How to Survive Driving in Metro Manila

Forget all of the other car tips/tricks because this is article is the only thing you need to survive driving in Metro Manila!

I have been driving in Metro Manila for more than 10 years and all I can say is that the traffic just gets worse each year! And as we know, the heavier the traffic the stresser (yes I created that word, it means more stress) you are, and of course it consumes more fuel, more pollution and wastes a lot of time. So here we go!

1. Remove all of your junk (or things you don't need) inside your car

My sound blasters

The heavier the load, the more your car consumes fuel. Before I bought a 2nd hand car w/ sound blasters included, and thought to myself "Wow! this is sooo cool I could pick up chicks w/ these s@#$! :D", but as time goes by I became a family guy, then this became an excess baggage for me. I can't even put my spare tire inside the trunk! So lessons learned here, just remove everything you don't need in your car. Less is more :)

2. If you are planning to buy a car, buy a SUV instead 

Obviously flood is inevitable during rainy seasons, even my sedan ALMOST became a submarine during Ondoy. So I sold it and bought a SUV... luckily I got a huge discount on a brand new Mitsubishi Montero Sport (wala naman SUA so wag kayong matakot baka human error lang). Well true that SUV consumes more fuel so you will be needing...

3. Install Wunder app

That's me in the pic, but my actual ride is around 800ish

This app actually saves me from my daily car expenses and I'm thankful for this (so I'm advertising them for free), basically it's a carpool sharing app that other people can carpool with you to your destination. While the app is buggy sometimes, I tried getting regular passengers so just in case the app goes wild again I'll just message them in FB.

Use this link to install the Wunder App: https://wundercar.app.link/QXCLmRt7sI

4. You can install Waze too

To give you live traffic update, useful especially rush hour so you'll know where the route you should go. Shorter route doesn't always mean the fastest. But most of the time I trust my instincts anyway... (I'm psychic) 

5. Always bring drinks and food when driving

Because it's Carmageddon out there! Ok, this is actually a bad advice but it is cheaper that driving thru any fast food chain because you got stuck in a long traffic and you got hungry, I actually drive around 3-4 hours daily so I always have drinks and food. Again, this is a bad advice but it could save you from starvation/death by hunger during traffic.

6. Equipped yourselves w/ basic car knowledge

I'm not a big fan of Meralco (since they are killing me w/ my Meralco bills), but this is where I studied my automobile course. You don't need to know everything about cars, you only need to know (HANDS ON EXPERIENCE HA not just by watching Youtube) how to jump-start a car, change your tires, call Motolite (or any car battery) if your battery is drained because you forgot to turn off your headlight, if your car temperature is high due to radiator, fanbelt is noisy, alternator not charging the battery and etc. 

Trust me, the first person that can save you during crisis is yourself.

7. Always check for Credit Card Promos / Discount Cards

Because more money means higher chance of survival! So I'm listing down the discounts of the following gas stations (this may change in the future BTW, so don't trust anything you read in the internet, only trust Road Traps):

Petron: Petron Value Card + BPI Petron Card
Caltex: HappyPlus Card + Caltex Gasup and Save + HSBC Credit Card
Shell: SM Advantage Card + Citibank Shell Card
Unioil: S&R Card (You can use Security Bank Cashback for the rebate)

FYI, the Security Bank Cashback card gives a whooping 4% Gas rebate!For the list of promos, you can visit: http://roadtrapsinmetromanila.blogspot.com/search/label/ROAD%20TIPS%2FPROMOS

8. Regularly check Road Traps for updates

I added a MMDA chick picture para hindi tayo ma-badtrip, lol

Metro Manila is a wild jungle, w/ Jeepneys, Buses, Crocs and Sharks, at least equip yourself with some knowledge avoiding the traps! If you forgot the link, don't worry it's in your URL or click: http://roadtrapsinmetromanila.blogspot.com

9. Dasal lang.

Sometimes, how much safe you drive, there's always a d!@#$ in the road to ruin your day. Hope that this article can help our fellow commuters :) Drive safely guys!