Christmas and the frenzy that accompanies the days before it may be gone, but not the terrible traffic that has been the bane of late of Metro Manila residents.
A survey conducted early this month by this newspaper’s resident pollster, Junie Laylo, revealed that 89 percent of Metro Manilans were either somewhat dissatisfied or very dissatisfied with the traffic situation.
While the sentiment does not hold for the rest of the country, those living in the capital demand solutions to their daily ordeal. Being held up in traffic—plus other transport woes—affects a person’s performance, productivity, disposition, and eats up into his relationship with family.
These are the same persons who are taxed extraordinarily highly even as they have been conditioned to expect so little from the government that is supposed to serve them.
Worse, a majority—54 percent—of the respondents said they do not anticipate the situation improving soon.
This last figure reflects how disillusioned the people have become with the Aquino administration. After all, didn’t the President himself say not to worry since traffic is a sign of progress? Didn’t the Transportation secretary dismiss the problem as not fatal, anyway?
Yes we’re still alive, and that is a good thing. Because we are alive, we can observe the government’s actions during the last few months of the Aquino administration. We can hold its self-righteous officials accountable for their inability to own up to their mistakes and inadequacies. We can make our sentiments felt come elections in May.
Christmas is over, but there are still the New Year holidays, and the week after that, and the next—the debilitating traffic will be here for a while, until real solutions are put in place and until the government starts to actually care.