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Aerial photo of the MRT7 depot?
I took this photo of what appears to be the MRT7 depot near or adjacent to the La Mesa reservoir. It was as quick a photo as our plane was banking into the clouds.
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An aerial view of the PNR’s rail revival
I would just like to share a few photos I took while our plane was turning towards our Bicol destination upon take off from NAIA.
I will again pose the following questions to my readers: will the NSCR become the game changer it’s supposed to be for both long distance travel and commuting (super commuting for some cases)? Will it decongest McArthur Highway and NLEX? Will there be a significant shift from car use to rail? Or will those taking road-based public transport be the ones mainly shifting to rail?
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Naga Airport arrival
Since I’ve written about Naga Airport in the previous post, I might as well follow-up with a short write-up on our arrival. I’m sharing the following photos I took on our arrival at the airport, which is actually located in the town of Pili, which is to the south of Naga City.
The airport terminal and control tower as viewed upon our deplaning
Walking towards the arrival area
The baggage claim area was the simplest I’ve seen with no conveyor belt or carousel.
We had to travel through these ramps towards the terminal building exit.
The final ramp descending towards the exit – this is another rather unusual design feature of the airport.
Terminal building exit for arriving passengers.
Airport terminal driveway with a view of the air traffic control tower
A view of the terminal building from the waiting shed across from the terminal
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Bicol International Airport Departure
Before I go on another trip, here are photos I took of the Bicol International Airport prior to our departure from Daraga. We were just in time to check in for our flight back to Manila so I wasn’t really able to take as many photos as I usually did in other airports. I did take enough for a clear description of what to expect at this terminal.
Arriving at the airport terminal’s departure area
Check-in counters for Cebu Pacific
The terminal features a spacious check-in area.
The area is more spacious than other, more busy airports like Iloilo and Bacolod
I can imagine that even if there were more flights, queues will not result in the area being too crowded.
Another angle seen from the check-in area
The corridors are also spacious.
The terminal is well lit.
Entrance to the pre-departure lounge of the airport
I already wrote about and shared photos of the pre-departure lounge including the shops and eating options there. I look forward to visiting Legazpi City and its neighboring areas soon and perhaps get a clear photo of Mayon Volcano.
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Metro Manila rail network by 2030?
I saw another map circulating in social media. It would really be nice to have a more comprehensive rail network for Metro Manila or perhaps the Greater Capital Region (Mega Manila or NCR plus or whatever you want to call it). Maps like this give us something to look forward to. We are made to be hopeful about our places being served by trains just like what some of us have experienced abroad in cities like Singapore and Tokyo.
Credits are due to whoever made this map. While it has the DOTr logo, I am not sure someone from there made the map. There are many ‘mapmakers’ out there who can make transit maps like this.
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Solutions to transport problems: the combination of congestion pricing and transit infrastructure development
Congestion pricing and transit infrastructure development (e.g., mass transit infrastructure) are often mentioned separately or independently. It is as if they are mutually exclusive alternatives or solutions to our transportation problems. They are not and should be considered together for greater impacts and also to complement each other. While the article below focuses on the experience in the United States, the experience is Singapore as applied to cities should provide a model that can be adopted if not outrightly replicated. Singapore’s version of congestion pricing in the form of its Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) scheme has been very effective in regulating congestion levels while helping fund public transportation in the city-state.
Descant, S. (May 8, 2025) “Congestion Pricing and Transit Are a Necessary Alliance,” Government Technology, https://www.govtech.com/transportation/congestion-pricing-and-transit-are-a-necessary-alliance %5BLast accessed: 11/05/2025]
Quoting from the article:
“In order to move a congestion pricing proposal forward, “you must have serious congestion, and you must have good transit,” said Sam Schwartz, a former New York City traffic commissioner, said during a March 21 panel on the New York City congestion pricing program. The event was organized by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Mobility Initiative. Schwartz is also the CEO of Sam Schwartz Pedestrian Traffic Management Services, a consulting firm.
A recent report by the Mineta Transportation Institute at San Jose State University in California concluded roadway tolling — a form of congestion pricing — can serve the dual purpose of reducing traffic congestion and supporting transit options, if the programs are structured properly.”
