Trains I’ve taken, roads we deserve

NIGHT OWL**media[26798]**When I left the Philippines, I thought I was chasing only an education. What I didn't know then was that I was also running into a mirror—one that would reflect not just the world beyond our borders, but everything we still lack, everything we could become.Abroad, my days were shaped by lectures and papers, but in between those academic milestones were moments of quiet revelation: waiting at a platform as a train glided in exactly on time; watching elderly passengers step onto low-floor buses with ease; tapping a single card and switching between train, tram, and ferry without breaking stride. These weren’t luxuries. They were expectations—mundane, even—to the people who lived there. But to me, they felt extraordinary.In London, a drive to Oxford can take over three hours, depending on traffic. But the train? It whisks you there in under an hour. Fast, frequent, reliable. If a delay occurs, passengers are notified well in advance. If it stretches beyond what’s reasonable, there’s compensation. Not a shrug. Not a "pasensya na po." But accountability. Consideration.It’s not just about infrastructure. It’s about a social contract that values people’s time, safety, and dignity. I have traveled enough now to realize that good public transportation isn’t just efficient—it’s a form of respect.And I think of home.I think of Manila, where commuters wake before dawn to queue for an MRT that might break down mid-route. Where jeepneys weave between buses in chaotic dances that blur the line between necessity and danger. Where a single rainfall can paralyze roads, stranding students and workers alike. We lose hours, days, years in transit—and still, we are told to be patient, to be grateful that at least we got to our destination at all.I do not write this from a place of bitterness, but of longing. Because every time I board a punctual train in Europe, or watch families safely cycling in Asian cities, I imagine a version of the Philippines where this is possible. I imagine a mother in Quezon City not needing to choose between spending for a ride-share or risking her child’s safety on the roadside. I imagine a student in Laguna not needing to skip breakfast just to catch the first jeepney to Manila.What travel has given me is not just knowledge—it’s vision. A belief that our people deserve more than patchwork solutions. That we, too, can have a system where being on time isn’t a miracle, but a matter of planning. Where transportation isn't a daily trial, but a bridge to opportunity.I’ve seen how cities can move with grace. I’ve experienced how infrastructure can empower the poor, connect the isolated, and elevate the entire rhythm of a nation. And yet, I carry the ache of knowing that for many Filipinos, even a simple, safe, and predictable commute feels like a faraway dream.Still, I remain hopeful. Not naively, but earnestly.The journey is long, and there are miles of policy, willpower, and investment to traverse. But change, like the railways I’ve come to rely on, begins with a blueprint. With vision. With the unshakeable belief that our people deserve better.One day, I hope to return home and board a train not just in memory of the ones I’ve taken abroad, but because we built our own. One that runs on time, welcomes all, and reminds us that progress doesn’t always roar—it sometimes arrives quietly, gently, right on schedule.