By Penelope A. Domogo, MD
The Cordilleras, and the rest of the world didn’t have roads in the past. We had and still have path ways- created by repeated trampling of feet, whether feet of people or animals. Thus we have such a thing in Mountain Province as “daan di baka”. The big feet of cows and carabaos can easily clear those thick vegetations to make a path and that’s where people can follow. And because these paths are made by feet, they are wide enough to accomodate only one person. So Igorots are known to walk single file.
Roads are not a work of the Creator. These are works of humanity – created to accommodate sleds and motor vehicles – wider devices that would transport more people and more goods faster. I clearly recall a picture of a line of able-bodied Igorot men with bare implements opening a road near Bontoc before World War II. Now mountains are easily carved with those monstrous bulldozers and backhoes (my apo’s favorite).
In the vast Americas, they created roads away from pathways. I’ve seen this wide wide highway and on both sides of the road are vacant land wide enough to accommodate a layer of green green grasses and then a pathway, wide enough to accommodate strollers, wheelchairs and bikes and no worry of anyone getting hit by a car or bus or pison. These are their sidewalks. Who wouldn’t be enthused to walk or run in these wonderful pathways? Well, they have the widest land so they had the choice. Lucky them.
Here in the Cordillera and in many other places in small Philippines, almost all our roads are widened pathways. Meaning our roads are not only for cars and jeeps and buses but also for people. Now, in this case, who has priority on the use of the road? In the laid-back rural areas where motor vehicles are occasional, well, the people own the road. The problem comes now in congested town centers. There was no foresight of our officials (and people, in general) in the past that people of the future would not like to walk or run and would prefer to sit down and let their wheels do the motions. There was no foresight that money could grow to be so much and that people would be able to afford cars and those gigantic dump trucks that would occupy the whole road . Who would have thought that money could be so plenty it would not fit in the baul? Who would have thought that money can grow even without you working for it (If you invest it properly, your money will even work for you! Wow! Follow Bo Sanchez’ advices.)
Aside from our narrow, one and a half-lane roads, there are no sidewalks. Even where is space available. One time we were travelling in a rural area in Cagayan and they have these beautiful wide highways that encouraged speeding of vehicles. But they had no sidewalks and the students (it was school dismissal time then) were walking along the edges of the highway and they would give way to vehicles now and then. As a parent, I wasn’t happy to see them exposed to obvious danger.
In congested Baguio City and Bontoc and Sagada, a lot of the streets have no sidewalks. If there are sidewalks, they are so narrow or that there’s a parked vehicle on it. Or a fish ball stall or flower pots. Some homeowners make matters worse by constructing their door or stairs right beside the road. I like to have an active lifestyle, walking as much as possible even when I am in the city. And I encourage everyone to be active also. But how can I be encouraged to walk when I have to look out everytime for vehicles that are coming or going? What more, when I get all these fumes from smoke-belching vehicles? Where are the rules to protect the rights of every person in the community, not only the moneyed? The right to life and health.
Along Halsema road, we see still good roads (according to my judgment) being destroyed to give way to new concrete. Hmm… seems like we have a lot of money to spare. And yet there are no sidewalks in a lot of road segments. Pedestrians and motorists may be able to cope and have been coping in the past and but why don’t we take corrective measures now to ensure road safety and pedestrian convenience naman. Can DPWH build sidewalks first before paving the roads? Not all people can afford cars. Furthermore, improved quality of life is always the goal of development and quality of life is measured by our health. And we in government are mandated to prioritize services to those who have less. The renowned Filipino architect and environmentalist Felino A. Palafox said “Those who have less in wheels should have more in roads.” Calling on the DPWH and mayors and governors, therefore, to prioritize pedestrians over motorists. Build ample sidewalks and make walking a happy experience! Let’s have walkable communities!**
