not have a bike lane despite being relatively wider than other roads in the city.

The bike lane along Roxas Boulevard started only from Pasay onwards. Along Parañaque, the lane was just a strip of solid white lines without a bicycle road marking.

Daang Reyna, despite not having any bike lanes at all, scored a 10 because of minimal roadblocks and obstructions. This could be attributed to the socioeconomic profile of the neighborhood, the wide space, and the less stressful environment because of the reduced volume of cars.

Bonifacio Global City (BGC) and C-6 segments scored the highest in the scorecard – but for different reasons.

BGC had better road conditions and little to no obstructions. But while C-6 had better conditions, the segment scored low on obstructions despite having the best segregation among all segments.

In a nutshell:

• Manila – represented by Rizal Avenue and its share of Roxas Boulevard – did not prioritize the establishment of bike lanes. Rizal Avenue got zero on all factors. It had no bike lanes, road conditions were dismal, and obstructions abounded.
• Las Piñas, via Diego Cera Avenue and Alabang-Zapote Road, may have wider lanes than most (both measuring 1.52 meters) but it failed to keep off obstructions. Road conditions were dismal.
• Taguig, via C-6, showed the best bike infrastructure. It was the road segment that got the highest score among others, getting a good rating. However, strict enforcement in C-6 was lacking as vehicles were parked on the segregated bike path.
• Quezon City was the only local government Rappler saw to have ongoing construction of bike infrastructure, while others’ bike infrastructure were slowly diminishing or hardly maintained. It was also the only local government to employ dedicated bike patrollers.
• Almost all of the bike lanes (95%) we passed in Metro Manila only had painted bike strips. Only 4 road segments had the occasional bollards or barriers.

While this report looked at width, conditions, obstructions, and segregation, the bike lane network in Metro Manila could be assessed further by connectivity, materials used on the lanes, and general maintenance.

Nighttime commuting by bike is also a different experience that could be evaluated separately.

Aside from the bike lane network, the quality of the commuting trip of a cyclist also depends on the availability of end-of-trip facilities like bike parking and shower areas in offices and establishments.

A separate road

Painted lanes with no bollards or other forms of barriers still open the bike lane to the encroachment of other vehicles. But this is the only infrastructure that a majority of bike lanes in Metro Manila can speak of.

So what should a bike lane network look like?

“If you want a network, you have to plan the bike lanes,” Jose Regin Regidor, director of the University of the Philippines Institute of Civil Engineering, told Rappler in an interview. “As if it’s a separate road.”

Regidor is one of the research fellows at the National Center for Transportation Studies who helped in formulating the Bike Lane Master Plan back in 2022. This was a joint effort between the DOTr and the United Nations Development Programme.

Even a master plan like this, said Regidor, should be reviewed regularly every three to five years.

Some of the existing popular guidelines for bike lane networks are the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), the Netherlands’ CROW Design Manual for Bicycle Traffic (CROW), and the design guide from the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO).

In the Netherlands, more than 25% of trips are done by riding a bike, according to a 2018 briefer by the Dutch research agency National Institute for Public Health and the Environment.

“The number of bicycles in the country outnumbers the amount of people,” the briefer read. “Cycling is part of our way of life.”

This has contributed to a decrease in air and noise pollution, decongestion of roads, increased physical activity among low-income and ethnic minority adults, and economic benefits for users and establishment owners. 

Gaps in design and mindset

In 2022, at the height of the pandemic cycling boom, the DOTr allotted P2 billion for cycling infrastructure in the country. The budget has since decreased in the following years, going down to P750 million in 2023 and P500 million in 2024.

In the same year, the DOTr opened its active transport office, which started as an ad hoc team.

Without any precedent to follow, the government largely based its bike infrastructure guidelines on NACTO since the Philippines’ road configuration is similar to that of the US.

Because of the novelty of Metro Manila’s bike infrastructure, there were design gaps in implementation.

An example would be the bike lane width. Under DO 88, the minimum width is 1.22 meters, but in the middle of implementation, the government had to revise guidelines to 1.5 meters after it became apparent that a 1.22-meter lane was too small, said Eldon Dionisio, project manager at the active transport office at DOTr.

Dionisio told Rappler that many local government units measured the bike lane from the outer rim of the pavement marking when they should have been measuring by operational width or the open space between two lanes.

Another gap in design is connectivity. Right now, there’s a push to remove bike lanes on national roads like EDSA. But Dionisio said this should not be the case.

