we experienced how to ride in the PHIL NATIONAL RAILWAY and did our own ACCESS AUDIT ,,, promoting barrier free environment and inclusive mobility network.

1. The Inclusive Mobility Network
Ateneo School of Government/ The Rockefeller Foundation
Loyola Heights, Katipunan Avenue, Quezon City
tina@velasco.net.ph
CHECKING ACCESS CONDITIONS
OF THE PNR TRAIN DELUXE AND LRT 2:
A RIDING EXPERIENCE
March 11, 2014
Lalaine Guanzon – Circle of Friends Foundation & Wheelmobile
Rally De Jesus – Lyon Couriers
Tina Velasco - MMDA

2. organization [Insert Date]
Lorem Ipsum
2
Inclusive Mobility is all about mobility of the people, for the people, and by the people. And that refers particularly to those who belong
to the majority belonging to the bottom of the social pyramid (BoP), the disadvantaged, the vulnerable and the marginalized.
Republic Act No. 344 more known as the Accessibility Law of 1992 is an “act to enhance the mobility of disabled persons by requiring
certain buildings, institutions, establishments and public utilities to install facilities and other devices”. This promotes and supports
“the rights of disabled persons to participate fully in the social life and the development of societies in which they live and the
enjoyment of opportunities available to other citizens, no license or permit for the construction, repair or renovation of public and
private buildings for public use, educational institutions, airports, sports and recreation centers and complexes, shopping centers or
establishments, public parking spaces, work places, public utilities, shall be granted or issued unless the owner or operator thereof
shall install or incorporate in such building, establishment, institution or public utility, such architectural facilities or structural fearures
as shall reasonably enhance the mobility of disabled persons such as sidewalks, ramps, railings and the like. If feasible, all such existing
buildings, institutions, establishments, or public utilities may be renovated or altered to enable the disabled persons to have access to
them.”
The Inclusive Mobility Network, formed in March 2014, is composed of “advocates working with government, the private sector and civil
society to attain higher levels of mobility with safety, civility and productivity for all and by all”. Advancing its cause through a rapid
assessment of the public transport sector, beginning with rail, is one we are excited about, especially with the recent revived operations
of the Philippine National Railways Deluxe train. It was most practical to round up the journey with a ride at the Light Railway Transit 2
(Yellow Line #2) going back too.
Our objective is to affirm the government and private sector’s support to advance the condition of our public service facilities,
particularly our mass transport system, and of private sector-owned commercial facilities too, particularly for the PWD sector. Ms.
Lalaine Guanzon of Circle of Friends Foundation Inc. (COFFI) and a member of the Inclusive Mobility Executive Council said, “we from the
PWD sector deserve the opportunity to become as productive as ordinary citizens can be. Hence, we should be given rightful access to
public and commercial facilities like mass transport when go to school, perform our household duties, work for a living or spend
recreation time with our families. The last thing we ever want is to be a burden to the society. We are, in so many ways, capable of
lifting our selves, or lives, and our own families, but we need enablers to make this happen. It starts with basic access to safe and
accessible facilities and services, with the same satisfaction accorded to everybody else.”
So let us take you through a ride, imagining you are with us one fine Tuesday afternoon (till late night actually). In the tradition of
social network being “portrait and selfie-driven”, the following narrative is picture-heavy, oftentimes at the pitfall of being trivially
story-telling and informal, to set the tone light, but without losing the message hopefully. We hope you will find this informative,
enjoyable, and rewarding, as much as the rest of us who are part of this little story.
The Inclusive Mobility Network Team
Why we do what we do.
The Inclusive Mobility Network

3. organization [Insert Date]
Lorem Ipsum
3
We met at Circle of Friends
Foundation Inc. (COFFI)’s
One Corporate Plaza Makati
Office. Lalaine’s office nook
was filled with craftworks
of “Tahanang Walang
Hagdan” and “Pangarap”,
most of them on order and
ready for delivery. Coffi’s
impressive Wheelmobile,*
took us for a joyride to the
PNR station. “Mobility with
(first class) Dignity”
indeed!
The Inclusive Mobility Network

