Monday morning, Miong woke up and prepared for the day. Sip of coffee and pandesal, taking a shower and leave his house at Bucandala in Imus, Cavite…work time starts at 8AM but he doesn’t like to ruin his perfect attendance record, he woke up early…very early, like the sun’s rays hasn’t touched the faces of those who wait for the buses bound for Lawton and EDSA. Miong joined them, many of them waiting in Aguinaldo Highway…Comes a bus, it was another standing ovation. Upon reaching Imus Bayan, the bus was already jam-packed and Miong had positioned himself in the most comfortable way, learning up the kama sutra of everyday commuting.
As they were going north-bound, the world stopped. And it did stopped, for an hour Miong stood in the bus full of people…somewhat agonizing, together with the passengers, he waited for 30 minutes or more then goes the bus speeding up like there is no tomorrow. Miong experienced “buhos,” an everyday occurrence to any Caviteño commuter…
It’s like this, every rush hour a sheer volume of vehicles pass by Cavite’s sole main thoroughfare to Manila, which is Aguinaldo Highway. The said road is already 25% oversaturated as stated in the provincial government website between Bacoor, Imus and Dasmarinas. Then during mornings, the surge of vehicles going to Manila creates an enormous strain to the un-expandable 4-lane highway, therefore the traffic enforces counter-flowing or occupying all four lanes solely for the north-bound vehicles to speed up the drain of vehicles from Cavite to Metro Manila, thus like a bucket of water being poured out in huge volume or “buhos” in Tagalog. What happens to the south-bound vehicles? They stay for 30 minutes from a point thus creating a several meters (to sometimes kilometers!) parking lot! It goes the opposite way during the afternoon-evening rush hour which sometimes lasts all the way late night! Well, that’s the fact most Caviteños have to live with.
Although the opening of the Coastal Road Extension to Binakayan is forecasted to be finished before a new administration takes place in 2010, I doubt it would resolve the monstrous traffic jam in Aguinaldo Highway, where most of urban concentration and population of Cavite is concentrated. The LRT South Extension project from Baclaran to Bacoor Cavite has been there…planned…and still a plan…until now, it’s still a plan…bummer!
Vehicles from Kawit and northern Cavite stop during a buhos operation at Bacoor
South-bound vehicles rush during an ongoing "buhos"
A relief though, Daang Hari was opened to the public and now Caviteños have the option to go to Manila through Alabang (Imus to Alabang is just within 30 minutes!)…but majority of the public utility vehicles either bound for Lawton, Pasay or EDSA will still ply the length of Aguinaldo Highway.
Not unless new infrastructure can take place in this growing province, people will suffer, the economy will suffer a backlash, investors turned off and poverty strikes. Is there a lack of political will amongst the Cavite LGU, who’s ancestors paved the way for our nation’s independence or is it just political luck was not on their side? Good question but the bottomline is, the residents and Cavite constituents will still suffer from this chronic disease.
Tips on How to Survive a Cavite traffic:
- Newbie here? Good luck! You should be early waking up when you’re in Cavite. Chances are, either you are at the rear portion of the bus or you’ll stand and be crammped with other standing passengers.
- Did I say early? Oh yes, be early…give a leeway of 2.5 hours at least from Imus at least (longer for those coming from Dasma) and your time of work. Chances are, you’ll arrive in the nick of time. But Mondays? Don’t take a chance on it! Wake up earlier than 2.5 hours prior to work time!
- In this day and age, for men, be as gentleman as possible…give the seats to the elderly and disabled and with children…but for healthy and/or sexy women, it’s your call…after all as what they say, chivalry is dead…pantay na ang karapatan ng lalaki sa babae daw.
- Mondays are Manila-bound rush hours…wherein most people go to Manila on Monday morning.
- Wednesdays are Baclaran days…expect the buses and jeeps to be filled up to the brim and traffic at Baclaran in Parañaque.
- Fridays are “uwian” or going back to suburbia rush. People are rushing to Cavite and beyond. Expect that the traffic either starts at the first bridge after the toll plaza or just a few meters from the toll plaza! Good luck!
- Christmas and bisperas-Kwaresma…like any other road in the metro during these times.
- Hold the railings…or fall!
- Bring hanky, it comes in handy especially when someone beside you emit ummm….o-oh!
- Entertain yourself. Bring a book or an Mp3 player. If morning, you can do camwhoring at the bus and say “I survived another traffic jam in Cavite!”
- Patience is needed. If possible, pray a rosary or chant “ohhmmmm……”
- Smile. It works!
Buhos will stay unless traffic went better in Aguinaldo Highway. For as long as the government remains mum, the Caviteños take charge and courageously go on an everyday battle of stress and traffic management. Onwards a battle against the gargantuan disease that has been choking the province for years!
And Miong tucked his headset and started playing mp3 songs from his player…cruising.
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