“One main principle when you’re building a bike lane network is that it should be direct because cyclists use their own energy to move,” Dionisio said in a mix of Filipino and English. “You should provide them the most direct route.”

Beyond the gaps in design and infrastructure, the bigger struggle lies in entities that do not have active transport in their priorities. Dionisio called this a “misalignment of priorities.”

“We encounter, every now and then, apprehensions from different entities – may it be an individual, a group, an office, an agency – against building active transport infrastructure.”

Better public transport

For the longest time, Filipinos think in terms of using cars or commuting by public transport to go from one point to another.

Other modes of transport, like bikes, are seen as a cause of congestion rather than an additional mode of transport that people can use. A common argument against bike lanes is that they only contribute to more congestion of roads. But the conversation must go beyond car users and bikers, said Regidor.

“We’re always pitting the cars and the bikes when, in fact, the problem is public transport,” he said.

The professor said that there’s a natural synergy between good public transport and a working bike lane network.

In other countries in Europe, for example, commuters can take their bike with them on the train so that their bike commute trip is augmented by public transport.

For example, Regidor said that the current state of bike lanes along Marcos Highway could use some improvement, given that the highway is wide and there’s already a rail rapid transit line in the area. 

Currently, the bike lane along Marcos Highway is 1.14 meters wide. At its widest, the bike lane measured 2.2 meters. But the wide lane was painted on the sidewalk and ended abruptly because of a barrier at a right turn where vehicles turn to enter Marikina.

That Marcos Highway remains congested during rush hours means more people are still opting to use cars.

Are people really shifting from private cars to public transport? We need to determine why they don’t.

Jose Regin Regidor

Making headway

Most bike lanes sprang across Metro Manila during the pandemic, when healthcare professionals and frontliners had to use bikes or other modes of active transport to get around. The national government then came out with guidelines for the establishment of bike lanes.

As restrictions eased and people went back to normal, most local governments also neglected to maintain the bike lanes. Bollards were removed, and paint started to fade. But one local government did the opposite by continuing to establish better lanes.

Even before the DPWH released DO No. 88, Quezon City had already started augmenting its 55-kilometer bike lane network that already existed before the pandemic.

According to Alberto Kimpo, assistant city administrator for operations in Quezon City, they used the AASHTO and NACTO guidelines in establishing the city’s bike lanes during the pandemic.

They used an engineering undergraduate thesis written by a staff member, plotting the ideal routes of bike lanes within the city.

Many advocates say that with the right infrastructure, more people will turn to bike commuting to get around.

But this is a problem that local governments have to contend with. Kimpo said that they are still in the process of generating more bike users. In 2021, they counted 22,000 biking trips in a two-week period; in the following year, the number dropped to 19,000 biking trips.

Aside from generating users, there’s also the issue of making do with the limited space available.

“It is a movement, it is a utilization of space that we really need to push as of the moment and to get more users to benefit from it,” Kimpo said in a mix of Filipino and English in an interview with Rappler.

“The roadways are not designed for active mobility. There is also a constant push for road widening.”

Still, Quezon City is continuing efforts to make bike lanes amid the failure of other local governments to maintain the lanes they created during the pandemic. A master plan is on the way.

Currently, the city is endeavoring to construct a Class I bike lane along the Quezon Memorial Circle in collaboration with the DOTr. A Class I bike lane is a designated protected path separate from a motor vehicle roadway. An existing example of a Class I bike lane in the Philippines is located along the Iloilo Diversion Road.

The Quezon Memorial Circle is set to have an elevated 3-meter bike lane made of red asphalt, planting strips, and another lane for pedestrians.

The push to prioritize active mobility relies on a clear vision and political will, said Kimpo.

“Of course, it also follows that the city takes very seriously its commitments vis-à-vis climate change.”

To a certain extent, political will could prevail over funding issues.

“There’s money,” said Kimpo. “Government will always have resources for these things. It’s really just a matter of channeling it towards the right investments that need to be done.” – Rappler.com

Improving active transportation facilities and policies is part of the call of various groups to #MakeManilaLiveable. On Rappler, we have created a dedicated space for stories and reports about liveability in Philippine cities. Learn more about the movement here.

