Traffic blues, traffic woes. It can get awfully overwhelming. There are some instances when I leave the house 3 hours before my appointment yet I still arrive late. It’s absolutely frustrating. For some commuters, not only does the travel get tiring but also the amount of time you spend lining up for a PUV, hailing a taxi and sometimes even walking.
Ria Flora shared on her Twitter account how she was able to save herself from the exhausting road traffic by taking the ferry.
https://twitter.com/riatheflower/status/1025198079618633728
She shares to WHEN IN MANILA her bangka commuting experience. It was out of desperation because she was already going to be late for work, even if the destination wasn’t so far.
I had to go to a training today at Ortigas as part of my job. It’s beside Rob Galleria. The call time was 9 AM and it usually takes me approximately 15 mins from my area to there (Guadalupe). But as I heard in the news and when I checked Waze, EDSA wasn’t moving because of the local storm surge we had earlier today. I tried booking a taxi and even tried all available services (tax, share, car, premium, 6 seater) but there was no available car. This was part of my job so I really didn’t have the option to skip the day.
I lived near the Pasig river, and I know for a fact that there are bangkas for traveling. This was the first time I tried it – I had no choice already. The traffic along JP Rizal extension wasn’t moving, EDSA wasn’t moving – so had no idea which way to go.
The bangka commute took only, surprise – less than a minute! And the fare price? FIVE PESOS!
From the stop near Guadalupe bliss, it crossed the river and dropped us off at Brgy Buayang Bato. From there at the “dock”, someone collected the fare which surprised me – because it was just ₱5.
There were around 10 of us (passengers) and all of them seemed like they were working in nearby plants or business districts. There was even a guy all suited up! Then from the dock, we walked for about a minute or two, there was a tricycle terminal nearby. Because there was no tricycle, I walked until Cityland Pioneer. I was familiar with the area because I studied in St Paul College Pasig for elementary and high school, so even if I lived in Makati, that was the route of my school service before.
I stopped walking at Cityland Pioneer hoping to book or hail a taxi, but wala pa rin. Everyone seemed stranded also since no tricycle stopped nearby, plus, there were no jeeps in the area too. I even tried booking through a motorcycling app, but I had no luck.
There was a good samaritan that offered Flora to hop on, or ‘habal’. Out of desperation to get to work on time, Flora agreed. Thankfully, the motorcyclist had an extra helmet and was very careful. It took her around 10 minutes to go from Cityland Pioneer to the office that she was going to for training.
The [ride] cost me ₱100, so there. I came in right on time. To my surprise, more than half of the trainees were late because of the traffic, but I was just glad I reached the area on time. The punctual student in me was quite happy I made it.
Flora discloses that the ferry she hopped on was the Pasig River Ferry. “That was a project of the MMDA but they closed it down because there weren’t enough passengers. Too bad it got me to Binondo from Guadalupe at around 45 minutes without any hassle,” she tells WHEN IN MANILA.
“Also, whoever manages that ferry system changed the ferries to open-air ones. Being a resident of the area, Iknow for a fact that option isn’t exactly okay for people since there’s a stench when it’s hot.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/2Xpg3KPQhC/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=1xjo1qhv2i9km
Flora feels hopeful and optimistic about the ferry system.
“I really hope they develop the river ferry system again – have more stops leading to nearby business districts like Rockwell, Ayala (near Makati city hall), and Pioneer,” she closes.
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Disclaimer: WheninManila.com does not own the image above. Credits go to Ria Flora.
