In an ideal world, public transportation should be transportation that is run by the government to serve its citizens. It should be affordable and readily available to the masses, the majority of whom don’t own private vehicles.
But in reality, public transportation is a form of transportation that charges set fares and runs on fixed routes. And yes, it’s available to the public. That includes buses, trains, subways and, in the case of the Philippines, jeepneys (traditional or modern), as well as tricycles and whatnot. Here, the government’s role is primarily regulatory through the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board. But the vehicles themselves are privately owned, with the exception of the railway systems operating commuter and light rail lines in Luzon and Metro Manila.
At least, that’s how I understand it.
Meanwhile, in China, public transportation “is predominantly owned and heavily subsidized by the government, serving as a public utility rather than a profit-driven enterprise.”
What does that mean?
That means it’s affordable. Even its high-speed trains are deemed budget-friendly, “offering a more cost-effective and comfortable alternative value to domestic flights or long-distance driving.” And because it is under government control, the public is assured of service continuity.
I’m not parroting propaganda here. I had the opportunity to ride their subway and a high-speed train in Beijing, both of which delivered what was promised: clean, efficient, punctual, and highly affordable (I didn’t pay for the train ticket, but I found out that it was still reasonable).
By no means am I saying the Chinese system is perfect, but it comes close to being ideal. I’m sure it is also affected by the recent tensions in the Middle East, considering China is now the world’s number one crude oil importer, but I doubt it will pass on the cost to the commuting public since the government heavily subsidizes the sector.
The Philippines could well take a page out of our northern neighbor’s book without sacrificing its “democratic” values.
I’m amazed at how local governments dish out stipends to marginalized groups — such as senior citizens, persons with disabilities, single parents, and, yes, members of the LGBTQ+ community — with the caveat that they must be registered voters, yet fail to assist the majority who form the backbone of the commuting public when an oil crunch strikes.
I’m just saying.
Last Thursday, March 19, 2026, Piston Cebu conducted a transport strike and claimed that it disrupted traditional jeepney routes from Consolacion in the north to Cebu City.
So the group is proud that it made the lives of thousands of commuters in the metro miserable? Its raison d’être for the activity was rising fuel costs, as diesel has reached about P120 per liter and will probably go up more as the war in the Middle East continues. Already, the situation reportedly has cost drivers up to P3,600 daily.
I’m not saying they’re not suffering. I know. We all know. Because we, too, are suffering. Heck, the whole world is feeling the effects of the United States and Israel’s illegal war against Iran. Some self-proclaimed pundits continue to justify the chaos the airstrikes have caused. It’s a good thing the Global South can see through the hypocrisy and can pinpoint the actual villains who hide behind the excuse of imminent threat. Fortunately, some members of the West are beginning to see the light, judging by their refusal to join the Trump-Netanyahu-driven debacle.
But I digress.
I fully support Piston Cebu’s call for Malacañang to scrap fuel taxes and roll back the diesel price to P55 per liter. But it doesn’t make sense for its members to insist on jacking up the fare by P5 if the diesel prices go back to pre-war levels. It doesn’t work that way. They can’t have their cake and eat it too. And it’s hardly fair to ask the riding public to bear the brunt of this recent economic turmoil. As for establishing a P1,200 national minimum wage, well, as much as I’d like to see that happen, that might end up bankrupting a lot of businesses, resulting in mass unemployment.
Piston Cebu, like most of us, will just have to grin and bear it in the meantime. After all, we are in the same boat. Unlike some public officials who continue to ride in their air-conditioned service vehicles paid for by taxpayers’ money, even after office hours.
We’ll just have to hope and pray that this conflict will end peacefully. And soon. Although that may be wishful thinking given the vast egos involved. But I refuse to believe that there is no light at the end of the tunnel.
Despite our whining and complaining about the rising cost of living, we can count ourselves lucky that we don’t spend our nights and days in bunkers huddled in fear, or wake up to find our neighborhoods in rubble and our friends and loved ones gone.