Since the pandemic, more people have turned to biking to get around. As a response, the government put up bike lanes across the metro. To find out how bike-friendly Metro Manila is, Rappler rode a loop of 120 kilometers around the capital in January for a documentary. Riding 100 kilometers or more is part of the bucket list of many bikers due to its sheer distance and the challenge it poses.

The loop covered Pasig, Marikina, Quezon City, Valenzuela, Malabon, Caloocan, Manila, Pasay, Parañaque, Las Piñas, Muntinlupa, and Taguig.

To assess bike-friendliness, Rappler drew up criteria evaluating the bike lanes using four factors: lane width, road conditions, obstructions, and segregation. 

These are factors that affect a biker’s safety on the road, also take into account the infrastructure the government put in place, and gauge the attitude of other motorists with respect to the lane and the bike commuter.

Only portions of the major roads covered in the loop were measured in the scorecard. 

But how safe is Metro Manila for bikers? Rappler’s Iya Gozum biked a 120-kilometer loop in Metro Manila to find out. – Rappler.com

Reporter/writer: Iya Gozum
Producer/field director: Nina Liu
Supervising producer: Beth Frondoso
Video editor: JP San Pedro
Environment editor: Jee Geronimo
Animator: David Castuciano
Graphic artists: Raffy de Guzman, Marian Hukom, Nico Villarete
Director of photography: Jeff Digma
Second camera operator: Errol Almario
Assistant cameramen: Danny Espina, Ramil Cedeno

Improving active transportation facilities and policies is part of the call of various groups to #MakeManilaLiveable. On Rappler, we have created a dedicated space for stories and reports about liveability in Philippine cities. Learn more about the movement here.

On Thursday, March 7, Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista led the ceremonial launch of the tunnel boring machine that will excavate the subway’s northbound tunnel leading from the North Avenue Station to the Tandang Sora station, a process expected to take up to 12 months.

After three months, another tunnel boring machine will start to dig the southbound tunnel from North Avenue to Tandang Sora.

If all goes well, transport officials believe that the subway could be partially operational by 2028, with trains running from Valenzuela to Ortigas. Full operations – from Valenzuela to Bicutan – is expected in 2029. (FAST FACTS: What’s the Metro Manila Subway?)

What could stand in the way? Right of way issues.

For the full story, watch this Rappler Recap by business reporter Lance Spencer Yu, reporting 38 meters underground beside the massive machines making the tunnels. – Rappler.com

QC gender and development head Janete Oviedo said Saturday marked the first day of distribution for the “right to care” cards, which also marked the city’s fourth commitment ceremony. 

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“We will start calling people who have ‘right to care’ cards for distribution. It will be given in the Gender and Development Office in Quezon City Hall,” she said in a mix of English and Filipino. 

Oviedo added that those who have yet to receive their cards have their own copies of the special power of attorney contracts which can be shown to hospitals in the city.

The program was formally introduced during QC Pride in June 2023, with the first batch of couples signing their special power of attorney contracts in August. The ordinance for the program was also passed in October 20, 2023, with officials still drafting its implementing rules and regulations.

Rappler talked to some of the couples who were filled with joy and excitement after receiving the card. 

‘Safer’ together

Transgender woman Richard Ella and her partner Lester Paradero said that they felt “lucky” to be among the first QC residents to receive their own “right to care” cards. 

“Happy [ako] kasi…ako na lang po magdedesisyon para sa partner ko. At the same time, napakalayo ng pamilya [ni Lester] sa amin. Nasa Batangas ‘yung family niya na tawagan in case [may emergency],” Ella said. 

(I’m happy since I can make decisions for my partner. At the same time, Lester’s family is far from us. His family is in Batangas should we need to call them in case of emergencies.)

The couple have been together for four years and decided to attend this year’s commitment ceremony to renew their vows for one another when they went to the event in 2021. They hope to start a business together to get “stable income” as Lester is earning money through contractual jobs. 

35-year-old Leslie Ampo-an and her boyfriend Ash Musnit said that they were happy to finally receive the card as they witnessed their LGBTQ+ friends being denied by their family to visit their partners.

“Bilang mga mahihirap na mamamayan ng Quezon City, nakapahirap po para sa amin na kahit mag-pacheck-up pa man lang. So importante na meron ‘right to care’ card kasama ng partner namin kasi there are instances po na may nangyayari sa amin pero never po nakikialam ‘yung partner,” Ampo-an said. 