4. organization [Insert Date]
Lorem Ipsum
4
The Inclusive Mobility Network
THE WHEELMOBILE
Launched by Circle of Friends Foundation Inc. (COFFI) in 2003, the
Wheelmobile offers accessible transport service for people in wheelchairs
(paraplegics and quadriplegics). COFFI’s mission is to assist people with
disabilities (PWDs) integrate socially to the society by providing them a
mobility solution for convenient access to places and events many
normally abled people take for granted as actually challenging to many
differently abled citizens.
In the end, through the Wheelmobile, COFFI enables PWDs to become
independent, responsible and professional citizens.
Wheelmobile is the first Filipino made transport service for since 2003.
Today, its has four (4) Wheelmobiles. “It is a modified fully air-condition
van. The cabin chassis of a vehicle is purchased and the body is
customized and fabricated to a height of approximately 1.50m, allowing
access to even very tall people in wheelchairs.”
Source: COFFI website

5. organization [Insert Date]
Lorem Ipsum
5
The Inclusive Mobility Network
Here’s when we wished our public
transport modes get us to always smile
this way.

6. organization [Insert Date]
Lorem Ipsum
6
The Inclusive Mobility Network
Our first random stop: the PNR Pasong Tamo
Station. We couldn’t find the trip schedules
online, because they are just…here after all.
Accessible ramp: check !. Curved handrails:
check !. Trip schedules for the regular train
are… well, highly hardworking and flipped
manually.

7. organization [Insert Date]
The Inclusive Mobility Network
Lorem Ipsum
7
This non-skid ramp flooring is perfect for
the wheelchair, according to Lalaine. Kudos
to Cityland! More buildings hopefully
should adopt this.

8. organization [Insert Date]
Lorem Ipsum
8
The Inclusive Mobility Network
We moved to the Buendia PNR station because the PNR Deluxe stops only at nine (9) selected
stations in between the Tutuban and Sta. Rosa, Laguna end stations. We stopped by Mini-Stop for a
“mini-stop” and off we went. Going there was a challenge with no walkway to use. We walked along
the street along with the cars, trucks. jeepneys and buses crossing the rail line. We thought the
challenge was over until we realized there wasn’t any ramp to get to the main PNR station ramp.

9. organization [Insert Date]
The Inclusive Mobility Network
Lorem Ipsum
9
But the main PNR stations do have ramps! The PNR
Station Manager and staff were extra nice, polite
and accommodating. But here’s something more
interesting – the tickets are filled up manually as
you would fill up an Official Receipt !.
This is where the regular train beats the deluxe.
De-ballpen pa muna kami !. But still, we were
excited.

10. organization [Insert Date]
Lorem Ipsum
10
The Inclusive Mobility Network

11. organization [Insert Date]
The Inclusive Mobility Network
Lorem Ipsum
11
There was enough time to take a few pictures while waiting for our train. We appreciated the
tactile ground surface indicator and its yellow color. Australian standards indicate that the
distance to the first flight must be +/- 30cm* measured to signal one’s next step.
*“This means that a person knows that when they identify the TGSI underfoot there will be about 300 mm before the steps
begin. If the TGSI are placed right at the beginning of the first step a blind person could miss the first step and fall.”
http://www.humanrights.gov.au/publications/good-bad-and-ugly-design-and-construction-access-0

12. organization [Insert Date]
The Inclusive Mobility Network
Lorem Ipsum
12
Here you see Byron, Lalaine’s able assistant, cool, calm, collected and…smiling. The rest of us,
including our very own train marshal, were tense on the starting line (the tactile ground indicator
actually) not knowing which door to take, worried whether the wheelchair fits the entrance door or
not, how many minutes the train stops, and if it could actually wait for us. We just wanted to make
sure Lalaine is settled and all “locked in safe” before the train started to move. Watch Lalaine and all
of us momentarily panic on video !.

13. organization [Insert Date]
The Inclusive Mobility Network
Lorem Ipsum
13
We were finally settled! The PNR Deluxe train gave Lalaine a big, big smile on her face. It’s her first
time. And guess what, it was our first time too! I recalled a young lady interviewed on TV about her
ride and said she felt like a VIP. I can only agree! This deluxe comes with a reasonable premium
(P90 vs. P60 end-to-end). Sounds like a good deal to take once in a while -- if you are tired, if you
have a date, if you carry valuables and if you hate frequent stops. Otherwise, it will be an additional
P650 a month from your income (or your parent’s income) you should be ready to spare.

