Every day, I take the MRT.

Every day, I stand in lines that snake up to the inner roads adjacent to EDSA. Depending on the weather, I am compelled to endure either the scorching heat or heavy rain. But the weather never really matters. I line up anyway. 

Every day, I compete with hundreds of other commuters for the coveted tiny spot inside the train. While headed to different destinations, we are all driven by a similar goal – to be where we need to be, on the dot.

Every day, I see people hurrying to get on the train while anxiously checking their watches. There was never a time when I didn’t hear other commuters sigh in exasperation – for the lines that are always long, trains that are usually jampacked, and trips that are often delayed by technical glitches. (Read: MRT and the violence of our mass transport system)

I admire how other people find ways to turn things around by maximizing their commuting experience. Inside the MRT, you’ll see people who try to catch a nap, put on make-up, read a book, or listen to their iPods and phones – anything just to make their MRT experience more bearable.

Every day, I spend and lose around 2 to 3 hours just by taking the MRT. That roughly translates to precious 2 to 3 hours we could have spent sleeping, working, or just being with friends and family. To parents, it also mean missed dinners or rushed breakfasts with their kids.

During rush hours, I often find myself trying to fit in the train that’s bursting at the edges while other commuters watch. I often wonder whether they are supporting me as I balance myself from falling off the edge or silently laughing at how ridiculous and desperate I look.

Every day, I squeeze and twist between people and rails, forgetting all the notions I have about personal spaces. I’ve also experienced being pushed over by commuters who still insist to enter the already cramped train. I can’t really blame them. I can only emphathize. 

It is sad because, inside the train, commuters look more like sardines packed in a can than dignified employees heading to work.

I line up to for the MRT not because there are no other options available. I take the MRT because traffic in EDSA is worse, because I am afraid of being mugged in buses, and because I can’t afford to take the cab on a daily basis. (Read: Commuters to Coloma: Why not take the bus yourself?)

And, every day, I go through this ordeal along with 600,000 other commuters, knowing that I am bound to repeat everything all over again the next day. 

Why am I telling this?

Recently, Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio “Jun” Abaya and Senator Grace Poe took their turns in taking the MRT. Their mass transit trips – the former met with criticisms; the latter, with praises – spawned the #MRTChallenge for all other government officials.

Netizens dared government officials to take the MRT during rush hour and without their bodyguards and media entourage.

The #MRTChallenge, netizens say, will be an opportunity for government officials to finally understand the daily struggles of MRT commuters.

But there’s the rub.

How can government officials fully understand what MRT commuters experience on a daily basis through a one-time experience of riding the train? 

Also, isn’t it sad that, for the government officials who are supposed to solve the problems surrounding the MRT3, the act of riding the train is considered a very novel idea – so much so that when they actually commute via the mass transit, the act is deemed newsworthy?  

And now, it has required an online dare, such as the #MRTChallenge, to prod our public servants to abandon their comfortable SUVs in exchange for a trip shared with their constituents.

But for our dear government officials, let it be known that the real challenge for you is not simply to take the train. The real task for you is to translate whatever little experience you will gain from the activity into actual policies and rules that could fundamentally overhaul and fix the public transportation system. 

And that’s saying a lot.

The #MRTChallenge is not just an online gimmick, which aspiring politicians can hijack to boost their appeal. It is an opportunity for the government officials to do their job well.

The truth is, the MRT experience is only a symptom – a manifestation of a bigger problem that plagues the country’s public transportation system. (Read: End Metro Manila traffic, fund sustainable transport)

While our government officials have the #MRTChallenge to accomplish, commuters should also do their share.

And I am talking about a different kind of #MRTchallenge. 

Every day, we go through the inconvenience that goes with taking the MRT together – yet we stay silent and passive about the daily injustice that we experience. 

Every day, we stand in lines that stretch to several blocks and we’re well aware that this should not be the case – but we refuse to do anything about it anyway. 

Every day, we enter the train with only the smallest spaces between our bodies – however, we seldom talk to each other about the common plight that unites us all.

It’s time that we, as commuters, speak up. Let the #MRTChallenge spark the change our public transportation system gravely needs.

Pressure government officials to share with our plight by taking on the challenge. Demand and propose solutions for the betterment of our public transportation system. (Read: #AnimatED: Problema sa MRT? Rebolusyon ang solusyon!)

Because the long lines, derailing trains, and jampacked coaches? That really shouldn’t go on every day. – Rappler.com