I’ve observed that we Filipinos are seldom assertive enough in communicating our thoughts, emotions and wants and this, in turn, affects our chances of achieving what we truly desire.

Say, for instance, our public transport system, like the Light Rail Transit (LRT) and Metro Rail Transit (MRT), which I have been taking for more than a decade now. Although certain improvements have already been made, we all know that there is still big room for improvement in their operations. I have experienced a lot of not-so-desirable experiences while riding them and if only to think out loud, I am quite curious to know about the following:

1. Why is there a need to have a skip train? If the trains come and go at frequent intervals in all the stations, then it is unlikely that one station will have way too many passengers that the station would need to have a skip train entirely for the passengers of one particular station.

2. In relation to no.1, why is it that sometimes, the interval between trains takes a long time?

3. Why is it that some of the turnstiles in stations are not operating properly during rush hour?

4. What type of controls or measurement does the management of these public transport systems have to measure their efficiency and effectiveness in providing service to commuters?

Because of these incidents, which often lead to delays, it is common to hear people complain under their breaths about the management of these public transport systems. Sometimes, these negative emotions are projected to other passengers, causing quarrels and shoutfests inside the train. All too often, because of these incidents, a negative domino-effect occurs in the lives of the passengers causing them to be late to report for work or school or arriving at one’s destination looking dishevelled and feeling like crap, which in turn, leads to more inefficiency down the line.

But my question now is just how many of us have actually taken the step to assert our rights as customers and inform the management about such incidents? If we do not inform them of such and the displeasures that we feel, how then do we expect them to make positive improvements in their operations?

And I believe the same is true for our own lives. Unless we assert ourselves, how can we achieve the things that we want if we do not inform others of what we want?

Sometimes, I am disappointed by our tendency (myself, included) to just complain about things when things do not happen the way we want them to when, in fact, we should realize that we ourselves are partly to blame for it.

By being reminded of this, I believe it is time for us to also have a change of attitude and start asserting what we want so that we will be able to achieve what we aspire to achieve. This will hopefully bring about the much needed improvement or development that we want not only in our lives, both personal and work, but also in society.

For my part, I have e-mailed the management of the Light Rail Transit Authority and the MRT to find out their responses to my questions above, but no response has yet been received from the management of the MRT while my e-mail for the LRTA bounced back.

John Andrew See is a lecturer in the Management and Organization Department of De La Salle University-Manila. He can be contacted via e-mail at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .