Plot the Riles was spearheaded by Nicole Tee, JC Rosette and Nathalie Dagmang, and was done in collaboration with several volunteer artists.
This project is part of Project Bakawan, a collaborative art event that seeks to increase awareness of current environmental issues and strives to foster a sustainable future.
Documentation of placards by Nicole Tee
This piece of land beside the Automated Guideway Transit (AGT) is a very fitting site for an installation that will embody a vision of the future railway system for the Philippines.
The AGT is a monorail system developed by the Department of Science and Technology (DoST) first being tested in the University of the Philippines, Diliman. This was designed to serve as a prototype of the future mass transport for the Philippines: a cost-effective, safe, and environment-friendly railway system. The project aims to provide a solution to the congestion of urban areas by providing a faster and more affordable transportation to and from rural regions.
The existence of a railroads also proves of a valuable government service and a robust economy as it is one of the most efficient mass transportation systems that could bring social services to the people: the workers to their workplaces, the students to their schools, the patients to the public hospitals, and our daily goods to their designated marketplaces.
It may be unknown to many that railroads have already existed in the Philippines since 1891 and have already been in operation for more than 120 years. It was first launched by the Manila Railroad Company (now Philippine National Railways or PNR) with expansions that reached to 1140 kilometers in the years between the two world wars.
After the war, however, only 452 kilometers remained operational from its prior expansions. As the government started to channel its labor and resources to the development of (the relatively more profitable) highways and airlines, railway systems declined and approached its downward fall in the 1970s. Additionally, typhoons, floods and volcano eruptions had struck PNR buildings and facilities and worsened its already current devastated condition.
There were rehabilitation attempts by the past administrations, while the current Aquino administration promises to develop PNR and its infrastructures. But for years, the people have only seen minor improvements and minimal expansions in our railway system, despite being one of the government agencies that are given the highest budget allocations. Worse, we are witnessing more and more train-related accidents (the recent MRT3 accident and endless reports on the deteriorating facilities of trains) and the doubling of MRT and LRT fares, making the railway system more unsafe to use and inaccessible to the majority.
In response to these issues, this installation will depict the existing railway lines in the Philippines and expose its limitations in providing Filipinos the safe, sustainable and accessible mass transportation system that the country needs for a long-term and inclusive economic development.
The interactive aspect of the work will enable the viewers to propose future train routes that they see as important sites that the trains should reach based on the needs of the majority.
A forum will also accompany the installation so as to inform the participants about the issues stated above, and the need for a collective effort in acquiring an efficient, safe, sustainable and accessible mass transportation system in the Philippines.
See accompanying video by Faya dela Concepcion >>>