LRT, the Philippine Joy Ride

Hmmm... It must have been a very special high-tech fully-furnished cybertrain... Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe pour champagne to a new coach of the country's light railway transit (LRT) system during its delivery and inauguration ceremony in Manila.

I missed the first day of its operations on December 11, as I wasn't able to go to work due to some fever, when the rains poured and had me wet Sunday afternoon.

This morning, I had the chance. Whew... nice coaches! Elegant lights and attractive color combination! What an exciting morning ride ahead of me.

But as I stepped inside, nahhh, as if there was nothing upgraded. Still the same density of over a dozen people per square meter, still the same pushing and unruly behavior, still the same stubborn people on board (and that includes me).

Whatever upgrade we receive from our government services, there seem to be no sensible improvement to society as most of our citizens do not really care much and never change their attitudes. And yet we have all the guts to blame government for all the problems we have in life. Change begins in me, in you, in each and every one of us. Every bit of improvement we can do is a step closer to progress, but what is really important is that it is initiated by no one else but ourselves.

-Dexter