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On safe school zones
We’ve been working for safer roads since I started practicing as a transportation engineer/planner. Most recently, we were working on a program supported by UNICEF on Child Road Traffic Injury Prevention (CRTIP). The work towards safer roads especially for those who are most vulnerable is always challenging but it is something that is definitely worthwhile. As we approach May, which is Road Safety Month in the Philippines, I will try to write more about road safety.
Here is an infographic shared by the Road Safety Research Laboratory of the National Center for Transportation Studies of the University of the Philippines:
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On the collapse of a bridge in Isabela
A hot topic these days is the collapse of a span of a newly built bridge in Isabela. The alleged causes of the collapse included truck overloading, design flaws and inferior construction. Initial news reports and statements put the blame on the trucker and the designer with only a few suspicions thrown at the contractor. And then the current President of the country together with his DPWH Secretary inspected the site together. BBM was later quoted as saying the cause was a design flaw.
The bridge’s designer came out to state that it is not his fault. That could have been perceived as a self-serving statement until you delve into his explanation and check his credentials. The designer happens to be one if not the most experienced bridge engineer in the country. He obtained his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in reputable institutions (UP and Virginia Tech in the US, respectively). He taught bridge engineering in universities and is perhaps instrumental in civil engineers choosing to specialize in bridges. And he was a past president of the Association of Structural Engineers in the Philippines (ASEP). He knew what he was doing and the process requires for his design to be reviewed and approved by the DPWH prior to having the bridge constructed. If it passed the DPWH review and approval process, then it should be determined if the contractor was faithful to the execution of the design. Photos spreading over social media shows problems where the structure failed. And the quick assessment of many who are knowledgeable about structural engineering and construction is that apparently, the failure is due to the construction.
What happened? Wasn’t construction progress monitored? Were there inspections to determined whether the design was followed? One result of the suspicions being thrown at the people responsible for the bridge is the proliferation of ‘corruption’ as the root cause of the collapse. There are already clever memes of the bridge employing ‘steal design’ and ‘steal reinforcement’ obviously replacing ‘steel’ in the terms. While we inject humor into the situation, we cannot deny how serious the matter is and the implications of design specifications as well as the emergence of new truck types with higher payloads is to pavement engineering in general and bridge engineering in particular.
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On the pushback vs. bike lanes
I saw this short article at Planetizen that linked to another article that was the original one about cities dismantling or removing bike lanes. This is a very concerning trend in the US but something that’s also happening here. The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has always been lukewarm to bike lanes (parang napipilitan lang), the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) seemed never to understand it (even during BF’s time as Chair), and many local government units that jumped on the bike lane bandwagon during the COVID-19 pandemic have reneged on their declared commitments. Currently, it seems that only cities like Quezon City and Iloilo City have sustained bike lanes development. Others have removed protected bike lanes or have not enforced vs. motor vehicles encroaching on the bike lanes.
Johnson, R. (February 18, 2025) “Cities Start to Backpedal on Bike Lanes: A Growing Crisis for Cyclists,” Momentum Mag, https://momentummag.com/cities-start-to-backpedal-on-bike-lanes-a-growing-crisis-for-cyclists/ [Last accessed: 3/2/2025]
To quote from the article:
“Bike lanes have become a culture war where those in favor are seen as “woke” or some other terrible conservative slur. But, most who use bike lanes are just regular people who want to save some money, and get the mental and health benefits to cycling to work.
Urban cyclists, bike commuters, and advocates for safer streets, have all noticed a troubling trend. What was once a symbol of progress toward sustainable transportation and safer roads for all is being reversed in multiple cities across North America.”
Will bike lanes and cyclists suffer similar setbacks here? Will the Department of Transportation (DOTr) continue to champion bike lanes? Will the agency be more aggressive and assertive of bike lanes development? Your guess is as good as mine!
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The old Legazpi City airport
En route to Camalig after checking out from our hotel, we passed by the old airport in Legazpi City. This was closed after the new airport in nearby Daraga became operational.
Legazpi and the Bicol region needed a new gateway after the old one could not be expanded. Add to that the fact that the runway configuration and location was compromised by nearby Mayon Volcano. The Bicol International Airport in Daraga is a modern gateway for a region deserving such infrastructure.
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Caught (up) in traffic 