Chaos, gridlock a daily ordeal for Manila's commuters
It's 3.30 a.m. in the Philippines and much of San Jose Del Monte is fast asleep.
Flashlight in hand, street sweeper Alejandro Galasao, 58, (pictured below) navigates a labyrinth of alleys to a main road to catch a bus to the capital Manila 30 km (18.6 miles) away.
An aquarium glows in the bedroom of Oliver Emocling.
Emocling leaves his community in Caloocan City. "I usually don't get to eat breakfast or dinner unless I wake up really early, or eat out. When I get home, it's already 10 p.m., and my body is just craving sleep rather than food," he said.
Emocling walks to the train station. On weekdays it takes him almost two hours to get to work. "I've accepted that this is the reality of having to work in Makati, and live in Malabon. I feel like this is the reality no matter what I do, no matter what means of transportation I take," he said.
Emocling rides a jeepney to the train station. He said usually the issue with his commute is not the road traffic, but the crowds of commuters. "Sometimes I wonder if I'm just being whiny. Maybe I'm not really struggling in my commute. But I also wonder if I've just gotten used to the struggle," he said.
Emocling waits for a jeepney. "I think it's really a struggle, especially here in Manila. Most jobs, especially in our line of work are in Makati City, Bonifacio Global City, and Pasig City, so you have to go out of your way to travel for at least an hour to get to work," he said.
Galasao leaves his home at 3.30 a.m. every day to avoid rush hour traffic. "If I go to work at rush hour, it takes me three hours to arrive. But without traffic, my travel time is just an hour."
Galasao usually sleeps on the bus to work. "To be honest, there's really not enough time to sleep. The earliest time I get to sleep is 8 p.m., sometimes 9 p.m., and then I have to wake up at 1.00 a.m," he said.
Galasao pushes a cart with cleaning supplies at Quezon Avenue.
Galasao logs out of work at one of Metro Manila Development Authority's meeting points in Quezon Avenue.
Commuters hang on to the back of a crowded jeepney in Cainta.
Janice Sarad leaves her neighbourhood to go to work.
Sarad rides a crowded bus going to work in Cubao, Quezon City.
Sarad walks to her office in Bonifacio Global City. "When I don't feel like going through the commute, I just think about how much money I would lose that day, and then I get up and go," she said.
Janice Sarad walks down a street to her home. She usually arrives home between 20.30 to 21.30.
Sarad looks at the television as her sister eats a snack at their home. "When I feel stressed, I try not to dwell on it. I just think about how lucky I am being able to work, and for getting home safely every day," she said.
Tan and his wife decided to homeschool their children. "I dont want them to spend so much unproductive time travelling every single day. That's time away from the family. And by the time they get home, they're already tired," he said.
Ferdinand Tan signs his books on financial advice in his home in Cainta City. When Tan is not at his speaking engagements, he works from home. His employees, both full-time and part-time, also work from home.
