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What’s On & Expat Newspaper Oct 2 - Oct 8, 2005
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A Foreigner's Survival Guide to the Metro
By Loraine Balita

So you're a foreigner, inching through the nerve-wracking traffic along one of Manila's choked and teeming streets. You feel like your legs are going to break off any minute now, because you've been stepping on the pedal for the past hour. Or you could be one of those with a driver, literally begging him to go faster, while frantically dialing numbers from the back seat, because you're already thirty minutes late for that important meeting with an equally important client.

And then a bright flash: an eye-catching ad printed on the side of a train speedily passes through you on the tracks above. You suddenly envy the passengers in that train, because unlike you, who will have to deal with the bustling streets for the next hour and a half, they are comfortably sitting inside the air-conditioned train-and will reach their destination in the next 30 minutes.

Could I, a foreigner, take advantage of the clearly visible benefits of the MRT? you ask yourself. Is it safe? Is it easy to use? Could it even be fun?Why not? But you'd have to familiarize yourself first with the system and the quirks of the actual ride.

MRT and LRT : What you need to know
All Manila's metro trains are overhead lines; no "subways" in a town where the water table is about three feet below the surface. The MRT and LRT 2 stations have elevators; some even have escalators with boundary areas for disabled people; the older LRT 1 does not.

The Metro Rail Transit (MRT) runs along EDSA, Manila's main circumferential road, roughly north-south around a semicircle. It starts at the Taft Avenue station, at the EDSA intersection in Pasay City, and runs to Magallanes, Ayala, Buendia and Guadalupe stations in Makati and the Boni and Shaw stations in Mandaluyong. It then goes to the Ortigas station followed by Santolan-Annapolis in San Juan and the Cubao-Araneta, GMA-Kamuning, Quezon Ave. and finally the North Ave. stations in Quezon City, where the line terminates.

Tickets are sold at the booths in each station, which are open from 5:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Prices range from P10-P15, depending on the zone or location and how far you travel. A single journey ticket can be used within 75 minutes after the time of purchase; a "stored value" ticket worth P100, which might buy you six to eight rides, can be used at any time up to three months from purchase.

The Light Rail Transit consists of two different lines, the LRT 1 and LRT 2. The LRT 1is open 5:00 a.m.-9:30 p.m. and runs just about due north along Taft Avenue from Baclaran in Pasay City to Manila City Hall, along Arroceros Street, and across the Pasig River, entering the Santa Cruz district. From there it follows Rizal Avenue and Rizal Avenue Extension to the terminal at Monumento in Caloocan City.

The LRT 2, open 5:00 a.m.-8 p.m., running roughly east to west, traverses five of Metro Manila's cities: Marikina, Pasig, Quezon City, San Juan and Manila.

LRT ticket prices are P12-P15 depending on the location or destination. Single journey tickets on either LRT line are usable anytime on the day of purchase; a stored value ticket, worth P100, or six to eight rides, is valid for six months.

LRT 1 meets LRT 2 at the Recto Station; LRT 1 meets the MRT at the Taft Avenue station in Pasay. Both connections have walkways which passengers can use to transfer from one line to another. The transfers are not free, however. The MRT, on the other hand, meets LRT 2 at the Cubao station , but at present no walkways connect them. The two lines, though, are only a five-minute walk apart, through the Gateway Mall.

People living in parts of Metro Manila not traversed by an existing line need not despair, as plans are already under way to extend some lines and add more stations and routes to existing ones. The planned MRT 7, already approved in principle, is expected to serve commuters to and from northern Metro Manila, including Novaliches, Fairview, Caloocan and past city lines to Tala in Bulacan.The proposed extension of the LRT 1 from Baclaran to Bacoor, and later further south to Imus and Dasmariñas, Cavite is also coming.
This is expected to benefit commuters living in the southern Metro Manila, and beyond, into the city's southern environs.

Okay. That takes care of the facts about the system.

But wait! Before you go jauntering off on a train riding spree, let me first take you on a trip through the station, just so you'll have an idea of what to expect. I wouldn't want you wandering around there totally clueless, entering through the exits, buying tickets from the guards, would I?

Let Me Take You There
I'm not telling you to wear your tennis shoes, but be sure, especially you ladies, that your heels are secure, as the long flights of stairs up to and down from the station could prove to be your first challenge, along with the hordes of commuters you're going to bump into (often literally) during rush hours. Think of it as your morning exercise, and if you haven't had your breakfast, you can grab a bite of the many foods sold in the numerous stores lining the stations. From the usual brands of fast food to cell phone reloading stalls, you can do a fair amount of shopping while waiting for your train at many MRT and LRT stations.

The queue for tickets, especially in the morning rush, will be your second challenge, as it will surely test your patience. Be sure you read the lists of stations and fares posted above the booths before you join a line, so as not to waste your time inching to the front, only to find out that it's the wrong booth! I feel a great need to pass along this advice, because it is based on vivid personal experience.You will use your ticket to access the tracks by inserting it the automatic gates, from which it will be shot back to you. Then you should hang onto it until you reach your destination-you will need it when you get there.

Mother's advice was good
Now-I have set down a few helpful tips you should remember while inside the train or within the premises of the station. Read through and try to remember as this would prove useful to you.• Mommy's good advice still applies here:

"Do not, I repeat, do not talk to strangers." Like any other public transport, the MRT/LRT or any of its stations are no places to meet people. So save those introductions and cheesy pick-up lines for your company's next acquaintance party. If you find yourself being bugged by a peculiar or too-solicitous stranger, every station has roaming safety officers whom you can approach. The good news, in those circumstances, is that they roam with bomb-sniffing dogs; if the canines are not enough to scare away that stranger I don't know what else will.

• Do not act the part. Don't make it obvious that you're a first-timer by wandering around and asking strangers about the destinations and the fares. Act as if you have been doing this for the longest time and you know exactly where you're going. I know it's hard to feel like one of the crowd when you're the only pale-skinned expat anywhere in sight, but it's best not to make it obvious that you're not familiar with the ride. Better ask people you know first before actually going to the station. Make sure you know your destination. Or if you really find yourself lost, look for the proper authorities to ask. There are guards in uniform and at least two Philippine National Police personnel assigned to every station, or you can always look for the station supervisor to get the info you need to get back on track.

• The fact that crimes on the metro lines are mainly isolated cases doesn't mean that crimes don't happen. Even with the strictest security measures, the chances of pickpockets or cell-phone thieves victimizing you all depends on how well you take care of your valuables. After the bomb inspection (yes, they have them here too), when you have passed the guards, while you're sitting-if you're lucky-or standing inside the train, whether you still have your stuff after the ride all depends on you. Make sure that all your valuables are secure. Knowing exactly where they are, keeping a hand on your wallet or the closing of your handbag, and not using your cellphone, all through out the ride, wouldn't hurt.

• Best of all would be if you had a Filipino friend or friends, whom you trust and who are familiar with the train system, to accompany you the first few times, until you get used to it all.Keep your eyes and ears open, as the particular station will be announced upon reaching each stop. The stations' names are also posted and easily visible from the train if you look around. The ticket, remember the ticket? I hope you remember where you placed it, because in order to exit the station, you have to insert it into the automatic gates again.

So, there it is, everything you need to know to get around Metro Manila by metro. Think of this as your user's manual and keep it with rest of your "survival kit" as you traverse the city. And remember that age-old cliché-and remember too that clichés got that way for a reason: "It's better to be safe than sorry.”