The cost of active mobility and who pays the price
If you’re a commuter in Metro Manila, you probably have a list of essentials that you bring with you before leaving the house. Beep card? Check. Umbrella? Check. Sunblock? Check. Portable fan? Iba-budget pa for the next double-digit sale.
Aside from the perpetually increasing cost of transport fares, these are things that cost you when our transport infrastructure is anti-pedestrian. Instead of shelter from the rain, we are forced to wade through floods just to get home. Instead of trees and public parks, we brave the scorching heat without cover on our barely-there sidewalks.
During the pandemic, public transport was suspended, and this caused a boom for cycling as Filipinos were left with no other choice. The pandemic ushered in progress for human-powered mobility, or active mobility, as a main mode of transport.
Five years later, systemic gaps still pass the burden on ordinary Filipinos who already pay exorbitant taxes, enduring exhausting or even life-threatening commutes because we are left with no choice but to count on our diskarte.
2025 was doomed for active mobility before it even started
From the initial PHP 2.4 billion proposed budget allotted for active transportation in the 2025 National Expenditure Program, the actual budget was slashed to PHP 60 million. For reference, the 2024 budget was set at PHP 1 billion, a whopping 94% slash, which is supposed to fund various active transport projects in the entire Philippines.
Dangerous budget cuts like these hinder envisioned plans and goals for transportation from materializing. For instance, while the Philippine Development Plan 2023–2028 highlights pedestrians and cyclists as the highest priority among road users, this prioritization does not reflect in our national budget. In fact, the Active Transport Strategic Master Plan, currently being crafted by the Department of Transportation in partnership with Palafox Associates, is at risk of not being implemented fully if not given a larger budget.
Policy proposals that endanger cyclists and pedestrians, such as removal of bike lanes to share with motorcycles, have been reversing years of progress for active transportation. One example is the MMDA threatening to narrow down the protected bike lanes along Commonwealth Ave., months after the implementation of the No-Contact Apprehension Policy. Without these protective barriers, NCAP would be rendered useless, as it would not be able to penalize motorists further endangering vulnerable users, because the infrastructure and design for them would not even exist.
But who pays for the cost of active mobility (or its lack thereof)?
Last June, President Marcos Jr. ordered the removal of the infamous Mt. Kamuning footbridge. While this was a welcome development, we soon learned that the alternative would be a Kamuning Hill; just another footbridge but smaller. A footbridge is not pedestrian infrastructure. It is just another band-aid solution to road safety, and must not replace accessible and inclusive at-grade crossings. Mt. Kamuning was built with taxpayer money, and it will be demolished with taxpayer money. In turn, a smaller footbridge will be built with — you guessed it — taxpayer money. We literally cannot afford to make the same mistake twice.
This year, we are also expecting various fare hikes from almost all modes of transport: taxi, jeepney, LRT, and MRT. Because of this, commuters have resorted to cycling as a more affordable mode of transportation. However, this does not mean that we should accept substandard public transport systems in exchange for active mobility. Public transport users are, by default, also active transport users, because they also need to walk long distances or climb steep stairs just to access PUV terminals or train stations. We need to give our citizens the freedom of choice on how they want to move around, and that means investing in all forms of sustainable transport.
If there were a virus that killed 12,410 people each year, we would be investing what we can towards finding a cure. So what is stopping us from treating our unsafe roads as a public health emergency?
More than just the freedom to choose which forms of transport to patronize, our mobility also dictates the opportunities available to us. Our access to transport also dictates our access to public services, education, or livelihoods. Because of the regional wage board, the daytime population of Metro Manila is significantly higher than its resident population. That means Filipinos are travelling long distances just to receive a barely livable wage. Metro Manila is built on the labor of people who cannot afford to live in it — and we are putting their lives in danger. Last June 24, a cyclist died on Shaw Boulevard in Barangay Kapitolyo, Pasig City because of a vehicle obstructing the bike lane. The victim was on his way home to Cainta, Rizal.
Road safety costs an arm and a leg
If our government continues to deprioritize investing in active transport, it might literally cost you an arm and a leg. According to the World Health Organization, the leading cause of death for children and young adults aged 5-29 years is road crashes. 34 Filipinos die on our roads every day, and in a year, that adds up to 12,410 avoidable deaths. If there were a virus that killed 12,410 people each year, we would be investing what we can towards finding a cure. So what is stopping us from treating our unsafe roads as a public health emergency?
We need our leaders to walk the talk
This year, we have witnessed sworn statements from government officials on their commitment to a more inclusive active transportation in our country. But we have yet to see these statements translate into concrete action when pedestrians and cyclists continue to risk their lives every day. This means putting taxpayer money where their mouth is.
As citizens, we can participate in various government and citizen-led projects that advocate for genuine active transportation. The DOTr has been organizing Participatory Infrastructure Audits for the ATSMP to gather feedback on existing active transport infrastructure nationwide. The Make It Safer Movement (MISMO), alongside partner organizations such as the Move As One Coalition, has been conducting citizen-led audits and walks in our cities, such as MISMO’s community walk in Quiapo and Move As One’s 22-km community walk along EDSA. You can make a difference, and it starts with one step.
Ultimately, we pay the price, whether it be out of our pockets or with our own lives. But it shouldn’t have to be that way. As commuters, pedestrians, bikers, and vulnerable road users, our collective action matters; it is our duty and right to remind leaders to whom they serve as public servants. When we continue these efforts and ensure that our taxes go to more inclusive, dignified, and accessible active transportation infrastructure, then the price we have to pay will no longer be at the expense of the people.
