A viral Facebook post that featured a bus conductor collecting fares while crawling on its handrails recalled the purpose of the Magna Carta for Commuters filed in the Congress.
Facebook user Rene Rivera uploaded pictures of a particular bus conductor’s ability to crawl on the handrails on top of passengers to perform his duties.
“Ganito na pala uso ngayon, conductor ng bus habang naniningil dahil sa dami ng pasahero,” he wrote and then hashtagged it with “Spiderman.”
The famous comic book character is known for his exceptional ability to crawl and cling into walls and spaces.
Rivera did not indicate the specific route of the bus, nor its operator or the management it is under.
Ganito na pla uso ngayon condoctor ng bus habang naniningil dahil sa dami ng pasahero#spiderman
Posted by Rene Rivera on Friday, August 9, 2019
Nevertheless, it immediately caught the attention of Filipinos, so much so that it has reached other social media platforms like Twitter.
CONDUCTOR-MAN FAR FROM HOME pic.twitter.com/ujKTDXdU4L
— s e b a s t i a n 🌹 (@untoIdfeeIings) August 12, 2019
Another commuter who also encountered the bus conductor shared a video of his experience, although it is uncertain whether he rode the same bus with Rivera or not.
“Nakakahawa ang kasiyahan ni kuya habang nagtatrabaho,” the commuter shared in the comments section.
While Filipinos were generally amused with the bus conductor, there were those who expressed their concern on how such a situation may possibly endanger the bus under wrong circumstances.
“‘Yan ang reason kung ba’t madalas may na-a-aksidente, overloaded na bus, hayy,” a Facebook user commented.
Another user pointed out that bus drivers and conductors shouldn’t entertain passengers anymore if it has reached its maximum capacity.
“Dapat hindi na kasi nagpapasakay ‘pag puno na ‘yung bus, eh katulad nung mga bus sa PITX (Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange), ‘pag puno na ‘yung upuan, bawal na standing,” he said.
This is not the first time that commuters witnessed such a scenario.
Last year, media employee Daniel Mark Natividad took a video of a bus conductor who also collected fares while crawling on the handrails.
It is undetermined whether it was the same bus conductor that Rivera had encountered in his commute or not.
Posted by Daniel Mark on Sunday, September 23, 2018
While commuting in the metro is a challenge, recent reports on commuters’ plights have significantly increased this rainy season.
Last week, pictures and videos of commuters who documented the effect of the Metro Manila Development Authority’s new policies went viral on social media as well.
Calls for ‘dignified commuting’
The upper and lower chambers of the Congress have filed legislative measures aiming to prioritize the rights of commuters under the proposed Magna Carta for Commuters.
Rep. Allan Benedict Reyes (Quezon City, 3rd District), along with the initiative of transport advocacy group AltMobility, filed House Bill 3125 or “An Act Creating a Magna Carta of Commuters” last month.
Sen. Kiko Pangilinan has also filed Senate Bill 775 or “An Act Providing for a Magna Carta for Dignified Commuting, Creating the National Office of Commuter Affairs” with AltMobility’s help at the upper chamber.
Reyes’ version aims to mandate that commuters are able to travel to their destinations “safely, conveniently and reliably.”
He added that improving mobility can lead to better economic growth in the long run, especially if people have easy access to food, water, healthcare, education through efficient transportation.
Pangilinan’s version, meanwhile, enumerates rights that commuters should be entitled to in terms of adequate transportation services, road safety, mobility infrastructure, clean air and participation in decision-making processes involving public transportation.
It establishes that dignified commuting is a basic human right that Filipinos shouldn’t be deprived of.
