DEAR HONORABLE REPRESENTATIVES OF THE FILIPINO PEOPLE (Congressmen, Congresswomen and Senators),

You may wonder why I am writing you, but I believe it is time that you hear from me. I am tired of other people using my situation for their political agenda. Thus, I put in writing a description of my situation and an appeal that you reflect and vote with your conscience. As my representative in Congress, you ought to put my voice in your vote on the Reproductive Health (RH) Bill.

I am a mother of five children. My husband is a construction worker who earns P6,500 (US$150) per month. I am a simple housewife who attends and looks after my children aged 12, 9, 6, 3 years old, and 10-month old baby. I delivered them all through an experienced "hilot" or "parteria." She is now the godmother of my fourth child; that's why I delivered my fifth child without a cost. She lives next door and is fond of her goddaughter.

We stay in a rented house. It is small, but we try to make it our home for the past 13 years. I know my neighbors and we help each other when we can.


Life is difficult here in Manila. I came from the province. After finishing high school, I ventured in Manila seeking for a better future. I met my husband, also a provinciano, and we fell in love. We formally got married only last year. Thanks to the generosity of our mayor who sponsored the mass wedding.

Honestly, we struggle to send our children to schools, but we try hardest to send them. My eldest will be in high school next year. I am thankful that he supports partially his schooling by collecting plastic bottles and old newspapers from our neighbors and other sari-sari stores. My eldest daughter sells some "chitchiria" or snack foods to her classmates in school to add to our income.


Oh, to augment my husband's income, I have put up a small sari-sari store that provides for our basic needs such as rice, milk, and other household necessities.

I am a member of a women's group that received a loan from a microfinancing NGO. I used my loan to put up our sari-sari store. My eldest son and daughter assist in manning the store while I am attending to my 10-month old baby.

At times, during weekends, my husband is asked to do some repairs in other houses. He knows how to repair electrical appliances and furnitures.

In our own capacities and efforts, we are trying to survive and live decently. We do not need your pity and generosity. We need your sincere commitment to help us. If you truly commit as you promise every election, this is how and what you can do to help us:

- expand free education coverage to include books, school supplies, uniforms, and other fees.
- increase the minimum wage by P100 per day to cope with the inflation and rising commodity prices.
- build more schools so that my children will not be cramped together with 50 of their classmates.
- hire more teachers so that my children's teachers can focus on their specializations.

These four things can go a long way to extend our sights to a better future in our lifetime with my children.

One more thing though. Please, oh please, do not look at my children as liabilities or burdens to society. They are my joys in my life. They are my jewels in this world. I am very thankful that I have been blessed with five children. Many in my neighborhood including my "kumareng hilot" has discouraged me to have a new child. Yeah, I and my husband have agreed that our youngest will be the last. Both of us have come from big families. I have seven siblings and my husband has nine siblings. And now, we have five children. That's it for us.

Please, do not give up on us by asking us to give up our children. They are my everything.

Sincerely yours,

Ina Bayani

LRT, MRT Fares Should Be Rationalized To Reduce Subsidies And Invest In Education

I wonder whether or not our government officials have taken the MRT.

One time, I did, but I am not a government official (un)fortunately. From Cubao, I was queuing to buy a ticket going to Ortigas station. As usual, there was a long queu. I prepared one 10-peso coin and one 5-peso coin. Nearing the teller, I noticed that the fare for Cubao-Ortigas was only Php10. It was too late to move to the "exact face" queu which moved faster than the queu I was in.

Picture from the internet

What? Php10 or (0.18 Euro cents or 0.23 USD cents) for a train ride to Ortigas of more than 5 kilometers! Where in the world you can get that, only in the Philippines. It was cheap, very cheap. And I felt a bit guilty for getting something more out of what I spent.

Somebody must be losing a lot of money because of this. Then, I read a news that the Philippine government has subsidized the riding public amounting to Php75 billion for 10 years in MRT alone. Similar amount (Php75 billion) has been allocated for LRT 1 for 10 years as well.

Let's breakdown the subsidies in MRT to understand and appreciate how much we are talking about here. Php75 billion subsidy for 10 years means that Php7.5 billion per year; Php625 million per month; Php20.8 million per day. This is how much our government pays for the 487,000 individuals who use the MRT everyday. Php20.8 million everyday from the government in MRT alone.

Why is our government paying so much?

From http://www.urbanrail.net 

It was because of the Build-Operate-Transfer contract by the Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC) with the Metro Rail Transit Corporation (MRTC) who built MRT3 and has assumed responsibility over the operation and maintenance of the MRT system. The DOTC is obliged to pay an agreed fee to reimburse the operating and maintenance costs for certain number of years.

Php20.8 million a day in MRT alone, on behalf of 487,000 individuals in Metro Manila.

Tsk.. tsk.. tsk.. Like you, I think this is too much. Our government can not afford to continue this when there are children without classrooms and basic health care in the provinces, and farmers who need farm-to-market roads in the rural areas, just to name a few of the pressing needs of millions of our kababayans.

The DOTC, through Sec. Roxas, announced that the subsidy would continue until the allocated fund is drained. What?!! Until when?!! Php20.8 million a day for 487,000 people in Metro Manila.

Let me tell you that not all of the 487,000 riders need subsidies. There are office workers, foreign students, and tourists who can afford to pay extra for the MRT ride.

Here are some proposals to save OUR money.

- Implement a graduated fare hike starting from this year. One group of riders such as Filipino students, persons with disabilities, and senior citizens will be exempted from this initial fare hike of Php5 (Set up a separate cashier/teller for this group of people for additional employment). Another group such as office workers, foreign students and tourists, and ordinary riders have to add P5 pesos from the original fare. Then, next year (2013) the first and second groups will add P5. Every year after that, there will be an additional Php5 to reduce the subsidies until the riding public will have to pay large part of the actual cost of the ride. The savings from these supposed subsidies is proposed to be invested in education such as building more classrooms in the countryside.

- Review the contract with MRTC because the subsidies are quite staggeringly expensive and outrageous for two reasons: the capacity of the train is over-extended and comfort is non-existent. Ask any riders in MRT and they would describe their ride as overcrowded. Here is a little math. If the agreed capacity is 100, for example, the train is having double that capacity. Thus, compromising the comfort of a modern train ride. The subsidy must be lowered because trains are running at full capacity without comfort of the riders. Renegotiate the contract to reduce the subsidies.

- Look for other revenue-generating opportunities in MRT such as ads, stalls, shops, mobile banking though ATMs and bank express, etc.

- Do the first three (3) proposals with LRT 1 and 2


Think of Php20.8 million everyday for 487,000 people in Metro Manila who take the MRT. Add that to several millions of similar subsidies for the LRT 1 and 2.

I know that there are millions of our kababayans who are in dire need for their basic education such as lack of classrooms, books, chairs, etc.. Let's spend OUR money to those who need it most.

RATIONALIZE the MRT, LRT FARES and REDUCE SUBSIDIES. INVEST IN EDUCATION, BUILD MORE CLASSROOMS instead. NOW!