“Hay nako, traffic nanaman, wala nang pinagbago!” This is always what I always hear from people and from me as well due to the problematic traffic situation here in the Philippines that can be called as a “wicked” problem. It is called as such because it would seem as if it is cannot be solved by anyone. Just this Monday, 22^nd of April, I have experienced a really heavy traffic in the North Luzon Expressway. Not only that, but most of the public utility vehicle drivers also add up to the problem because most are undisciplined and reckless.

I am participating in the initiative of the government to reduce traffic by following the road signage and doing my part as a passenger and a driver. However, most of the time, the government forgets to consult the stakeholders on these kinds of matters. For instance, I usually ride a bus going home in SM North and there was one time when they close it and people were not informed about the closure and where the bus stop will temporarily be at. At the time, I had a bag full of clothes and other stuff because I just went to Nueva Ecija for my data gathering for my thesis. I did not know that they had closed down the bus bay in SM North. When I got in the bus bay, there were no buses lined up and there were MMDA employees around. I asked one of them where the bus stop is and he pointed it out to me. But because many passengers do not really follow the rules and the MMDA employees were not even dealing with the situation that many passengers just ride the bus wherever they want to, the traffic went bad in EDSA near the mall. If only the government has done its part by informing the public of the closure and brainstorming where the appropriate temporary bus stop will be, passengers would be at ease and traffic may not have built up.

I also have experienced driving alongside a jeepney driver who was so reckless. At the time, I was driving in Manila when a jeepney driver speeded up to beat the red light. As a citizen concerned with my welfare and the passengers’ welfare, I reported the incident to LTFRB by texting them the event that had just happened. However, I did not hear back from the said agency; they did not respond to my message. I am participating in a governance initiative by doing reporting the incident to them and letting them take actions on it, however, it is the government that lack the participation in dealing with the traffic management in this situation.

The last story I am going to tell is my experience in doing a job like the MMDA employees on the road. It is in my hometown that I was able experience this. There was an on-going road construction and only one side of the road is passable. The traffic is building up behind us because the cars from the other side wouldn’t let us through and because it was night time, there was no one there to manage the traffic so my siblings and I took over while on my pajamas. From that experience, I have realized how undisciplined all drivers are especially those with motorcycles and tricycles because I was asking them to stop and move aside so that the other side may pass through but they wouldn’t listen and kept on going until I stood in the middle of the road to make them stop.

Let me end this by saying that, traffic will never be solved without the cooperation and participation of everyone—the government, the institutions, and the people.

–Pinakbet