Back to Normal: TIGHTEN YOUR WALLET TO EDSA CAROUSEL

JANUARY 3, 2023: Now we go back to what we were at and this is the first time that we gonna travel along the road back to work after the holiday season and I felt like I have the so-called ‘holiday blues.’

This is the first day of return to work, including the students, and the travel-goers who also travel far away to work and feed their families.

I just wanted to share my experience with the trip last January 2, 2023 from Dasmariñas City Cavite traveling to Quezon City to Naic Cavite back to Quezon City.

When I dropped at Pasay Heritage that morning, I didn’t expect that the EDSA Carousel busway has now a minimum fare to pay for your ride wherever you go. I paid P68.00 from Pasay to Muñoz QC. I ride for a trike going to our office at West Avenue and I pay P40.00 which I only pay 30-35 pesos before the holiday break. Gosh! Inflation really hit me!

Since that Pres. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. declared that January 2 is a special non-working holiday and our management didn’t inform us that we have no work on that day so I decided to travel back to Cavite to visit my house in Naic. I traveled from QC riding in the EDSA Carousel busway straight to PITX and I pay for P70. Honestly speaking, ‘paiba-iba yung singil sa carousel’ and I am concern with that.

So here it is! I am going to break down all my transpo expenses if I will travel back and forth in daily basis. But thanks to my bosses, they allow me to stay-in at our office since 2020 up until now;

4:00AM from Dasmariñas City Cavite
– Paliparan to Baclaran = P50.00 (jeep)
– Pasay Heritage EDSA Busway carousal to Walter Muñoz QC = P68.00 (bus)
– Walter Muñoz to West Avenue QC = P40.00 (tricycle)

2PM from West Avenue QC to Naic Cavite
– Office to Walter Muñoz = P40.00 (tricycle)
– Muñoz Carousel to PITX = P70.00 (bus)
– PITX to Naic Cavite = P80.00 (bus)
– Hillsview Naic to My House = P60.00 (tricycle)

TOTAL: PHP 408.00 DAILY TRANSPO

If I go home every day maybe I won’t be able to travel back and forth. I can’t afford to pay too much fare. Based on what I have encountered while at the terminal in Naic Cavite to Manila. Many workers are from Cavite areas, they work in Manila because of the discriminating wages in Cavite. If wages were raised in Cavite and other neighboring provinces, it would probably not be the same as I would have been relying on high and fair wages while working in Manila. There is no difference between the goods and cost of living here in Cavite and in nearby cities.

I am really hoping that the DOTr, MMDA and other government agencies will do what’s best for all the commuters, travel-goers, especially the working people who travel from outside Metro Manila to ease that fare and back to what the government can offer to the public. We are happy if we can save our pamasahe every day to make our family feed. -RBM-