{ SENSATION }

+ about the mrt

For years now, rapid growth of commuters and vehicles population have plagued Metro Manila, the center of Philippine socio-economic and political activity. Heavy traffic, pollution and all the attendant undesired results are problems that Metro Manila have to contend with daily. A case in point is on EDSA, a 24-kilometer stretch from MacArthur Highway at Caloocan City in the north of Metro Manila to Roxas Blvd., Pasay City, south of Metro Manila.

Considered one of the world�s highest volume thoroughfares, EDSA is a semi-circular ring road link with several radial roads leading to the metropolis� social, economic and political centers. The avenue cuts across the cities of Caloocan, Quezon, Mandaluyong, Makati and Pasay and bounds Pasig City and the town of San Juan. EDSA�s importance to the lives of more than ten million people � or 12 percent of the country�s 87 million citizens who live in Metro Manila cannot be underestimated.

The Metro Rail Transit 3 (MRT-3) is the cornerstone of the Department of Transportation & Communications� integrated strategy to alleviate the chronic traffic congestion experienced along the EDSA corridor.

The Metro Rail system is designed to carry in excess of 23,000 passengers per hour per direction, initially, and is expandable to accommodate 48,000 passengers per hour, per direction.

That's 2 terminals and 11 stops. 13 stations all in all..

+ pa-simple na lang

While doing this project I didn't know that people aren't allowed to take pictures inside the stations. So I took pictures openly. Nobody stopped me, even though I was in full view of the guards and the security cameras.

It was only when I got to the Shaw station that I learned photos weren't allowed. I wanted to take pictures of the station's Area Map but to do so I had to go out the station (and thus pay the fare again). I asked if I could take a picture without having to give up my ticket. I was told I had to give a formal letter asking for permission before I could. Rather than go through all the hassle, i decided to just hide my camera. :) I succeeded. Even though I'm not good at sneaking around (I'm a full-blooded klutz), I was never caught. If the guards DID notice me, they didn't do anything about it.

+ well, except at one station

Like I said, I really wanted to take pictures of the Area Maps because they give the official government version of the landscapes. I wanted to compare/contrast that official version with what I actually saw. Unfortunately I couldn't risk getting my camera confiscated, so I was only able to get a few. For the others I tried copying the Area Maps into my notebook. But the very first time I tried, a guard almost immediately came up to me and asked what I was doing. Kind of scary, but since I wasn't doing anything wrong I just continued to take down notes and just let him look over my shoulder at what I was doing.

He asked me what I was doing, and what for. I told him the truth calmly, though I felt a twinge of dread. After making a few short scribbles, I left the station to avoid appearing even more suspicious.

Whew. After that I decided not to bother with the Area Maps any more.

+ so why did write about this again?

Why did I type all this when I'm supposed to be interpreting the landscape? Well, I believe my experience shows something very important: the level of security we can expect in the MRT.

I'm not exactly an inconspicuous person. And I waled back and forth several times along the stations, in full view of the guards, the ticket sellers, and the security cameras. I carried my camera around openly in 7 of the 13 stations, and yet no one stopped me.

I never felt that anyone was watching me suspiciously. Compared to taking pictures, I think that copying an area map is pretty harmless. But that is what drew the security's attention. The presence of a lot of people isn't an excuse. I rode the MRT on a Sunday from 10:30 am to 1:30 pm--off-peak hours. So what kind of measures are in place at the MRT? Can we really feel safe and say that a bombing won't happen again?

On second thought this segue may not be so much of a segue after all. I'm supposed to discuss semiotics: what message the landscape sends about identity, values, beliefs and practices. Based on this experience of mine, it seems the MRT system (and by extension, the government) is sending a conflicting message about its anti-terrorism measures. Okay, no liquids are allowed at NAIA, but no one notices photographers at the MRT. Is the government really serious about preventing acts of terror? I don't think so. If they are, they sure are inconsistent.

And that's a reflection again of our leaders. They publicize their programs a lot to give the appearance of order and stability, bit don't follow through with the implementation. They value the appearance more than the work. That's also why along every paved street, not just along EDSA, there are so many waiting sheds emblazoned with politicians' names, among other things.

It's sickening, angering and depressing. To tell the truth, I'm a politically apathetic person. I just distrust the government in general. But seeing these scenes of injustice, of hedonistic wealth side by side with hideous poverty makes me want to do SOMETHING, and not just stay inside my comfortable routine of home, school and mall. SOMETHING has to be done. And I can't depend on the government to do it. So what do I do?

It's a question that doesn't have a quick and easy answer.