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Waiting Commuters at Talaba, Bacoor, Cavite -- ang tagal dyan kahit bukana na ng Maynila!

The first is, have you tried combat commuting? I think if you live in Manila, it is essential to know combat commuting. Its a war waged every single weekday in the Philippine capital. The climax of the war at Hell’s Gate? Rush hour madness. Everyday, people try to cram themselves in buses, jeepneys and metros. Well, asi es la vida en Manila! Can’t deal with it? Might as well leave for the provincias.

Now, for a Cavite resident like me, traveling from home to work is a fact of life. Manila has become crowded and the urban expansion reached the doorsteps of its neighboring provinces, one of which is Cavite. There may be 12 million residents in Metro Manila but including the Greater Manila Area (encompassing Cavite, Laguna, Rizal, Bulacan), we may even be comparable with the population of that of Mexico City, Tokyo or Mumbai! Cavite has the largest share of GMA residents–3 million people, tw0-thirds of it lives in towns near Metro Manila and along Aguinaldo Highway–the sole main artery of the province. Three million, the most populous province in the country–and with real estate blooming like lumot in the pond, its like a heart chocked with cholesterol! After all, Cavite IS a bedroom of Metro Manila.

Counterflow or locally known as "Buhos" at Aguinaldo Hghway, Panapaan, Bacoor, Cavite

How does it feel to be a Caviteño commuter? Well, either your still in school or working, you SUFFER the same fate as the rest of Cavite’s commuters, most especially rush hour. How so? Try to imagine yourself, waking up while the sun isn’t yet shining. Took a bath, get dressed and rushed your way to Aguinaldo Highway. Reaching the bus stop, you’ll be with lots of people waiting for the bus to stop for them to ride. Yet, the buses by-pass the said loading and unloading area. You wait, the sun is up, the buses still pass by you, and more people are coming to wait for the bus to ride on. Lawton, Pasay, Buendia, Cubao, Baclaran, Ayala, Ortigas–San Agustin, Jasper Jean, Solid Star, Erjohn and Almark and a lot more bus companies, just–don’t mind you guys at the bus stop at all. Weird no? Why? Because these buses are already full to the brim! Malapit nang magsuka ang mga bus sa sobrang puno, di na nagpapasakay ang mga tsuper ng bus!

Traffic Congestion near SM Bacoor

Then luckily, you rode a bus…but damn! It’s butt-cramped! You can kiss the windshield or make manyak to the person beside you. The only thing that separates us from sardine cans would be the sauce! You have to be an expert in yoga to perform such positions far too uncomfortable for a morning ride! As we went by, we’ve passed by several bus stops along the way…pity, the commuters have been waiting and will be waiting for a bus to ride on. Punong-puno ang sidewalks ng mga mag-kokomyut.

Ooops…its not the end. Then, you came near Bacoor Rotonda–that’s in SM Bacoor, the traffic halted and you’ve waited…and waited…and waited…and waited…until the bus driver went down to puff some cigarettes while…waiting. 20 to 30 minutes later, you’re still waiting…until…swoosh!!! BUHOS TAYM!!! The Manila-bound cars and vehicles head for a mad dash towards Coastal Road…to escape the agony of waiting and the hell called Aguinaldo Highway! You’re lucky if you caught the first hour counter-flow…because it runs all the way to Coastal Road. By around 7AM, its good luck to you! Hephep! Kala ko bawal na ang counterflow sabi ni President Noy? Hehe!

As we reached Coastal Road, as if it was reaching nirvana! Usually, Coastal Road during early mornings is a paradise to motorists. Except for the toll plaza of course. If Aguinaldo Highway was hell, Coastal Road was salvation!

Caviteños have lived for this kind of life for more than a decade already. I can still clearly remember that rush hour traffic was only up to the Revilla residence in Bacoor. But now, it goes as far as Anabu in Imus! That’s umm, almost 10 kilometers of traffic congestion…of hell on earth! No traffic travel time from Anabu to Longos Junction in Coastal Road, less than 30 minutes. Travel time during rush hours, a lovely 1.5 to 2 hours, depending on the “mood.”

Approaching Longos Junction in Bacoor Cavite, nearing Coastal Road -- the Gates of Heaven and Hell!

For now, we have to deal with it. Finding innovative ways so that we wouldn’t be scolded by our professors and bosses. But we pray for so long, sana naman may magawa naman para sa mga komyuter ng Cavite!

The morbid fact: CAVITE LACKS URBAN PLANNING OR IS THERE?! It’s a mess! And the residential areas are still growing while the infrastructure for roads and public transport is snail-paced! What the?! Haven’t they forgotten that eating too much pork is dangerous to Cavite’s health?! The incoming flux of migrants, residential and industrial developments of this province is clogging the arteries…and I have no idea if the body of the province, the local officials, are doing any drastic measure to change Cavite’s lifestyle…pero parang di masyadong maramdaman! Daang Hari and Molino Boulevard may be there but it’s not enough for the three million souls to move along! Regarding public transport, LRT South Extension project has been shelved–I heard about that crap since I was GRADE 5! For those who want the Coastal Road Extension to be stopped–kayo lang ba ang babara sa ugat namin dahil sa mga tahong at talaba? May mga ibang trabaho din naman po sa paligid, kumilos naman po tayo at huwag masyadong umasa palagi sa gobyerno! Pigilan nyo ang extension project at 2 milyong katao ang mas maapektuhan!

