COVID-19 and the struggle for inclusive mobility

During the COVID-19 pandemic, countries around the world have responded in varying ways to curb the spread of the disease by implementing different measures to restrict mobility among the population.

In the case of the Philippines, the government announced “enhanced community quarantine” in March 2020. As the strictest lockdown category, enhanced community quarantine prohibited intercity travel, the use of public transport, and non-essential activities for several months. In addition to curfews, local law enforcement and the military were deployed to establish checkpoints and enforce quarantine through disciplinary measures.

The lack of public transport in particular has greatly affected the ability of workers, including medical frontliners and other essential service providers to get to work.

It has widely been observed that the pandemic has exposed preexisting structural inequalities, including in many posts about the language challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic here on Language on the Move. In the Philippines, the pandemic highlighted not only linguistic inequalities but also the lack of an appropriate public transport infrastructure and equal access to safe technologies of mobility.

Since 2014, my advocacy outside of academia has been pursuing initiatives related to inclusive mobility. As a bike commuter, I found myself taking part in communities of practice related to cycling. When the pandemic hit, cycling was my main means to undertake essential activities. The lockdown thus opened opportunities for me to document different locales and objects related to the cycling boom in the country.

In this piece, I look at several insights from my work gathered as a cycling advocate. Specifically, I argue that while the pandemic has accelerated the need for initiatives in inclusive mobility, cycling as an alternative in the Philippines opens opportunities for examining contested spaces and collective action which are mediated through language. I further argue in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, the need for inclusive mobility is not only a struggle in the physical sense but also a communicative struggle, particularly in the hotly contested online space.

Language, Social Media, and Collective Action

The streets of Metro Manila have long been congested due to the large volume of vehicles that traverse its thoroughfares. Upon the declaration of enhanced community quarantine in early 2020, the use of bicycles became one viable option to remain mobile due to its affordability and ease of use.

However, the lack of infrastructure has led to accidents and even 19 cycling-related fatalities in the past year. As a response, social media have been used by advocacy groups and individuals to debate concerns over inclusive mobility.

An example provided comes from Twitter where the hashtag #bikelanesNOW trended at various times.

Nakaligtaan po yata ninyong bigyan ng puwang ang mga tinuturing nating #heroes na #frontliners: #healthworkers at essential workers, na mga #bikecommuters na din po ngayon. @MMDA #cycling #bikecommuting #bikelanes #bikelanesnow #protectedbikelanesnow #bikerslivesmatter #COVID19 pic.twitter.com/0v3BrmYBkA

— Mister E (@_mis_ter_e_) June 5, 2020

Translation: You seem to have forgotten to provide space for those whom he considers #heroes, our #frontliners: #healthworkers and essential workers, who are #bikecommuters now.

While the struggle for inclusive mobility stems from the need for safe spaces for cyclists, it is not without problems. For instance, incidents of gender related harassment have been reported among female cyclists during the quarantine period. In the tweet below shared by one political group, the Gabriela Women’s party invited bikers for a solidarity bicycle ride against misogyny and sexism. In the infographic embedded in the tweet, which uses a combination of Filipino and English, wordplay is deployed by combining kababaihan (womanhood) and the word bike to form the term “kabibike-ihan” referring to female cyclists.

On March 28 (Sunday), we will conquer the road and call for #SafeSpacesForAll & #ShareTheRoadWithHer by drawing the women sign on the map!

Join us as we raise our voices against misogyny and sexism! ♀️ pic.twitter.com/wuTw2Wqk6r

— Gabriela Women's Party (@GabrielaWomenPL) March 20, 2021

Late in 2020, the government declared bike shops essential services. Since then, advocacy groups and bike shops have collaborated to create a primer for bike commuters. In this primer, which is written in Tagalog, information on safety measures before, during, and after bike rides are provided. Similar to grassroots movements in other countries that have promoted measures in addressing health concerns related to COVID-19, a combination of different languages and multimodal resources enhance the communication of meaning for the public. However, as of writing, the guide is limited to Tagalog and English language versions, while Cebuano and Hiligaynon are still in production. The limited number of languages where the guide appears reflects the current material challenge brought about by multilingualism.

Moving forward

Studying language in the era of globalization is primarily a study of inequality (Blommaert, 2010). As seen during the COVID-19 pandemic, the struggle for inclusive mobility is a material consequence that the public has engaged in a physical and virtual sense. That is, cyclists and advocacy groups do not only compete for asserting safe spaces for their daily travel needs but have engaged other stakeholders to consider the notion of sustainable cities as a major concern.

As the Philippines continues to struggle with the COVID-19 pandemic, cycling as a viable and safe alternative has come to the forefront of continuous conversations among different sectors of society where the public can genuinely participate and act in the hope of achieving authentic transformation.