Getting Around the Metro

Posted on 10. Jan, 2010 by dimaks in Asides

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Getting around Metro Manila is a tough thing to do for obvious reasons. Especially if you don’t own a car, which is quite a sad option in the ideal sense, opting for public transport mode is just another nightmare waiting to happen. You want to go places but the chronic traffic situation is like a plague, escalating alongside the country’s increasing motorization. What can you do? Use the unreliable public transportation? The only thing that I can commend right now is the rail system but still not very satisfactory. Talk about poor connectivity with the other modes of transport, coupled with unruly behaviors of both drivers and passengers – you got the perfect dish for one hell of a stressful day as a commuter.

But , while I try to keep my ideals, the necessity of owning a car is calling me. You see.. traveling with our newborn baby has been a grand task and the taxi fare is killing us. Moreover, I can’t imagine the amount of smog that we may take into our lungs if we choose to take public transport mode. Oh well, the argument is there but it is still a battle of financial budget. I hope that by next year, things will clear up or at least lighten and then we will really try to buy our own car.

Sometimes, the thought of going abroad visits me. It sure was a great thing to drive in a first world country and you don’t worry much about hard-headed drivers and pedestrians. Everything is very organized. From buying to disposing your car, they got the designated company to take care of things, including insurance options. Sometime a year ago, we managed to buy a second hand Mitsubishi Minica and we were a bit anxious about how the insurance would be in the first place. We tried to browse over at carinsurancelist.com just to compare things, only to know that we can even get the insurance first hand at the car inspection/repair shop where we went to as part of the buying protocol. I like the system there. I mean the incentive that they give to car owners – you get considerable discount on insurance payments if you do not incur any issues or offenses for a year. Cool isn’t it?

By the way, this is our 1997 model Mitsubishi Minica – our cute little car but very reliable and convenient to drive around the city. It is automatic and very comfortable and handy.

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8802115 ef0646a587 o If we only have a reliable public transport system in Metro Manila, I will have a second thought of buying a private car. But what can I do? My situation calls for it and I cannot afford to sacrifice my kid’s health.