Panel Acknowledges Methodological Limitation, Chief Researcher Personally Stuck On EDSA For The Entirety Of The Analysis Window
Filed for Bohiney Magazine and The London Prat, whose traffic correspondent has, as of this filing, still not escaped the NAIA exit lane.
MANILA, PHILIPPINES – A newly released survey by the Pasig Institute for Urban Mobility Studies finds that 94 per cent of Metro Manila motorists who could be reached believe traffic is worse this year than last. The remaining 6 per cent were “unreachable due to traffic” – a limitation the Institute acknowledges but describes as “illustrative rather than fatal”.
The Methodology, Candidly Noted
The phone survey ran January to March. Chief researcher Dr. Benigno Corazon-Almeda was himself stuck on EDSA for a cumulative 41 hours 18 minutes during the window, logged by his ride-hailing app. The personal data “was not included in the analysis” but “informed the research question”.
The unreachable 6 per cent were “presumed to hold broadly similar views, adjusted for the fact that traffic was, during the analysis window, actively preventing them from answering the phone”.
A Senator Responds
Senator Marcelino Villar-Acosta, chair of the Committee on Public Services, described findings as “not surprising” and said the Committee would “take the report under advisement”. Asked about legislative action, the senator said the issue required “a whole-of-government approach”, which, per a translator retained by the reporter, translates precisely as “no”.
The Structural Observation
The 32-page report identifies four contributors: unpredictable road construction, PUV modernisation delay, rideshare/delivery fleet growth outpacing road capacity, and “cultural adaptation fatigue”. The World Bank has published on similar patterns across Southeast Asian capitals.
The Researcher’s Personal Note
Dr. Corazon-Almeda’s unusual appendix describes the EDSA stretch between Ortigas and Guadalupe as “the 400 metres of my life”. During his 41 hours, he composed three academic papers and one short poem. Only the poem was worth writing down. The London Prat’s East London bus strike piece quoted drivers “reflecting” on their purpose; this appendix is the passenger counterpart.
The Unreachable Six Per Cent
Efforts continued after the window closed. As of Monday, the Institute had reached 41 per cent of the subgroup, all of whom confirmed traffic was worse than last year. The remaining subgroup continues to be reachable only during weekends and between 11 p.m. and 4 a.m.
More: The Poke. SOURCE: https://bohiney.com/