(As we are among the marginalized sectors in Quezon City, it’s hard for us to even get ourselves a check-up. So it’s important that we have a “right to care” card with our partners since there are instances that something happens to us, but our partners can’t get involved.)

JR Tabor and Jeremy Abrogar said they felt their bond got stronger when they finally got the card as they marked their 18th year as a couple this February. 

“Ngayon, mas safer na kami sa isa’t isa…kasi at least kahit malayo man kami sa family namin, at least mayroon ganitong card na kahit papaano na makakaensure kami na may right decision-maker para sa amin,” Tabor said.

(We feel safer with each other because even if our families are far away from each other, at least there is this card that would ensure us that there is a right decision-maker for us.)

Awareness

Oviedo said more than 700 couples have signed up for the “right to care” card as of February 2024. Despite this development, city workers are still actively working to get LGBTQ+ couples in the city to sign up for the card. 

Workers were giving documents for the “right to care” card to interested couples in the commitment ceremony, with an orientation set for February 24. 

QC government workers are also giving documents for the city’s “right to care” card to interested couples.

The card was introduced last year during QC Pride. It hopes to provide LGBTQ+ couples in the city with the right to make healthcare decisions for each other.

15 couples… pic.twitter.com/dStFCmc5q5

— Rappler (@rapplerdotcom) February 17, 2024

Among those who received documents during the commitment ceremony was Kurt Mante and his 21-year-old girlfriend Nicole Delgado. The couple said that this was their first time hearing about the program and are undecided on signing up for the card.

“‘Di ko pa masyado maintindihan. Kailangan ko ng explanation para ma-go din tayo parehas. (I don’t understand it that much. I need an explanation so that we both have the go [signal]),” Delgado said.

Oviedo said that the QC government plans to do orientations in all of the city’s barangays. She added that they have also connected with LGBTQ+ organizations to also orient their members on the “right to care” card.

Those who wish to avail of Quezon City’s “right to care card” can register by going to the Quezon City gender and development council office or through bit.ly/RightToCareReg. – Rappler.com

“If your goal is to help mitigate climate change, the way to go is to go full electric,” Elmer Francisco, CEO of Francisco Motors, told Rappler in an interview.

Francisco Motors has been in the business for 77 years. Since they started in 1947, Francisco Motors relied on Japan-based companies Isuzu and Mazda for the internal combustion engines of their jeepneys.

Francisco said they have resolved not to buy engines from foreign manufacturers anymore. “We will build our own. What we’ll do is full electric.”

They are set to release 1,000 units of their electric jeep by the second quarter of 2024. This jeep is pegged at P985,000 – a bit more expensive than new traditional ones that range from P675,000 to P850,000 but less than the average P2 million cost of other modern jeepneys.

Making public transport, one of the biggest polluting sectors in the Philippines, cleaner is part of the country’s plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that exacerbate climate change. The PUVMP is the government’s effort at nationwide transformation of land-based public transport. It requires utility vehicles with at least Euro-4 engines, which run on diesel with less sulfur content.

But Euro-4 is already obsolete in other advanced countries, said Francisco. “They’re throwing their garbage at us and monetizing it at high cost.”

Creating an electric fleet

According to Francisco, his company was able to make an electric jeepney much cheaper than the imported modern jeepney units because most of the parts are locally manufactured, including the battery.

The company is building a factory in a special economic zone in Camarines Norte, powered by a 100-megawatt solar farm, where production of electric jeepneys will take place. Once built, it is projected to produce 25,000 units per year.

Francisco Motors will make use of the incentives under the Electric Vehicle Industry Development Act (EVIDA). This includes duty-free importation of materials needed for the production of batteries and assembly of electric vehicles.

When the batteries of their electric jeepneys die, they will be stored in the special economic zone to be repurposed for second life applications.

Unlike most of the vehicles of the other PUVMP players, which are actually mini-buses, Francisco Motors’ electric jeep retains the iconic look of the “King of the Road.” It is also exploring other designs and looking at lighter materials like aluminum.

While a more aerodynamic design is more fuel efficient for other modes of transport, Francisco said it makes more sense to prioritize making jeepneys lighter because it is a slow-moving vehicle.

Lightweight electric vehicles are more economic as they use smaller batteries and have longer driving range.

What’s stopping us?

If a local manufacturer can produce a full electric jeep, what’s stopping the Philippines from adopting this technology instead of settling for mostly Euro-4 compliant vehicles?

Aside from high upfront costs, the infrastructure that supports electric public transport is still lacking.

