The COVID-19 pandemic, for all the damage and suffering that it has caused to millions of lives, may have been able to achieve one thing which hitherto would not have been taught of under the normal circumstances in the life of Filipinos regardless of race, religion, background or economic status. That is, it cleared the decks to rearranging our priorities, making us see beneath the surface and contemplate what we have forgotten to do for ourselves and others, making us think twice to ask ourselves why we are doing what we do. And this brief exercise in self-analysis may have led us to look more closely at our transportation system, particularly here in Metro Manila which has been rated as one of the world’s worst in terms of traffic, congestion, pollution and endless frustration among most of us who venture in our roads on a daily basis.
Truth to tell, the seeming endless lockdowns and “stay at home” orders during the last 18 months have cleared our roads at many occasions which gave any observer quite a relief to see Metro’s streets in the absence of traffic, noise and bedlam—a sight that can only be seen on a Good Friday holiday which comes only once a year.
The spectacle of almost empty EDSA was a sight for me personally during those quarantine periods when I had to make the commute for an urgent business or emergency trip across the city. This led me to think of a blank canvas in which an artist has to work on his/her imagination to come up with something that could delight, intrigue, challenge and/or fascinate the viewer into looking at the world with fresh eyes and outlook.
So, this in a way has led many experts as well as professionals and policy-makers in the transportation sector to reimagine what the future of transport would be like five, ten years into the horizon. And for this, I would like to thank Congressman Edgar Mary S. Sarmiento, of the 1st district of Samar and Chairman of the House Committee on Transportation whose yeoman efforts have effected the passage of a highly relevant measure by the Committee on Transportation that would adopt a 30-year National Transportation Infrastructure Program to ensure continuity amid changes in leadership.
In his sponsorship remarks, Congressman Sarmiento as principal author said there is a need for the measure to address the concerns of the aviation, railway, and land sectors, adding that it is only proper to finally have a roadmap for the next 30 years.
According to him, House Bill 9468 provides a list of core projects to be implemented between 2023 and 2052, “So whatever current programs and projects relevant to aviation, maritime, land sector and railway should go on for us to finally have the needed public transportation the country needs,” Sarmiento said.
To ensure funding, the NEDA and the Department of Budget and Management shall ensure that the total budget allocation by the government for the program shall be at least 5 percent of the gross domestic product. For road transport for example, the bill prioritizes the North Luzon Expressway to Ilocos Region, Cavite-Tagaytay-Batangas Expressway, Metropolitan Manila Circumferential 5 Southlink Expressway, Metropolitan Cebu Expressway, and Metropolitan Davao Expressway, among others.
But more than us, the rethinking about the future of transportation is a global re-imagining of sorts. For example, according to Micah Kotch, managing director of URBAN-X, at the recently held Smart Cities Connect Conference and Expo, “Longer-range and longer-lasting electric car batteries. Congestion pricing that can provide a regular funding stream for public transit. More flexible ideas about how to use public rights of way. All of these ideas factored into what watchers of transportation innovation hope, and expect, to see in the next five to 10 years. Another expert also foretold, that she was 100 percent certain that this is the decade for electric vehicles (EVs). The coming years would see a realignment of how the car industry and the transportation sector would be restructuring and re-tooling their systems because a giant manufacturer like Ford, has committed itself to go full electric. By 2024, according to its recent announcement, Ford’s entire commercial vehicle lineup will be “zero-emissions capable, all-electric or plug-in hybrid.” By mid-2026, it says “100 percent” of its passenger vehicle lineup will be the same.
Our agency was recently involved with the UN Day celebration hosted by UNDP and it had a video contest for the youth on the theme: Glimpses Through Film: Stories of Hope in the Midst of a Pandemic. I could not think of a more apt tagline for our transportation system and what can it be for a better Philippines.