Traffic Congestion in the Philippines' National Capital Region

Source: data.gov.ph - Registered Motor Vehicles by Classification and Region

Transportation in the National Capital Region of the Philippines is a trivial issue that triggers anger and frustration in motorists and commuters. Travelling between 2-4 hours from the outskirts of NCR to the business districts of Metro Manila is not unheard of. It is a daily topic in the news and the social media that bring up endless debates on solutions that don't get implemented.

To get to work, I travel daily by car from Mandaluyong to Makati a distance of 5km. It takes me 40 minutes of travel in morning and 1 hour on my return trip in the afternoon. I tried different ways to get home. Here are the results travelling between 5:30pm to 7:00pm
       Bus         - 1 hour, 10 minutes
       Car         - 1 hour
       Walking - 55 minutes
       Running - 40 minutes
       Cycling  - 30 minutes

It is frustrating knowing that I can get home faster with my legs than with a car. To what the suspect is, I can only point out the following:
      - 91% of the motor vehicles in NCR are private vehicles (Sedan, SUV or UV).
      - The number of private vehicles increased by 27% per year or a total of 84,925 increase from 2010 to 2013.
      - Public buses comprise 1% of the motor vehicles and only grew by 2% per year or a total of 77 increase from 2010 to 2013.
      - Utility Vans that have a smaller capacity increased much faster in volume than public buses.

Improvements in transportation can be simplified to either wider roads or less vehicles. We can only squeeze out so much to widen our roads. As  for vehicles, I only know of the number coding scheme as an implemented program to lessen traffic congestion. What stops the privileged from owning a non-coding vehicle is an unaddressed issue. If anything, this may even add to the number of vehicles on the roads on non-coding days.

While Metro Manila railroad systems are currently in question for safety and efficiency, we can rely on increased bus transportation or carpool system to lessen the number of vehicles on the road. The question however is if solo motorists who honk to each other every five minutes to relieve the tension are willing to cooperate.