ON CREATING HUMANE SPACES

by Wilhelmina S. Orozco 

Who are the worst victims of urban traffic? The drivers? The motorcyclists? The bicycle riders? Not at all. They are the commuters, the hoi polloi who are saving on transportation fare, who go through crowded areas just to jostle to get a seat on a bus or a jeepney. 

I have been observing people as I move from one place to another, from my home to Makati to present project proposals, or to a printer in Quezon City to have our magazine Regalo printed, to UP to have cheap xeroxing and internet that is only P10 per hour. Yes, this is the cheapest I can get in Metromanila but it has limitations -- no printing and connections are slow. You can count from one to twenty seconds. But nonetheless, puede pasar. 

Why more do I say that commuters are the worst victims? We walk through very narrow pedestrian lanes that are occupied by construction companies, or used as parking spaces, or by vendors selling cigarettes, mineral water and candies.

And when we walk up to the MRT overground train station, we have to contend with 20 to 30 steps as the elevator is not working and there is no escalator. Can you imagine a paraplegic using the MRT? It will take him or her a half hour to climb, I guess. pregnant women with children will also have a hard time negotiating the stairs. Some girls with short shorts and boys appear to show off their skills at climbing up, rushing to reach the top for a date or just to compete with the slower ones.Then the senior citizens are truly the most pitiful lot. Not only do they slowly climb up the staircase; they also have to keep up with the crowd or else get pushed around, although the Filipino commuters is general are very respectful of the elderly. (I would like to say that when I am inside the trains and every seat is occupied, I manage to wangle a seat by telling a male or female passenger, "Excuse me, senior citizen. May I sit down? i can't stand too long on my feet." Readily they give up the seat which has almost always a sign at the back "Please give up the seat to the elderly. Also an announcement is always made by the driver to remind the passengers their duty to the senior citizens. 

Then more and more high rise buildings are going up here. What I don't like in them, apart from the dizzying heights is their proximity to the roads. They are too close so that when you walk past them, it is as if they could fall down on you at anytime. At Sta. Mesa, there are towering buildings but they are about 20 meters away from Aurora Boulevard. However, the next residential tower is too close to the streets giving that eerie feeling that once the earthquake strikes, we could all be lying underneath its rubbles at any time. Is there no law governing the boundaries of high rise buildings? Why are building permit officers too timid to say no to owner-proponents of such edifices when these are supposed to last for years and years. 

And so I would like to present a bill to aid the following needy sectors: the senior citizens, pregnant women and the disabled who live in urban areas and are experiencing those horrific circumstances . It shall contain the following:

1. All train stations shall have an escalator going up and going down. (Las Pinas city has a lot of them.)

2. Pedestrian sidewalks should be two meters wide. Vehicles parked along sidewalks shall be towed right away. 

3. Senior citizen payment counters should be respected at all times. Supermarkets that do not follow this shall be fined P5,000 pesos per violation. 

4. All streetlamps should be properly maintained. Local units should have citizen alert watchdogs that will inform officials if they are still working or not. 

5. Local units should spend 30 per cent of their annual budget for the maintenance of facilities that are used by senior citizens in public places. 

6. Supermarkets and malls should have toilets, at 1 is to 30 at every floor  and covering 200 square meters. 

7. Every barangay should have a telephone or cellphone line and designated officials that will specially attend to the needs of the these sectors. Cases of violence, verbal or physical have to be dealt with right away.The need for transport should also be addressed by the barangay by these sectors.

8. The barangay has to inform the public how much the budget is allotted per year and the allotment for these sectors at a prominent place. 

9. All educational institutions should provide free tuition for those needy sectors who wish to enrol in their courses. The CHED, the DEP ED, TESDA and private educational institutions may designate the schools offering courses for free.

10 School bus or jeepney services should be provided to accommodate them at schools, especially if they are night schools. 

11. Public and barangay libraries should contain latest books, pamphlets and brochures on how these needy sectors could avail of services without appearing mendicant. 

12. Social work officers at every barangay should visit the homes of these needy sectors and inquire with respect and sympathy about their condition; provide moral and physical support if necessary. The DSWD should announce the name of the officer to all the homes in the neighborhood, his or her phone number and hours of work. The service should be on a 24-hour basis. 

In London, senior citizens enjoy meals on wheels -- breakfast, lunch and dinner served them through bus service. Hot! A social worker also visits them daily if not every other day. Each home of the citizen has a phone line. The government provides allowance to them.

Many ideas could crop up among our Kababayan abroad as they can compare the facilities and services provided these sectors with ours. I would be happy to receive them as we are now in the process of creating humane spaces, not just running after economic gains.