I had an enjoyable read of the latest issue of Philippine Sentinel and I look forward to seeing it again in the future.
I believe I am the only Aussie to own a Filipino store. I also organised a group called the ‘Philippine Railway Historical Society’. It was set up in 1999 to research railway history, promote the hobby and to publish/share information regarding the same [activity].
In 2007, our group formed another association whose aim is to set up a museum and preserve items of historical importance.
Our membership has grown among people of similar interest. We now cover all modes of public transportation, as well as specialised interests in modelling and photography. I’ve had a few articles on transport published in some of your fellow Filipino community publications here in Australia.
I certainly love your editorial in this issue. It is heart-warming to see someone not afraid of the consequences in order to convey the truth — not commonly practiced in the Filipino community or indeed among Filipino media. Hopefully we will have a chance to meet some time.
I’d like to comment on the article regarding the proposed bullet train that seems to be causing much excitement, but ultimately is borderline useless for people who might want to use it every day.
Surely, it will benefit the tourist industry. Some tourists may visit [the Philippines] every couple of years, or the well-to-do business people who can afford the expected fares. However, the Philippine’s major transport woes will not be addressed one bit from this proposal.
While the former Philippine National Railway (PNR) North line lays mostly cleared but unused, people continue to rely on road transport to get between towns and into the nation’s capital. The roads continue to get more clogged, the movement of freight more difficult and slow. The country is just being held back from a situation that is only going to get worse.
The Aquino government should be commended for reviving the previous government’s MRT-7 project. But its stopping the Linkage and Calamba duplication projects is just insane. It is far short of their mind-boggling road project to cover in the railway across Manila. To link the Southern Luzon Expressway (SLEX) and the Northern Luzon Expressway (NLEX) without considering the need to expand the PNR to four tracks doesn’t seem to be a wise move. Goodness knows it should be four tracks now.
Instead of having huge amounts of money thrown into the bullet train, it’s time the Aquino government thought about its own people first and start rebuilding the PNR railway north as an all-weather ground based system.
It can be started even in small sections, thus allowing people to use it. There are many commuters who desperately need to use the PNR. The government should establish an integrated freight link to the rest of the system down to Bicol.
I mean, what is it with the Philippines and the constant need to build endless transport modes of totally incompatible systems? Don’t even get me started on the strange monster bus and monorail plans.
As the rest of Asia builds new lines, or rebuilds old ones, why is it that the government of the Philippines feels that ignoring these trends is in the nation’s best interest?
My very best wishes to you and your staff.
Brad Manila of Narwee NSW