14. organization [Insert Date]
The Inclusive Mobility Network
Lorem Ipsum
14
Pensive? Happy?
Yes to both.
Plus the fact that Lalaine was
actually contemplating on
what her next commuting and
mobility adventure will be!
The RORO or a plane ride to
Cebu next, she said with a
hopeful smile.
Lalaine was also wishing she
had her circle of friends
enjoying this moment with her
too. !

15. organization [Insert Date]
The Inclusive Mobility Network
Lorem Ipsum
We arrived Sta. Rosa Laguna one hour/forty
minutes later, thinking we were to chase
the last scheduled train back to Manila with
just a five-minute “layover”. Rally and I
were on an “all systems go” mode as early
as our Binan stop.
But lo and behold – we learned that we
were going back to Manila riding the same
train!
All we had to do is to buy the tickets for
Manila while the train marshals rotate the
chairs to 360 degrees. Awesome. “Close na
kami” with the nice PNR staff for another
two hours, and so…
Tutuban Station, off we go! Lalaine had her
shawl on to warm her up over the very cold
air-conditioning temperature (brrr).
15

16. organization [Insert Date]
The Inclusive Mobility Network
Lorem Ipsum
The other fun part of commuting is that you could chance upon gaining an acquaintance– and that someone can happen to
sit next to you. Mine was a 52 year-old go-getter woman from Carrier Industries. Interestingly, she started talking about
her interesting life and I couldn’t share them to you here !. There wasn’t even time for her to ask all about me and
thank God for that !. All I’m saying is that commuting can bring home many interesting stories to enrich and inspire you.
I sincerely wish her well.
Two hours later, we finally landed at the PNR Tutuban Station – the main station of the Philippine National Railways
which also houses the PNR Executive Office. From an impressive and polite staff and a comfortable no-fuss ride, came a
pleasant, warm greeting of a surprisingly well-preserved station. Abundant space, well-lit, clean, orderly and…the old
train! We felt like kids all over again, taking more pictures.
16

17. organization [Insert Date]
Lorem Ipsum
17
The Inclusive Mobility Network
Good ol’ M’g Meleno of WheelMobile
comes to the momentary rescue to bring us
to our next ride – the LRT 2 Line.
Destination: the Recto Station.
Hmm, how to get in. We were looking for an
entrance for Lalaine, but the vendors occupying
the streets made it difficult to look for leads. It
was almost 10:00 PM and “road” vendors were
starting to out-number people, customers and
the commuters.

18. organization [Insert Date]
The Inclusive Mobility Network
Lorem Ipsum
18
Finally, we found the ramp!
But wait, the entrance gate
was closed before close of operations.
The guard was alert enough to reopen
the gate…and the elevator. Yehey!
Hooray for LRT-2 also for the
maintaining its tactile ground
indicator!

19. organization [Insert Date]
The Inclusive Mobility Network
Lorem Ipsum
19
We were challenged upon learning that
to get a 20% discount for PWDs meant
having to go to another ticket booth
located meters from the main ticketing
area.
The inconvenience comes with doing
this the first time. We wondered
though how the line looks like during
the rush hours. We are hoping that
PWDs must be kept well-informed of
this through adequate signages, to
cater to first-time commuters who will
likely find themselves helpless and
vulnerable undergoing this similar
experience.

20. organization [Insert Date]
The Inclusive Mobility Network
Lorem Ipsum
20
With the eastbound rail elevator down, we were escorted to the west elevator and
enjoyed this short-lived private LRT2 moment all to ourselves! This scene was right
before it made its turn to pick up Recto commuters for the eastbound trip. And when the
crowd started coming in, we were going back to behaving !.

21. organization [Insert Date]
The Inclusive Mobility Network
Lorem Ipsum
21
She was actually “this close” to performing a pole dance number. See her laugh at the thought. !

22. organization [Insert Date]
The Inclusive Mobility Network
Lorem Ipsum
22
Last stop before our Wheelmobile ride: The Araneta-Cubao Station. Exit elevator was
down, so we had to take the escalator. Taking a picture of that scene was quite
impossible as I had to assist Byron to assure Ms. Lalaine of her safety. One would then
ask the question: What if PWDs are normally not assisted?
I asked Ms. Lalaine how she rated her two
rail rides on a scale of 1 (very poor) to
10(excellent). Nine (9) for the PNR Deluxe
and Seven (7) for LRT 2. Not bad at all!
We all had a great time, I especially. The IM
Network looks forward to having more of
this as we push our advocacy for Inclusive
Mobility.