Coastal Road in Parañaque City -- Its mostly light to moderate traffic on early mornings except the toll plaza and Mia Road junction

It is something that the new leader, Jonvic Remulla, and the rest of the Cavite’s politicos should think and act about swiftly and wisely. There will come a time when the present “Buhos” system wouldn’t work anymore! What’s with being the most urbanized if we don’t have the proper infrastructure? As early as now, the province is already showing urban decay–this early! With the new president installed, I hope they should start acting up…before its too late. Cavite is already heading for a cardiac arrest!

Now, how does it feel being a commuter from Cavite? Ask me, that’s me on the photo.

I say, mabuhay ang mga bagong bayani ng Kabite! Mabuhay ang mga dakilang komyuter ng Kabite!

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Monday morning, Miong woke up and prepared for the day. Sip of coffee and pandesal, taking a shower and leave his house at Bucandala in Imus, Cavite…work time starts at 8AM but he doesn’t like to ruin his perfect attendance record, he woke up early…very early, like the sun’s rays hasn’t touched the faces of those who wait for the buses bound for Lawton and EDSA. Miong joined them, many of them waiting in Aguinaldo Highway…Comes a bus, it was another standing ovation. Upon reaching Imus Bayan, the bus was already jam-packed and Miong had positioned himself in the most comfortable way, learning up the kama sutra of everyday commuting.

As they were going north-bound, the world stopped. And it did stopped, for an hour Miong stood in the bus full of people…somewhat agonizing, together with the passengers, he waited for 30 minutes or more then goes the bus speeding up like there is no tomorrow. Miong experienced “buhos,” an everyday occurrence to any Caviteño commuter…

It’s like this, every rush hour a sheer volume of vehicles pass by Cavite’s sole main thoroughfare to Manila, which is Aguinaldo Highway. The said road is already 25% oversaturated as stated in the provincial government website between Bacoor, Imus and Dasmarinas. Then during mornings, the surge of vehicles going to Manila creates an enormous strain to the un-expandable 4-lane highway, therefore the traffic enforces counter-flowing or occupying all four lanes solely for the north-bound vehicles to speed up the drain of vehicles from Cavite to Metro Manila, thus like a bucket of water being poured out in huge volume or “buhos” in Tagalog. What happens to the south-bound vehicles? They stay for 30 minutes from a point thus creating a several meters (to sometimes kilometers!) parking lot! It goes the opposite way during the afternoon-evening rush hour which sometimes lasts all the way late night! Well, that’s the fact most Caviteños have to live with.

Although the opening of the Coastal Road Extension to Binakayan is forecasted to be finished before a new administration takes place in 2010, I doubt it would resolve the monstrous traffic jam in Aguinaldo Highway, where most of urban concentration and population of Cavite is concentrated. The LRT South Extension project from Baclaran to Bacoor Cavite has been there…planned…and still a plan…until now, it’s still a plan…bummer!

Vehicles from Kawit and northern Cavite stop during a buhos operation at Bacoor

South-bound vehicles rush during an ongoing "buhos"

A relief though, Daang Hari was opened to the public and now Caviteños have the option to go to Manila through Alabang (Imus to Alabang is just within 30 minutes!)…but majority of the public utility vehicles either bound for Lawton, Pasay or EDSA will still ply the length of Aguinaldo Highway.

Not unless new infrastructure can take place in this growing province, people will suffer, the economy will suffer a backlash, investors turned off and poverty strikes. Is there a lack of political will amongst the Cavite LGU, who’s ancestors paved the way for our nation’s independence or is it just political luck was not on their side? Good question but the bottomline is, the residents and Cavite constituents will still suffer from this chronic disease.

Tips on How to Survive a Cavite traffic:

• Newbie here? Good luck! You should be early waking up when you’re in Cavite. Chances are, either you are at the rear portion of the bus or you’ll stand and be crammped with other standing passengers.
• Did I say early? Oh yes, be early…give a leeway of 2.5 hours at least from Imus at least (longer for those coming from Dasma) and your time of work. Chances are, you’ll arrive in the nick of time. But Mondays? Don’t take a chance on it! Wake up earlier than 2.5 hours prior to work time!
• In this day and age, for men, be as gentleman as possible…give the seats to the elderly and disabled and with children…but for healthy and/or sexy women, it’s your call…after all as what they say, chivalry is dead…pantay na ang karapatan ng lalaki sa babae daw.
• Mondays are Manila-bound rush hours…wherein most people go to Manila on Monday morning.
• Wednesdays are Baclaran days…expect the buses and jeeps to be filled up to the brim and traffic at Baclaran in Parañaque.
• Fridays are “uwian” or going back to suburbia rush. People are rushing to Cavite and beyond. Expect that the traffic either starts at the first bridge after the toll plaza or just a few meters from the toll plaza! Good luck!
• Christmas and bisperas-Kwaresma…like any other road in the metro during these times.
  
• Hold the railings…or fall!
• Bring hanky, it comes in handy especially when someone beside you emit ummm….o-oh!
• Entertain yourself. Bring a book or an Mp3 player. If morning, you can do camwhoring at the bus and say “I survived another traffic jam in Cavite!”
• Patience is needed. If possible, pray a rosary or chant “ohhmmmm……”
• Smile. It works!

Buhos will stay unless traffic went better in Aguinaldo Highway.  For as long as the government remains mum, the Caviteños take charge and courageously go on an everyday battle of stress and traffic management. Onwards a battle against the gargantuan disease that has been choking the province for years!

And Miong tucked his headset and started playing mp3 songs from his player…cruising.