Buzzing highways, crowded mass transportation, and fast-paced life. Will you still want to live in Manila? Although bad as it may look, Manila has a promise of opportunities and undeniable careers. For many who live in remote areas, Manila seems to have the Holy Grail of a better life. Still, it has its own share of setbacks.
Living in the city entails high minimum wage but also the high cost of living. Locals and foreigners alike have had their own stories of success and impediments. If there is one thing that one can curse Manila for, it will be its traffic flow.
Its roads, like EDSA, is the epitome of poor urban planning. As the buying power of Filipinos soars up high, many private cars flock the roads going to business districts and key cities. The result? Heavy traffic flow. An economist had once estimated the total losses of the country to about three billion a day due to problematic road traffic. These losses root from workforce being trapped in public and private transportation and goods and services being delayed due to the entangling scenario of both public and private transport.
Associated with these traffic woes is the increased smoke emission of cars that sometimes tend to be as black as a dementor in a Harry Potter movie. The worst part is that you get to inhale it every day. Imagine the city pollution getting into your lungs plus the stress of having to traverse the daily exodus of Manila traffic.
Another downside of the place is the people taking advantage of the naïve individuals who just want to go home or arrive at their workplace. They exist in other places, but pickpockets, hold-uppers, and criminals lurk here even on broad daylight to prey on innocent people.
If you are from the province, then living in Manila has some added frustration. Being away from your family can eat up a lot of your emotional energy. This piles up on your burden at work plus the clogged roads to the point that you may think that the universe is conspiring just to release the worst in you.
There are many careers in the province, especially for those near the cities. EASE Technology Solutions in Bulacan is a proof that one can establish a career without going to Manila. This company, along with other start-ups, provides professionals with available careers for them not to be one of the individuals that have to endure the daily grind of Manila.
The city of Manila is not pure evil. It may have its downsides, but it also has a brighter face to show. It can be infamous, but the heart of the country will always have some surprises on its sleeves.