COMMUTERS' CHALLENGE: Transferring vehicles, enduring lengthy travel time

The everyday struggles of two commuters who spend hours to commute to and from work were highlighted in Malou Mangahas' report on Investigative Documentaries on Thursday.

Naifa Cidic, who lives in Molino town in Cavite, has to travel for three hours to get to Makati City where she works as an accounting associate for a hotel.

The commute from Cavite to Makati was supposed to take one and a half hours, but traffic congestion has lengthened the time she spends on the road.

The documentary followed Cidic's daily commute from taking a tricycle from her house, taking two jeeps, a van and a bus to reach her workplace.

"Hindi siya umaasa na maaayos ang problema sa trapiko. Ilan taon nang ganyan e. Parang malabo na e, na umasa ka e. Hindi na ako umaasa na masolusyonan na mawala ang trapik. Siguro mabawasan, puwede pa. Pero 'yung may solusyon, wala," Cidic told Mangahas.

Meanwhile, accountant Jennifer Catemprate travels from Bagong Silang in Caloocan City to Makati City every day. It takes her about four hours to reach her destination.

Catemprate takes a tricycle, a jeep, a UV Express, the MRT and a bus to work.

In the middle of her commute, she commented that the daily commute is very tiring.

UP Diliman National Center for Transportation Studies Professor Regin Regidor said the Philippines is experiencing a transportation and traffic crisis.

"Instead na 30 minutes lang ng biyahe ng mga tao ngayon, it takes them two hours. Kasama na 'yung paghihintay ng sasakyan. Kasi sobra-sobra na 'yung oras na ginugugol natin sa daan or sa biyahe natin," Regidor said.

Primitivo Cal, a transportation engineering and construction consultant, said the government should expand public transportation and road networks to alleviate the transportation crisis in Metro Manila. — Angelica Y. Yang/BAP/KG, GMA News