Currently, electric vehicles have limited driving range because there are only a few charging stations in the Philippines. In contrast, some countries in Europe are already experimenting with electric roads, which enable vehicles to charge while driving.

Battery swapping stations, the alternative to charging stations, are just beginning to be rolled out in parts of Metro Manila. (LOOK: Gogoro Smartscooters, battery-swapping tech arrive in the Philippines)

“If all our PUVs will be electric vehicles, I think we also need to implement large-scale charging stations,” transport expert Sandy Mae Gaspay of the University of the Philippines Institute of Civil Engineering, told Rappler. “Right now, operators just have their own charging or battery-swapping stations.” 

The Philippines is also still catching up with policies to support its nascent electric vehicle industry.

“EVIDA [Electric Vehicle Industry Development Act] was just recently passed,” said Gaspay. “We’re just starting to lay down the foundations of an EV market.”

The use of electric vehicles isn’t completely clean as long as the country’s power is still primarily generated from coal. As of 2022, coal makes up 42% of the Philippines’ energy mix.

Cost-benefit analysis

But even with these challenges, it still makes economic sense to adopt electric jeepneys in the country.

A study submitted to the Department of Trade and Industry in 2019 conducted a cost-benefit analysis of the transition to electric jeeps in a period of 10 years.

Authored by energy economist Majah Leah Ravago and researchers Renzi Frias and J. Kathleen Magadia, the study explored different scenarios on adopting electric jeeps.

It looked into the use of electric jeeps in the context of the current coal-dominated energy mix, and in the foreseeable future of improved technology and batteries, as well as transitioning to renewable energy and solar-powered charging stations.

The cost-benefit analysis took into account fuel and power, operations and maintenance, carbon and health costs, charging station cost, government subsidy, among others.

In all scenarios, the study found that benefits trump the costs. “[W]hile the upfront costs of e-jeepneys are high, the socio-economic benefits of replacing conventional jeepneys with e-jeepneys outweigh the costs,” the study read.

As lithium batteries become cheaper, prices of electric jeepneys decrease. Combined with the transition to cleaner energy, electric jeeps would significantly decrease health risks to the public and reduce carbon emissions.

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Beyond tech: System change

Modernization should go beyond changing vehicles, said Gaspay. The program should be systemwide to make transport cleaner but also more efficient and comfortable for the riding public.

“I don’t think we’re ready, if you consult energy experts,” Gaspay said on the question of whether all PUV fleets can be electrified anytime soon.

“There are still a lot of things to fix. What’s important to understand is that solutions should be systemwide.” 

Gaspay said the modernization program should transform routes and modes of transport based on volume and frequency of passengers. Making systemic changes should also include how fares are collected and where stops are located.

Even the PUV consolidation can help with fleet management, as joint operations would help operators and drivers enjoy economies of scale.

Gaspay used the example of having one mechanic for the whole fleet which allows for frequent and cheaper maintenance compared to that of a single-unit operator. 

Local government units must also play an active role in monitoring competition among modes of transport and giving the support they need. (READ: Why some transport groups support jeepney modernization)

Gaspay also noted that the transition to modern utility vehicles also means helping operators get rid of old units. The Philippine government is currently providing equity subsidies for operators who will modernize, but jeepney drivers and operators say the subsidies are too small. – Rappler.com

Quotes were translated to English for brevity.

By the end of it, the building’s neoclassical facade, framed by 16 enormous white pillars, were left soot black. Filipinos grieved the loss of one of the oldest landmarks in the nation’s capital, tracing its roots back nearly a hundred years.

Now, eight months after the fire, architects, heritage experts, and government officials are coming together to bring its burned-out husk back to life.

The Department of Tourism (DOT), through its infrastructure arm Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA), has committed P15 million to kick-start the MCPO’s restoration and rehabilitation. The fund will go towards the detailed architectural and engineering studies for the “conservative assessment and pre-restoration work” of the building.

Here’s the breakdown of the P15 million budget as stated by the DOT:

• P6 million – design of the shoring, design of the construction scaffoldings for the walls, design of the temporary roof, and methodology for the work
• P6 million – condition assessment plans and building of diagnostic results
• P3 million – process of cost analysis of the state of damage of the MCPO

Project consultants and officers from TIEZA and the Philippine Postal Corporation have already conducted a preliminary evaluation of the MCPO last January 16. Now, the Department of Tourism said that they are working on the “creation of plans for the pre-restoration work” and the “creation of the rehabilitation and conservation plan.”

