MRT | The Adobo Chronicles

Makati City, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles) – It hasn’t been quite 48 hours since Apple unveiled the new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, but already, thousands of Filipinos are lining up to be among the first to own this state-of-the-art mobile phone.

Online orders won’t commence until one minute past midnight on Friday, September 12 while Apple stores won’t strart selling the new phones until September 19.

Two authorized Apple dealers along Ayala Avenue in Makati City have announced that they will have the new phones in stock by September 20. Incidentally, Makati City has recently been named ‘Selfie Capital of the World,’ a title that Filipinos take great pride in.

As of six o’clock this morning, Filipinos have lined up, four-person deep, outside the Apple stores. The lines have extended for miles and miles, all the way to the MRT (Metro Manila’s light railway system) station in Quezon City. To get to the Apple stores in Makati from Quezon City, commuters have to take the MRT train at the Northernmost EDSA (Epifanio de los Santos Avenue) station in Quezon City. It’s about 13 kilometers or approximately 8 miles, not including the distance between the Makati EDSA MRT station and the Apple Stores on Ayala Avenue.

The people lining up to buy the new iPhones have only tripled the already long lines of daily commuters trying to get to work or school via the MRT.

It’s really more fun in the Philippines.

Manila, Philippines – The embattled general manager of Manila’s Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) may have the last laugh despite calls for his resignation for the problems that have been plaguing the light railway system in the populous metropolis.

Activist groups have demanded that Alan Vitangcol III step down from his post for mismanagement of the transport system that millions of residents depend on for their daily commute to and from their work places. Vitangcol is also accused of allegedly extorting $30 million from a Czech train car builder in exchange for being awarded an MRT expansion project contract.

Today, the International Association of Light Railway Systems (IALRS) announced that Manila’s MRT has been unanimously chosen to receive the prestigious 2014 Most Popular Transport System Award. The annual award is given to the railway system that has the largest patronage.

The international body said Manila’s MRT won the judges’ nod hands down, after they saw photos of the long lines of commuters waiting to board the commuter trains. “We haven’t seen such massive popularity among MRT systems anywhere in the world,” one of the judges commented.

This prestigious award adds to the long long list of international recognitions recently awarded to the Philippines. Last month, the Philippine cities of Makati and Pasig were named the selfie capital of the world.