So, as part of the effort to – supposedly – ease commuting during the holiday rush, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) is offering free rides on the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3) and Light Rail Transit (LRT) Lines 1 and 2 to various sectors until December 25.
I’d argue that this is part of the pagpapabango ng corruption-ridden Bongbong Marcos administration sa public transport-riding population. But that’s for another article.
Here, instead, let me quickly tackle the “for the clout” response of the LGBTQIA+ community, which (along with solo parents) was given the 22nd of December for the “free-ride program”.
When this tokenistic effort was announced on December 10, the question asked was: How, exactly, can you tell who’s LGBTQIA+? For the DOTr, apparently, everyone who claims to be LGBTQIA+ can ride for free.
Let me say that just as LGBTQIA+ party-list group Ladlad noted in a press statement, all efforts that “promote visibility and equality help foster a society grounded in dignity, fairness, and human rights.”
Focusing on the “visibility” part, dito pumapasok ang disruption activism, that tactic to interrupt systems to draw attention to a cause (this time, the LGBTQIA+ movement). Which is why andaming LGBTQIA+ organizations ang nag-plano na kuyugin ang mga MRT and LRT stations merely to “show” that LGBTQIA+ people exist.
Yes na yes ako sa disruption as a form of struggle.
But not this.
And ang issue ko on this ay grounded sa reality.
Particularly: Just because it is offered for free, doesn’t mean LGBTQIA+ people should avail of it. Lalong-lalo na if there is no need to travel at all.
The truth is, abala ito sa regular non-LGBTQIA+ commuters. Kasi unnecessary ang trip ninyo, for visuals lang, for clout online. Sila, naharang ang biyahe kasi puno na ang carriages due to you and your so-called friends, so bawas-sahod kung na-late, salamat sa iyo/inyo.
In short: Mali ang pinaparusahan mo/ninyo. Yung kapuwa nating oppressed, inoppress na rin natin. For visuals.
Millions ang kinakarga ng train lines ng Metro Manila araw-araw. In 2024, 135,885,336 passengers ang total number of commuters na kinarga ng MRT-3 alone. And though the DOTr claimed this as proof na efficient daw sila, for me it actually highlighted the kakulangan ng proper (forget good na) public transport system sa Pilipinas. Nagsisiksikan tayong parang sardinas sa iilang bagon ng tren.
Yung “visibility” push ng LGBTQIA+ community (lalo na sa mga nag-free rides, displacing non-LGBTQIA+ people na nagmamadaling makarating sa kanilang dapat puntahan), i-angkla sa issue ng lipunan mismo. Hindi lang ito about us, Guinoo ko!
Dapat nga eh hindi lang yung “libre” ang ipanawagan. Instead, punahin na rin ang kakulangan ng proper public transportation. This affects us all, including LGBTQIA+ working people who also have to brave the shitty public transport system due to government incompetence.
Andiyan pa ang continuous na discrimination of transgender women who are refused to board carriages for women (and too many shamed for trying). May actual pro-LGBTQIA+ policy na ba ang DOTr on this, or… sige, let’s forget this na since we have one day na free ang rides?
To be blunt: Kung balakid sa buhay ang gobyerno, huwag na dumagdag just for clout.
