IS IT JUST me or has the daily commute in Iloilo City become unbearable lately?
The sentiment echoed by local government officials – and opinionated men who spend too much time in coffee shops– has always been that Iloilo should aspire for rapid growth and development, but not to the point that the city becomes the next Manila or Cebu City – congested and choked by traffic. Sustainability over precarious industrialization.
But has Iloilo already fallen into the trap without us realizing it?
My usual route from our home in Tagbak, Jaro to Panay News’ plant in Pavia usually involves three jeepney rides, taking me an average of 45 minutes to an hour to finally get to our office. This is in the morning when traffic isn’t so heavy, and granting I don’t need to take a pit-stop to Central Philippine University.
But in the late afternoon, when seemingly the entire population of Iloilo City decides to head home in hordes, my commute nearly doubles to an hour and a half, this time usually includes waiting for a vacant jeep and thrashing past other commuters – akin to the “Hunger Games” and “Battle Royale” – for the rare unoccupied seat that’s actually just the edge of a bench barely enough for me to balance my buttocks on.
Don’t get me started about trying to commute when it’s raining between the 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. rush hours, you’ll have a hard time even flagging aunoccupied taxi, as they all vanish into thin air, leaving in their wake mile-long lines at dispatcher stations in malls all over Iloilo. We’ve already seen the photos of Ilonggo commuters stranded in the rain go viral many times over.
Adding to my irritable state during commutes are the usual pet peeves:
1) People conversing loudly – even though they’re just inches from each other’’s faces (No! Manang Melba, the entire jeep doesn’t need to know that your neighbor’s husband is cheating with your labandera’s second cousin twice removed!).
2) People that fidget and move around in the already tiny and cramped space, their extremities and elbows dangerously butting into your barely-existing personal space (I’m always tempted to ask these people: “Have you taken your meds for the day?” or “Ano ginasinghot mo manong that makes you so hyperactive?” But my sense of humor often gets me into trouble, so I digress.)
3) And people that think they’ve gotten to know you well enough that they’re allowed to nap and droll on your shoulder.
There is solace in hitching a ride with your mother or grandfather, and the calm of an air-conditioned cab, your favorite radio anchor’s voice blaring from the speakers, but every other commute scenario is a post-apocalyptic “Mad Max” fever dream.
Of course we are still leagues away from becoming the urban planning nightmare that is Manila – the unofficial armpit of the Philippines – but do we have to wait till then to make the much needed adjustments? (maverhick.blogspot.com/PN)
