Metro Manila City Train Blues

Getting a south-bound Metrorail Transit (MRT) ride at 8am in the morning in Cubao seems to require both brains and brawns, doesn't it?

The crows of humanity at the MRT platform in Cubao. I risked my life to take this photo.

I reminisce the time when the MRT was so new. At that time almost everyone resisted it one way or the other. Riding the MRT then was as easy as drinking a cup of coffee. All you had to do was walk (and climb, which was the only hard part) to the station, buy a ticket, wait for the train and walk in!

A Tale of Heroism During Typhoon Ondoy

Heroism thrives in the country. That's what Typhoon Ondoy taught me. Yes they say that in the newspapers, TV and Facebook.

But I also heard it from first hand stories of people whom I know personally.

 One of them is from an lady army sergeant, a member of the Women's Auxiliary Corps of the Philippine Army, who wishes that I don't mention her name.

Let's call her Wilma, the woman in the army. She's single and the only daughter of a widow. In short, she only has her mother for her family.

Buses and Tricycles Don't Make A Good Mix in Metro Manila Traffic

Traffic jam in Metro Manila on a Sunday? This happened around 11am on October 18, 2009 at E. Rodriguez Avenue, approximate in front of Saint Joseph.

It turned out that a provincial bus was stuck with a tricycle that hit its rear.

Whew! Was it fair for a bus full of passengers to stop in the middle of E. Rodriguez Ave., a major highway in Metro Manila, because the bus driver had to deal with a tricycle driver which hit the rear of his bus?

I have difficulty looking at this situation as reasonable. In fact I found it absurd! Forgive the word. 



Rantings of a Desperate Taxi Rider in Makati

Flagging a taxi in Makati on a rainy night is a nightmare. I think it is every taxi rider's nightmare. Be forewarned.

On the evening of Sept 28, 2009 (the one before Ondoy struck the country), we flagged six or seven taxis in a row. It was a rainy night then. They all refused to let us in. One said he was "on his way to Cavite." Another said he was "on his way to Pasay." Still another was "on his way to Parañaque," etc.

Taxis were public utility vehicles without fixed routes, but they sounded like they had routes that night. And Quezon City, to them, was like a place on the far side of the moon, way out of their routes. Gosh, I thought and felt that was absurd.

Was the Impact of Typhoon Ondoy an "Act of God" too?

Ondoy came and went, with catastrophy in its wake. Clearly the typhoon itself was an "act of God." But were the damages unpreventable? Not so, says Urban planner and architect Felino Palafox Jr.

Palafox said a 1977 World Bank-funded study identified Marikina Valley, the western shores of Laguna de Bay, and the Manila Bay coastal area as among development areas that should prepare for flooding, earthquakes and possible changes in topography. (Source: Yahoo! News Philippines)

Such remark was hard to swallow, given the magnitude of heroism displayed by people to save lives of loved ones and to deliver relief goods to those whose lives were ravaged by the flood. In the light of what could have been done in the last 50 years, were those damages, sufferings, and heroisms totally unnecessary then?

Typhoon Ondoy: A "Thief in the Night" in Broad Daylight

The fury of typhoon Ondoy came like a "thief in the night" in broad daylight. How else can I describe the emotion that goes with what "Ondoy" means to Filipinos these days?

The video above was taken at the University of the East Ramon Magsaysay (UERM) Medical Center during typhoon Ondoy. This is the first time in my life to see such number of cars floating on the water, swept from where they were parked.

Homily of Father Arevalo at the Requiem Mass for Cory Aquino

I remember watching Father Catalino Arevalo that morning in August 5, 2009 on TV as he delivered the homily for the Requiem Mass of the late President Corazon Aquino. Fortunately for all of us, we can revisit the video of Father Arevalo's homily again, thanks to GMA7.

For the latest Philippine news stories and videos, visit GMANews.TV

I am fortunate to have received a copy of the full text of Father Arevalo's homily. The full text came from the Jesuits themselves, through the daily mails I receive as an alumni of Xavier University High School (formerly Ateneo de Cagayan).