Filipinos have long accepted that traveling through Manila can be a pain, but many were still shocked to see commuters so desperate they clawed their way onto a bus through its windows.
Several men and at least one woman are seen entering the bus that way in a video posted by Danny Jhon Barrios, 26. While most found it amusing, many were also saddened to see commuters left to resort to such desperate measures.
“There were so many commuters waiting on the road, and there were very few buses passing through,” Barrios told Coconuts Manila by message in a mix of English and Filipino. “A crowd was starting to gather [so when this bus arrived] they crowded around the door and pushed each other away [to get inside].”
Barrios said the commotion happened early last week at 5am in Bicutan, Taguig City. It was early and the crowd was already worried about being late. That’s when he recorded the footage that’s been shared almost 4,700 times.
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Instead of waiting for the next bus, the commuters considered the unthinkable.
“So some of them thought of going inside that bus through the window, just so they’ll make it in time for work,” Barrios added.
In the footage, the travelers joke and smile as they resort to desperate measures. The bus driver can be seen smiling and does nothing to intervene.
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Canille Riamon, one of the amused netizens, joked that it was “the zombie apocalypse.”
But other people couldn’t find the humor in it.
“You know that’s what I experience every day. That’s in Bicutan. It’s like you’re fighting every day just to go to work,” wrote Moises Dadale.
“That’s too much,” wrote Jhana Suie. “People are suffering so much. When will a solution be found? Even work has been affected [by the commute]. I feel bad [for these people].”
Ron Ty Ramos used it as an opportunity to complain about employers who don’t understand why some workers arrive late.
“What some bosses cannot/ refuse to see. Going to work is already a struggle. Deducting our salary for being late worsens our everyday (sic) burden. Higher management may not be aware of this hardship as some have their own service or they live a few steps away from the office,” he wrote.
Is your commute as bad as what these passengers have experienced? Tell us by leaving a comment below or tweeting to @CoconutsManila.
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