Ticket Gates

During high school, I was one of the quiet, shy girls in class. I was never one for class presentations and activities, much more for competitions and publications. Moreover, my close friends reckon me as indifferent and "walang paki sa mundo" as I would never seem to care as to what is happening around me. I would just go on with my daily high school life not minding pertinent (and sometimes petty) issues like the student council, campus events, exam results, and that-girl's love interest. But then, I guess everything changes after high school.

In one of my most recent LRT rides, I did something amazing. And this something definitely goes against my former image of being quiet, shy and indifferent. For the first time in my life, I deliberately created a scene in public and I'm really proud of it.

Adventurebuddy and I were on our way to Taft to check out something. Since we knew there will be heavy car traffic going there, we decided that it was best to take a train instead. And so, we headed to the LRT-Santolan station in Markina, lined up, and bought our tickets (by the way, the station amazingly had an x-ray baggage inspection machine, like the one in airports, while all of its ticket vending machines were defective).

The ticket window said that fare is P15 each and so I paid P30 for two magnetic cards to Recto. However, when I slipped my card into those turnstiles (or ticket gates) it only showed P14. I sensed that this would cause an issue at my exit station but I just shrugged it off thinking that’s just how it is.

And so, upon arrival at Recto Station, people were building up at the ticket gates because their defective cards wouldn’t let them through. It turned out that everyone who bought their tickets at the Santolan Station only got P14 credit in their cards. As people were starting to get mad, because of this unnecessary hassle and delay, and were demanding for a quick solution from the Passenger Assistance Office (PAO), the officer on duty immediately (credits to him for this) called up the liable station to confirm the situation.

When I thought that things would already be resolved, the officer declared that all of us have to pay an additional P1 because they have no record that we did pay P15, they only have the amounts on our cards to base on. Although they are only asking for an extra P1 to resolve the situation, to me it was more than that. I have been quiet the whole time, observing people and their reactions, thinking what the real issue is, deliberating what action should I take, but not for long.

I patiently waited for all the other passengers to pay the office for the inconvenience they forcible underwent, wondering if someone else out there was thinking the same thing as I was (but in vain). And as the last passenger from my batch left and a new batch of irate passengers were slowly reeling in, I approached the window, gave my card and politely declared (with a slight smile), “Nagbayad ako ng P15” when asked for the add-on fee.

When the guy politely answered and explained that I needed to pay, my spine suddenly shivered and I felt my blood rush to my brain. I was lost for words, so I just repeated what I said in a more aggressive tone. And then, an argument started. I was trying my best to keep my voice low and to keep my face from twitching. I was really getting nervous and afraid then but there’s no more backing out from this debate.

After a few more exchanges and after getting our cards back, adventurebuddy slowly pulled me away. I wasn’t to let him make me retreat but a voice inside me whispered that I’ve said enough.

After that, I was really relieved to get out of the situation safe and extremely proud of myself for stepping up. It was my first time to do that and it was fairly successful. Had I been alone or with someone else, that contest would never have happened. So I guess, I owe it to adventurebuddy too.

Anyway, the real issue there was not the additional charge but the failure of the system and the indifference of the people to these glitches. Is it just that the passenger still has to pay an additional when it was he/she that was hassled? Is it right to pay the office for an error they committed? How would you feel if I asked you P15,000 for airfare and then asked you for another P1,000 because I lost it? Shouldn’t I be the one to pay the lost amount?

I understand that not everyone has the luxury of time as I do that they opt to pay a small additional instead. However, this is no longer a matter of availability and convenience but an attitude. Filipinos, in particular, are so used with putting up with entities they believe are superior to them that they know that the best way to end conflict is to just give what these “higher beings” want even if that means sacrificing big time.

And I honestly believe that that is just plain wrong. Although this does end the present conflict, it paves the way to even more conflicts. It reinforces the idea that authoritative figures can put the blame to the feeble ones or make them pay for what the authorities did wrong. And thus, it is an ongoing struggle that would never stop unless people realize that they need to stop it.

Unfortunately, a lot of things need to be changed first before we can successfully head down that road. It won’t be an easy task but it is definitely feasible. I just hope people would transform and stop being indifferent. It wouldn’t be highschool forever, after all.

HS Intrams '06
I'm the odd one out

Cheers to more amazing scenes! haha