MRT Challenge

These past few months, media and social networking sites have been saturated by reports of celebrities and non-celebs doing the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge.

The charity campaign, which aims to raise awareness about the amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) or Lou Gehrig disease, calls people to donate $100 to a private foundation or if not, take the challenge by dousing a bucket of ice over one’s head and recording it on video.

In most cases, people take up the challenge and contribute at the same time. Because celebrities, including politicians joined in, their video-taped ordeal were subsequently posted in social networking sites. The video materials became viral and made the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge arguably the most successful information and fund-raising campaign of all time.

Donations have reached over $100 million as of August 21 or a whopping 3,500% increase compared to last year, that is according to this week’s online issue of Forbes Magazine.

The contributions were tracked from some three million people who not only donated $100 each for the ALS charity but also dumped ice over their heads to promote awareness about the disease.

It’s certainly a worthy cause but just as fast as it captured international attention, the craze suddenly became stale. I heard some friends comparing the challenge to what most Pinoys do every day ~ taking a bath using a pail of water with matching kabu, a familiar situation in big cities especially during the hot season when water usually becomes scarce.

That the craze no longer holds that much public interest was suggested by reports that donations for the ALS Charity tapered to a paltry $30 by the end of last month. In fact, in the US people are no longer talking about who is the latest celeb to take the frigid splash but the value of tax deduction that one would get if he donates to the ALS.

While I support efforts to make people aware of the disease, there’s an element to the campaign which is not quite consistent with charity. I lean on the biblical exhortation which says, “When you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.” Or in the context of our daily lives, don’t expect praise or “likes”, or tax deductions from your donation.

The ALS campaign may be fading but the novelty has captured the imagination of Filipinos who are always looking for ideas to protest against government incompetence and excesses.

Friday last week, Senator Grace Poe boarded the MRT in North Avenue, Quezon City in order to see for herself the sorry situation of the capital city’s mass transit system. The lady senator leads a legislative probe on the state of the MRT, which has been in the news for many months owing to mismanagement and the involvement of some of its top officials in anomalous transactions.

An MRT train was derailed last August 13 which practically triggered mass resentment in the capital city. I support the efforts of Sen. Poe to really go deeper into the workings and management style of MRT executives. When she summons these people at the proper time, a good question to ask would be, when was the last time you rode the MRT?

I ride the MRT when I’m in Manila because it is the fastest and inexpensive way of getting around the big city. My sister lives in Makati and when it’s time for me to fly out, I take the MRT in Guadalupe and take off in Taft where I ride a bus going to the airport. I took that same route last August 8 and I recall having apprehensions while boarding the MRT, seeing it packed with commuters like sardines.

Five days later, the MRT train overshot the terminal, wounding scores of passengers. People became angry but top officials called the mishap “uncoupling malfunction” and heaped the blame on the drivers when it would have been the best time to overhaul the Department of Transportation and Communications.

So one may ask, what else is new? I say, the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge turning into a relevant strategy in public life.

Sen. Grace Poe earned guapa points after she rode the MRT minus media reporters tailing her.

I guess people believe that, unlike DOTC Sec. Jun Abaya who rode the MRT a day earlier and criticized for the “publicity stunt”, she was doing something to address the ills plaguing the country’s public transport system.

So there you are. Celebrities, Church officials, corporate biggies, famous professionals and media colleagues in Metro Manila should ride the MRT with reporters in tow and challenge all national officials especially those living in Metro Manila, from the mayor, congressman, senator, to the Vice President and President Noynoy Aquino including his Cabinet, to ride the MRT on peak hours.

Tan-awn tag molahutay ba mo (We’ll see if you can endure what Filipinos endure daily).