#MINDANAO

My recent visits to the National Capital Region have made me realize just how wide the urban sprawl of this metropolis has become since I lived here years ago.

Residing in Metro Manila for many years in the 1980s and 1990s, I recall how the once suburban, largely residential areas of Paranaque, Muntinlupa, northern parts of Quezon City, Marikina and Pasig were the quaint living spaces of Metro Manilans who worked in areas like Makati and the city of Manila.

Living in these locales meant residing in single detached homes where idyllic breakfasts were cooked to get the family ready for work and school, and the sun would set on children playing outdoors.

As the years went, the Paranaque where I lived had to deal with the reality that water supply was a challenge. The free groundwater which we used to drink slowly lost its potability. Eventually, the deep wells supplying this water were no longer viable to provide for our water needs until the MWSS concessions began in the mid 1990s.

Back then, the Pasig to Quiapo jeepney route was considered one of the metro’s longest. Going home to other places included a combined bus and jeepney commute that would take about an hour or so. The Monumento to Baclaran and Alabang route was also popular since it served the transport needs of millions living either north or south of Metro Manila.
As the years passed, populations in the Metro Manila cities particularly the urban areas. Some areas in Cavite, Laguna and the eastern portion of Rizal Province have now become residential areas for many who work in the National Capital Region. But for those who lived there, travelling to Metro Manila's business districts can be an expensive hour-long to two-hour commute.

In recent years new business districts such as Ortigas Center, the Bonifacio Global City and Alabang have emerged. These are nearer to the provinces I mentioned. Eventually, new bus and jeepney routes were added to ferry residents from these areas to outlying provinces.

I see the same urban growth pattern in other cities in the country. New suburbs are rising in adjacent or nearby towns to cities like Legazpi, Cebu, Iloilo and Bacolod. Meanwhile in Mindanao, its cities are blessed with large land areas such that expansions are made well within city limits.

The expansion will bring more families moving to the suburbs and towns near the main cities. As a result, there will be a longer commute to and from work.

Current urban transport options in these areas will find meeting the increased passenger demand a challenge. As these cities grow, the public transport set up will require multimodal systems that traverse jurisdictions. They can combine bus and rail systems to ensure that the vast majority, which is the commuting public, will have access to safe and reliable public transport.

There will be a greater demand for food, water and electricity, schools and other important institutions. This will mean that public utilities such as electric power cooperatives, electricity distribution utility companies and water delivery system providers will need to plan for longer term growth in demand to deliver higher supply volumes to meet the higher consumer demand not only from residents, but from the commercial enterprises and industries where these residents work.

As the 2020 census of population and housing notes that 54 percent of Filipinos are now urban dwellers, designing and building cities that will address the challenges will be vital for all of us.