“When the Manila Central Post Office was destroyed in a massive fire, we lost not just a building, but an edifice that holds the rich history and past of the Filipinos,” said Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco. “We are delighted to have worked closely with the Philippine Postal Corporation, the management of the Manila Central Post Office, and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts to ensure the proper and meticulous restoration of the landmark.”

The MCPO sits as the backdrop of the recently beautified Pasig River Esplanade. The building’s restoration is expected to tie in with the “Pasig Bigyan Buhay Muli” – or PBBM – program under the Office of the First Lady. – Rappler.com

Out of 387 cities across 55 countries, Metro Manila topped the 2023 TomTom Traffic Index list of metro areas with the slowest travel time.

On average, it takes 25 minutes and 30 seconds to travel 10 kilometers in Metro Manila. By comparison, driving the same distance only takes 8 minutes and 40 seconds in Kansas City, an American city that boasts one of the quickest average travel times.

Note that Metro Manila’s distinction is for the worst traffic in a metro area, which the TomTom Traffic Index defines as “the city and rural areas in close proximity.” What if you look at Manila’s city center alone, specifically a circle spanning 10 kilometers around the busiest parts of the metro?

The situation is still bad. In terms of average travel time in city centers, Manila ranks the ninth worst, with a travel time of 27 minutes and 20 seconds. Although Manila doesn’t have the slowest city center in the world – a distinction which belongs to London with an average travel time of 37 minutes and 20 seconds – it does have the worst record among Southeast Asian cities. The next worst in the region is Taichung in Taiwan, which holds 11th place with an average travel time of 26 minutes and 50 seconds.

Rush hour woes

Driving in Manila on a regular day is already bad enough, but data shows that it gets significantly worse during the Christmas “carmaggedon.” In fact, the worst time to travel in Manila in 2023 was recorded on December 15, when average travel time for 10 kilometers slowed to 31 minutes and 50 seconds.

But traffic can get just as bad, or even worse, during the rush hour of the work week. If you’re looking to avoid getting stuck in a sea of red lights, try to stay off the roads from 5 pm to 7 pm on Fridays, as the average travel time reaches 35 minutes and 30 seconds.

TomTom’s data also shows that rush hour traffic jams have gotten worse, with Filipinos losing up to 117 hours a year due to congestion in 2023 – 12 hours and 51 minutes more than the average time lost in 2022.

Find the full TomTom Traffic Index ranking here.

What does the government say?

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) has already reacted to the study’s findings.

In a statement, the DOTr said: “Our ongoing road transport infrastructure projects are directed at improving commuter experience while addressing worsening traffic in highly urbanized areas. The top ranking of Metro Manila in world traffic poses a challenge not just for DOTr but other agencies as well to be creative at finding lasting solutions to metro traffic.”

The DOTr also said they would “fast-track” road projects pursued by government agencies alongside the private sector.

While the government didn’t highlight any specific project or program to tackle traffic, one of the DOTr’s most publicized – and most controversial – initiatives is the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program. Under it, the DOTr plans to consolidate and upgrade the hundreds of thousands of PUVs in the country, including jeepneys.

The government hopes that consolidating jeepneys into cooperatives and corporations, as well as rationalizing their routes and changing their units into “modern jeepneys,” will lead to safer and faster commuter trips. However, the program has also raised opposition from drivers and operators who worry the program will cost them their livelihoods. (READ: Anti-poor? How gov’t defends PUV modernization, why jeepney stakeholders oppose it)

Other road projects to be funded in 2024 revolve around buses: the continuing EDSA Busway project, and the foreign-assisted Davao public transport modernization project and Cebu Bus Rapid Transit project.

Meanwhile, the bulk of the DOTr’s budget will go toward building big-ticket railway projects, like the North-South Commuter Railway and the Metro Manila Subway, which could indirectly reduce the number of cars on the road. – Rappler.com

Numerous studies and papers have shown the benefits of parks to people. Public parks are known to improve mental health, reduce air pollution, enliven local economies, and more.

In the Philippines, many sectors and groups have long been calling for more public open spaces, especially in cities where there is a dearth of them, amid rapid and often uncontrolled urbanization.

Policy-wise, progress was achieved in mid-2023 with the signing of a joint administrative order by no less than six department secretaries and two agency heads.

