Congressional probe launched into infrastructure phenomenon local commuters describe as “basically a national holiday at this point”
MANILA A resolution seeking a formal investigation into potholes that emerged along EDSA following more than a week of heavy monsoon rain has been filed in Congress, a development commuters describe not as breaking news but as roughly the fourth annual installment of a franchise with, at this point, a very loyal following.
“I saw the pothole story and thought, oh good, it’s that time of year again,” said jeepney driver Boy Fernandez, who has navigated the same stretch of EDSA near Cubao for eleven years and says he could, if pressed, draw a reasonably accurate pothole map from memory alone. “Every year it rains, every year the road falls apart, every year somebody files a resolution. It’s like a play. Same script. Different congressman reads the lines.”
A Genre, Not a Story
The resolution calls for hearings into EDSA’s rehabilitation and repair schedule, and cites the sudden reemergence of road damage following the recent stretch of habagat rain as cause for concern. Transport advocacy groups have welcomed the scrutiny, while also noting, gently, that they’ve welcomed nearly identical scrutiny in each of the past several years, with broadly similar hearings, broadly similar findings, and broadly similar potholes reappearing on broadly the same schedule the following July.
“We’re not against the investigation,” said one transport advocate, who asked not to be named because her organization still has to work with the agencies being investigated. “We just think it would help everyone if the investigation eventually produced something other than another investigation next year. At some point you have to fix the road and not just discuss the road.”
The Local Coping Mechanism
In the absence of permanent fixes, Metro Manila commuters have developed what amounts to an entire folk taxonomy of pothole severity, ranging from “swerve-able” to “car wash required” to the rare and feared “axle event.” Fernandez says his regulars have taken to naming particularly persistent craters, with one near Guadalupe now known informally among his passengers as “Ate Baby,” on account of, in his words, “she’s been here longer than some of my passengers have had jobs.”
Some commuters have gone further, treating the annual pothole season as a minor cultural event. A Facebook group dedicated to documenting EDSA road conditions has grown to several thousand members, who post photos, videos, and, in a few cases, elaborately edited memes comparing the craters to everything from the Grand Canyon to specific relatives. “It’s become genuinely communal,” Fernandez said. “Strangers in traffic will roll down the window just to warn you about the one up ahead. That’s not something I’d trade, honestly. Even if I would trade the pothole.”
Officials Promise Action, Again
Metropolitan Manila Development Authority officials, contacted for comment, said road crews have already begun patch repairs along the affected stretch and that a longer-term rehabilitation plan remains under review, language that longtime EDSA watchers note has appeared, nearly verbatim, in official statements from at least three previous rainy seasons. Asked whether this year’s rehabilitation plan differed meaningfully from prior years’ rehabilitation plans, an agency spokesperson allowed for a long pause before confirming that “the materials being used have been upgraded,” a claim commuters say they will believe when the road survives more than one wet season without reopening the same craters.
Fernandez, for his part, says he’s not holding his breath, but he’s also not especially upset. “Every job has its rhythm,” he said, easing his jeepney around a patch crew working under a light drizzle. “Mine has this. Rain comes, road breaks, congress talks, patch goes down, rain comes again. As long as nobody loses a tire, it’s basically just the weather report with extra steps.”
The Naming Tradition Expands
The pothole-naming trend Fernandez described has, over the past two seasons, grown into something resembling a genuine local institution. The online tracking group now maintains an informal, crowd-sourced map marking notable craters by nickname, cross-referenced against nearby landmarks so newer drivers can navigate by folklore as easily as by GPS. A particularly deep specimen near the Boni Avenue exit has been dubbed “Lolo,” in honor, group members say, of “how long he’s been with us and how set in his ways he refuses to be.”
Group moderators say the map has become genuinely useful beyond the jokes, with several delivery riders reporting they consult it before routing through unfamiliar stretches of EDSA during heavy rain. “It started as a bit,” said one moderator. “Now people actually use it to avoid getting a flat tire. I don’t know if that’s a triumph of community organizing or just a very sad commentary on infrastructure. Possibly both.”
What Happens Next
The congressional resolution is expected to proceed to committee hearings in the coming weeks, where officials from the road-maintenance agency will be asked to account for the recurring damage and outline a longer-term prevention plan, rather than another seasonal patch cycle. Transport advocates say they’re cautiously hopeful this round of hearings produces something more durable, while acknowledging they’ve said the exact same thing in each of the past several years. Fernandez, for his part, says he’ll believe a permanent fix when his jeepney goes a full rainy season without finding “Ate Baby” again, resurfaced, waiting, exactly where he left her.
SOURCE: https://prat.UK/