Life is strange for those of us who love to drive and get moving. My life with the lockdown began with a move of residence, which saw me drive from Pasig in the north to my new residence in the south. The date was March 15 and I was trying to beat the midnight deadline — before lockdown would be declared.
I made it.
The start of ECQ was chaotic, to say the least, with no rules on the road except that the military had the final say as they stood guard in the main entrances and exits of the villages.
But follow I did so that I could make it to my destination — wherever that was.
As I look back at the almost two months that ECQ was declared over NCR, driving was easy and for the most part traffic-free, except in portions where there were military and entrances with armed men were set up. I had no choice to follow — and make sure I had a quarantine pass and IATC ID.
“Siguraduhin mo naka-mask kayo,” said the sentinel on duty. “Dapat valid IATC ID niyo. Or arestuhin ka namin pag wala,” was a common threat I received as I passed through a checkpoint.
I made sure I had those requirements with me as I drove to the office and home.
As ECQ was extended there came the need for, aside from an IATF ID, a Rapid Pass, which had a QR code that the military personnel on duty could scan so that it made passing through checkpoints faster and also contactless — thus no spread of the dreaded COVID 19.
But as it is hereabouts, this lockdown brought with it many motorcycle-riding delivery men who began to ply the streets of the metro. The traffic jams they brought were beginning to become a major headache for car riders who sought to avoid the traffic-laden streets with what seemed like a gazillion tricycles.
But people had to eat or get their groceries or have their deliveries so many of these riders were allowed and competed for road space with the vehicles loaded with passengers allowed to continue to work.
Enter GCQ
As NCR got ready for the transition from ECQ to GCQ, many preparations were made with public transport. I noticed that motorbikes were still there but I also saw a few cars with lots of plastic dividers between driver and passenger — Grab taxis, I surmised.
I did see a handful of tricycles in the village where I live but they were not allowed to go on the main roads — and the those that I saw had only one passenger.
When I loaded gas at the station more people were wearing masks as they spoke to the gas boy — and gas boys wore gloves. So did people at toll gates. Another safety measure in place.
It’s evident that Pinoys had become more conscious about the gravity of COVID-19 but that didn’t stop drivers from readying their vehicles and making them COVID-ready to drive because, as many drivers told me, they needed the income to survive. No matter what the plastic dividers and alcohol dispensers in their vehicles in cost them.
Public transport has increased with barangays allowing more tricycles to go from village to village. Bicycles are a normal sight on EDSA.
I did get a glimpse of the MRT and the pathetic lines that snaked their way though it with laborer trying to get on a train that could only ferry 50 percent of what it normally does.
There are big problems transitioning to the new normal that the government says it is ready for and has a plan to make sure it works. But a look out the window and viewing the driving conditions tells me that with the new normal comes roads that are being repaired — another major traffic jam.
GCQ, the government says, only allows half of public transport. And still the traffic problem looks bigger than the DOTr can handle. People have opted to walk to work because of lack or transport and the many chokepoints and traffic buildup areas.
For my part, I have started to leave the house in the village where I stay at the break of dawn to avoid the traffic that can become chaotic later in the day.
I justify the traffic with the thought that perhaps not the full police and traffic enforcers are at work yet.
But the moves to make sure that the public vehicles are COVID-ready are evident — and plastic dividers are definitely part on the new normal.
Soon we move to MGCQ, which means that more public transport will be allowed to ply the already chaotic roads.
Yet, Filipino drivers need to work to feed their families.
We hope the plan that DOTr Secretary has is in place and is not just some pipe dream that can easily go up in smoke. I dread the day this happens.
Til then we look forward to the day when the new normal will be inclusive of Filipinos — not just Pinoys in private cars.
I look forward to when traffic woes are no longer as distressing as they are now and when streets and their conditions are fixed so that they may be safe for all and a source of income for those that ferry the many commuters and desperately use the rides for their livelihood.