Readers on underground mass transpo

We received a spate of comments on our column about traffic last week. We will share them with other readers as they come. Here’s one from Joe Oliva which includes an exchange with a friend. Please read on.

“Your column in today’s issue of The Philippine Star ‘Is Metro Manila traffic headache unsolvable?’ is the first time I have come across one that talks of ‘time to revisit having an underground mass transit system.’

“I truly believe in the idea of subways for railways and for other forms public vehicles such as articulated bus systems. I also believe that the Philippines has still a lot of room to fund these tunnels. In the long run, they are more efficient, safe and more economical and provide or save surface spaces in the metro areas.

“The economy of tunneling systems is going down at the rate of four percent per year, which is sufficient to pay for the borrowed money to fund these tunnels, as development funds for infrastructures are charged around this interest rate.

“The Philippines’ stated goal of sovereign debt is around 50 percent, as published in the same paper you write for in just the last week or two. Countries such as Japan, Singapore and South Korea have sovereign debts in excess of 100 percent. I am assuming that these debts partly finance their infrastructures that include subways for their railways.

“Take into account also that subways are built in the metropolitan areas only, and once the railway is out of the metro areas, railways are built on the surface. Mind you, when the tunnels are being built underground, there are no disturbances on the surface while being built. Savings from this non-disturbance can be quantified to justify the tunnels some more.

“I deem it fit to include in this email the exchange of emails or ideas we have, Mr. Danilo S. Venida and myself, because it is about time that we do have a constituency that wants subways being built for the benefit of our people in the next generation.

“I do not believe I will see subways built in my generation. It takes years to think, plan and develop this kind of development, but we need to start now.

“I have checked the government bureau or agency that should work on this, and I was going through the Internet sites of MMDA, DPWH and NEDA. All three do not appear to have a group that should be looking out to building subways for Metro Manila.”

Exchange of emails

Following is the exchange of emails by Oliva with Venida. Please continue reading.

This is the first in the chain started by Oliva. He writes: “Disclosures first: I am a native of Cebu City, resided in Manila between 1960 through 1981, moved to San Francisco 1981 through 2003, and now, I commute between Makati and Cebu City once every two to three months.

I am a member of no Flyover Movement in Cebu City. I have had experience in the 1989 earthquake in San Francisco that destroyed many flyovers in San Francisco and Oakland Cities. San Francisco decided not to reinstall the destroyed flyovers with the exception of one that is part of the US Freeway 280 that traverses part of San Francisco.

“San Francisco has two railway systems that traverses the city, namely the City’s Municipal Railway and the Bay Area Rapid Transit Authority (BART), and both are in subways once they are in the city.

“Now on your commentary. I would make mention also on the same day that your commentary was published in the Inquirer, The Philippine Star’s editorial was “Patience is not enough.”

“Both the editorial and your commentary talk of the same traffic gridlock problem that is now obtaining in Metro Manila. I mostly go around the Makati, the airport, and parts of Manila. To my horror the place is full of overpasses, flyovers and the like that I consider a monstrosity really because of this reason: lost surface spaces.

“Check out the breath of EDSA and the areas surrounding Terminal 3 and 2 of NAIA; check out Taft Avenue all the way to Parañaque. The noise pollution along the streets where the train passes is unbelievable. I believe also that the flooding of these streets can be attributed to this overhead railroad system.

“These are truly monstrosities that do not belong there. My own observation is that we do not appear to consider subways for transportation systems both buses and trains. Neighboring cities in Singapore, South Korea, Japan and China have subways in their metropolitan areas. The Philippines should do this too.

“It still has a long way financially to afford digging up the tunnels because the Philippine policy is to maintain sovereign debt at 50 percent of GDP (in one of news article in The Philippine Star). The countries mentioned herein have 100 percent of sovereign debt to GDP. I am assuming that these countries have this much sovereign debt to partly finance their infrastructures. Infrastructures are financed by “development funds”; in layman’s terms, these funds are borrowed money.

“So, the Philippines should borrow money to finance those tunnels and relieve surface spaces for other and better use.”

To this, Venida replies: “Thank you for your feedback. The first challenge to all of us is change our mindset that the problems we are confronting are insurmountable. No such thing: we can solve all our problems and this mindset is a necessary condition to getting to a solution. Your suggestions are very positive.

“Let us all be engaged.”

Oliva writes back: “Do allow me to call you Danny. Call me Joe. I truly appreciate your quick response. My heartfelt thanks to you.

“Your response takes me to the point of our first exchange of ideas and I ask the question, where do we go from here? I will take your suggestion of being positive and engaged. I’ll do another letter to Mr. Tolentino of MMDA and the Secretary of the Department of Public Works and show them our exchanges of ideas and what they both have to say about our exchange of opinions.

“Mr. Tolentino’s suggestion to be patient in the next two years is a non answer to the issue of traffic gridlock in the major thoroughfares of Metro Manila.”

Venida replies once more with: “Yes, Joe, we must stay engaged for the sake of our grandchildren and many generations after them. We can never give up. Many of us have been blessed to experience situations in other countries where problems are addressed and solutions are worked on. We have to use the insights from experiences to contribute to problem-solving.

“If the present bureaucracy is not responsive, we step up on the pressure. Something will surely give, and that should not be us.”

Oliva in turn replies: “The traffic gridlock of Metro Manila is talked about by the you and I, meaning folks who have only their voice for it. But there are more. In today’s column of Boo Chanco, he talks of ‘Is Mar trying to lose the election?’ because Mar’s response on traffic congestion is off the mark and really a non-response when he said that the economy is booming that’s why the traffic gridlock.

“I checked MMDA’s mandate and it appears to not have a mandate on long term infrastructure solutions to people movement in a metropolitan place like Metro Manila.

“I am for subways in Metro Manila so that it can serve its citizens with the best and safest modes of transportation systems that lasts more than a hundred or even more years longer. And, as for financing these efforts, that can be done.

“Our political environment at this time is short term thinking. I’m not sure now where to bring up this idea of mine and, I believe, you share with me.”

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Should you wish to share any insights, write me at Link Edge, 25th Floor, 139 Corporate Center, Valero Street, Salcedo Village, 1227 Makati City. Or e-mail me at [email protected]. For a compilation of previous articles, visit www.BizlinksPhilippines.net.