LP: Las Piñas and Lots of Pollution

So I was on my way to meet up with Stephie earlier this evening... left the house around quarter to eight to wait for one of those buses that went straight to Alabang (she was with Pat at The Pancake house in Molito) but none came - so I decided to take my usual ride: a south-bound jeep. The rain clouds were finally gone and the street scenes were back to normal. Now this should sound good but there's one thing that I hated about "normal" along the Alabang-Zapote road: sluggish traffic (was on the road so I had no time to upload the pics from my phone). 

Well, it would have been tolerable as I was used to the slow procession of vehicles along that tight, two-lane road but what really got into my nerves was the pollution. The since the traffic was slow, I had endure about 30 minutes of unpleasant, uncomfortable breathing (yesterday's smell of flood was a little bit better: no traffic = smell evasion). I got off on my stop feeling dirty and exhausted.

According to a document released by worldbank.org, Las Piñas is one of the cities within the National Capital Region that has a high population with high pollution exposure.

I've lived in this city for almost my entire life and I know that the major source of air pollution doesn't come from factories or industrial facilities - but from a high concentration of vehicles that make their way each day through long and tight roads. It wasn't always like this here. Back in the day (let's say more than a decade ago - alright, that reveals my age but no comments please hehehe), there were a lot less vehicles, villages and "Friendship Routes" weren't open yet, and SM Southmall was still an empty land mass. 

I remember a time when LP (before it became a city) was the "Cleanest" and "Greenest" municipality (there's no comparison on how I breathed easier then). Perhaps the transformation it needed towards becoming a full-fledged city brought about this "affliction." One of the major turning points could be attributed to opening of the so-called the city's "Friendship Route" which opened up several villages as shortcuts and access roads for motorists from Cavite. While it became easier for private vehicles to navigate within the southwestern part of the city, the main road that connects Cavite and Las Piñas created a choke point as it intersects the Alabang-Zapote road (believe me, get past this and SM to ATC will be a little bit more bearable).

 

Oh well, I'm not usually the "concerned citizen" type but perhaps I can speak for all those who pass by this road everyday - and please, don't even get me started on the other Baclaran-bound route.

I now ask myself why I'm writing about this... perhaps my usual Twitter rants aren't enough to get me anywhere. Admittedly, complaints without foresight and resolution are useless... so here are some ideas that all of us need to take seriously:

Enforce the "Clean Air" Act - with a little more push from our friendly enforcers, I guess a strong reminder for our motorists would be a good start. 

Obey Traffic Laws - come on, admit it... as much as I hate to say this, we as a nation lack the necessary discipline to maintain smooth traffic flow. Another thing that I hate to say is a huge bulk of LP traffic is caused by public utility vehicles. These "Kings of the Road" sometimes have no regard for traffic rules that they can just choose to stop anywhere to pick up or drop off passengers. Areas like SM Southmall, Pilar, and T.S. Cruz, are usually hotspots for the said vehicles. They're like moths to a flame any given day. Perhaps the government can declare Martial Law on the road... I wouldn't mind walking a little further for proper bus/jeep stops for a ride for as long as these vehicles don't cause a bottleneck.

Revolutionize the Philippine Public Transportation System - most of our Southeast Asian neighbors have gained a wide lead when it comes to public transportation. Organized bus routes, modern train/railway stations... I could just pull my hair out of envy (try going around Bangkok and use their MRT system and experience how easy it is to go 'round and about). I'm no visionary nor am I an architect or an engineer but perhaps we can start by fully organizing bus and jeepney routes. Replacing or upgrading our "jeeps" may seem far-fetched but a regulated number of them on the road (with drivers paid a monthly wage, working on 8 hour shifts a day) can be a good start.

Sometimes its not bad to think hard about ideas that can help a lot of people. In fact, it's not a waste of time. Despite all of what we've done and what we've been through, I still have faith in our people... in our nation. I may not live long enough to see it but I hope that my future children and their progeny would reap the benefits of our ideas today.

How about you? What do you think? Let the world know by typing them here :-)