Crawling along

In the evening rush hour last Wednesday, driving from the Manila city hall to Quiapo  a distance of about a kilometer  took more than half an hour.

There were no trucks or ongoing road repairs. There was no accident. The only reason for the gridlock was that jeepneys lingered across the avenue from the Quiapo church, waiting for passengers and leaving only one lane for passing vehicles.

If there was a traffic enforcer around, he must’ve been asleep in a nearby panciteria. It looked like it had been a long day; truckers made up for lost time on Wednesday after a typhoon break of several days. On Wednesday night at the Anda Circle in Port Area – Ground Zero of Manila’s gridlocks – two traffic aides in light blue shirts stood around chatting, with one of them picking his nose, as vehicles tried to cut through the crawling northbound lane to reach the traffic-free southbound section.

It wouldn’t have taken much imagination to see that with a bit of kili-kili power, those two traffic enforcers could have kept the intersection open for vehicles cutting through the long lane of idling trucks. But I guess traffic management takes too much effort.

That can only be bad news for harried motorists as the Christmas shopping rush intensifies. I know there are simply too many people at the malls, bazaars and flea markets or tiangge, and the volume of goods in Manila’s port soars during the holidays, which means more trucks. As the case in Quiapo indicates, however, efficient traffic management is possible and can ease the suffering of the public.

Driving time these days doubles or even triples because of gridlocks. That’s a lot of fuel and productivity wasted. Vehicles idling in traffic also aggravate air pollution and global warming.

Several comprehensive studies in recent years have shown that traffic in Metro Manila causes billions in economic losses. Any motorist who has waited half an hour to negotiate one kilometer can understand why.

Bangkok traffic has improved; even Jakarta – the only city in Southeast Asia where I thought traffic was worse than in Manila – is doing something about its traffic problem

If we want to sustain our growth momentum, something must be done to improve traffic management.

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So far the Philippines is still perceived positively overseas, with Moody’s giving the country another upgrade in credit outlook yesterday.

Even the overachieving Singaporeans seem impressed, with its flag carrier reintroducing on Jan. 12 next year its first class service from Manila.

Singaporean Carol Ong, who took over as SIA general manager in Manila last September, said that with the Philippines now Asia’s second fastest growing economy, the carrier sees a growing market here for luxury services.

SIA’s business class is luxe enough; all seats, which convert into full-size beds, have direct aisle access and Givenchy bedding. The airline also boasts of having the world’s most comfortable economy class seats.

But its first class takes passengers to the top levels of flight comfort, with seats that can be converted into fully flat beds large enough for lounging, Givenchy amenities, 23-inch LED screens and Bosch headsets to keep out noise. Its “book the cook” service allows passengers to pre-order dishes prepared by an international panel of chefs and wine experts, with the selections including Dom Perignon.

“We want to bring all the enhancements to this growing market,” Ong told me as she noted the number of Filipino families with “money to spend.”

First class will be offered on SIA’s new fleet of Boeing 777-300ER. The aircraft will have eight first class seats, 42 seats in business and 228 in coach. On the double-decker A380 (not available here), first class is a room of your own, or adjoining suites for couples.

When senior marketing executive Camille Rose Pacis says “we only want to provide the best for passengers,” SIA means it.

Ong, SIA’s first female general manager, announced the launch of the first class service yesterday. In Southeast Asia, the service is being offered only in Jakarta and Manila, of course apart from SIA hub Singapore. In addition, Manila will serve as the regional pilot and showcase – even ahead of Singapore – for the new design of SIA’s Silver Kris airport lounge, which will be opened in the first quarter of 2015 at the NAIA Terminal 3.

The first class service will be offered on one of the four daily flights of SIA. SQ 917 flies from Manila at past 2 p.m. and arrives in Singapore three hours later.

Ong sees “a very exciting year” ahead for their Manila operations.

While other airlines are slugging it out over budget flights, it’s interesting to see SIA reviving its first class service, and betting on the Philippine market.

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The growth of Singapore’s flag carrier has been as impressive as its international airport in Changi, which competes with South Korea’s Incheon International as the world’s best.

The Singaporeans never slip into complacency. Changi International, SIA’s hub, is building what is being touted as the world’s most awesome airport, the terminal of the future.

Called Project Jewel, the 10-story glass and steel terminal will feature a 130-room hotel, shops, walking trails and a five-story garden. At the center of the terminal will be the world’s largest indoor waterfall – a 130-foot attraction called the Rain Vortex. The terminal is targeted for completion in 2016.

Jewel Changi costs $1.7 billion – an amount we can only dream of for upgrading the NAIA, which is so cramped flights are delayed by long queues for takeoff and landing.

There’s heavy traffic not only in the streets of Metro Manila but also on the lone runway of the country’s premier airport, with no relief in sight. Even dreaming of a world-class airport is a luxury for Pinoys.

If we can’t ease flight traffic at the NAIA, we will be happy to get some relief in road traffic.