Robert Siy Jr., co-convenor of the Move As One Coalition, pointed to this new government directive as a possible starting point for anyone who wants to engage with government in creating parks in their own communities.

The Move As One Coalition, a network of mobility and active transport activist groups, had actively lobbied for this order, said Siy in an interview on Rappler’s “Be The Good” show aired on December 15.

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The Joint Administrative Order No. 2023-0001 was signed by the secretaries of health, tourism, interior and local government, housing, environment, and public works departments; and the heads of the National Commission for the Culture and Arts and the Philippine Commission on Women.

Dated August 2023, it’s entitled, “Guidelines on the Creation, Use, and Management of Parks and Public Open Spaces for the Promotion of Physical and Mental Health and Social Well-being.”

Calling it a “milestone document,” Siy, a public transport expert, said, “We can use this as civil society to lobby and encourage our local officials to actually take action. Because there’s a policy basis now. This is the national government’s order already. This is their aspiration.”

Siy thinks there should be at least one public open space in every barangay, and that this government directive can make that into reality.

What are highlights of the multi-agency order? It states that:

• The role of both national and local government is to ensure the “availability and accessibility of healthy and safe public open spaces.”
• National resources “shall be mobilized” for the creation and use of public open spaces.
• Local government resources are to be mobilized and local governments must include the creation and improvement of public open spaces in their local development plans.
• Implementation of the policy promoting parks will be monitored by the Department of Health as part of its Healthy Communities Program.
• The Department of Public Works and Highways should create a special initiative to build public open spaces “in selected national roads and bridges,” and coordinate with local governments on this.

The roles of all the signing government agencies are spelled out in the order, as well as the guidelines and standards for parks and open spaces. Read the entire document here.

How to get started

Siy was asked during the interview for his suggestions on how concerned citizens can, on their own, start an initiative to create a public open space in their area.

We paraphrase his tips here.

1. Get a group of concerned and like-minded community members together. Approach the barangay captain and discuss the possibility of creating a public open space. Bring a copy of the joint administrative order to cite as basis for why the local government must support your initiative. It’s important to involve as many stakeholders as possible – from local bicycle groups, business chambers, schools, and more.

2. With the barangay officials and other members of the community, select a place for the public open space. The proposed public park doesn’t have to be large. There are benefits to pocket parks too. With the lack of available land in many cities, you could propose the creation of a peoples’ street. The joint administrative order explicitly supports the establishment of people’s streets. It has its own definition in the order.

People’s streets are streets, roads, parking lots, or bridges that are “prioritized for use by pedestrians, bicycles, and light mobility devices, closed for motor vehicular through-traffic, and are designated only for physical activity, leisure, and recreational use by community members exclusively or on a specified schedule.”

For a people’s street, choose a street that, if closed off to cars, will not create traffic jams in the area. Siy suggests choosing a street in an area where the streets are in a grid system so that, when that street is closed, those parallel to it can be used as alternative routes. In Pasig City, this is implemented in Emerald Avenue. In Makati, Ayala Avenue was chosen. Siy said the Tomas Morato area, with the “Scouts” streets, is a good place to create a people’s street because of its grid arrangement.

3. Decide when and how long the car-free period will be for that street. You can start slow, blocking off only a few hours during a day of the week known to have the least car traffic – like Sunday mornings. Depending on how the community reacts to the initiative, decide whether to scale it down or up. Should it stay a people’s street only on certain holidays? Should this be extended to months because it has been beneficial to tourism and the local economy?

4. Decide what activities to hold in the street or park. They can be exercises like Zumba, or games like a treasure hunt for children. The community can hold bazaars or food fairs. Activities can also help market the initiative to the community, get their buy-in, and improve social cohesion. This could be your chance to meet your neighbors or exchange more than a greeting.

If done right and with consistency, the people’s street or park initiative will “take a life of its own,” said Siy.

Online sentiment about car-free streets or people’s streets are mostly positive, said Ivy Pedida, a Rappler Digital Communications Specialist who did an online scan about conversations surrounding these initiatives.

She said lots of people go on social media to express their satisfaction and delight at people’s streets, like those in Pasig City. Parents, in particular, post about how they feel their children are so much safer when biking or jogging in these car-free streets.

“They are very happy. If there is any criticism, what we can see is how this can be implemented longer. That’s what people really want,” said Pedida. – Rappler.com

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