Road to Provinces Holy Week 2022

Provincial road trips may be trickier

 

I didn't see motorcycles in the expressway - duh - so I thought nothing of it. And then when we hit provincial roads they appear. One or two, here and there and then it became five or more. More than once our van was trying to overtake with only the space of a two wheeled motorcycle holding us back.

We were stuck in traffic in Tiaong, Quezon for hours. I didn't think of the possible significance then when I took this Instagram video. When a neighbor in the resort of Doña Choleng noted the same - those motorcycles - it hit me.

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A post shared by Igmidio Galingan (@igmegalingan)

A casual provincial rider out for groceries may go out - and gotten away with - riding without a helmet jacket. These are travelers, some with obvious backpacks. They were crisscrossing heavy traffic like it was a local highway in Metro Manila. They could be from Metro Manila.

I am not a driver. And I've only been out just this Holy Week, my first time leaving Metro Manila since the Lockdown of 2020.

It used to be that you only have to worry about your driver's sense of timing, as well as the driver of the opposite lane headed right for you as you cross into his lane. Now you have to worry about dodging motorcycles in their dozens, individually streaking as they too hide and overtake with you.

Before you had to worry about getting killed if you so ever mistimed overtaking with a truck headed straight for you. Now you worry about not killing anyone, as your car eager to accelerate finds a dozen of less powerful engines crisscrossing the lanes with you - all the while worrying about the bus or truck dead ahead and closing in fast.