After 15 years of curfew-less existence, someone dared slap a curfew on me… the Philippine government. The news spread to establishments and offices through radio. No one was supposed to be seen loitering from 12 midnight to 5 am of the next day. It was a scary 8 o’clock PM when establishments started closing for the night in Makati, Philippines. I entered a Starbucks shop in only to be told that they’re closing already but they’d be happy to serve me a drink only if it’s to-go. I had this weird feeling like I was living in the 70’s when martial law was on, and no one was spared from getting jailed for not following the curfew hours.

Obviously, I wasn’t the only one who feared spending time in jail. The bus stops, particularly that in Baclaran, were packed with people who were willing to ride on the wheels of vehicles, if needed, just to get home. This was 9 o’clock pm and everyone was desperate. It was my first time to see ladies flashing the fist sign to drivers of packed buses, which in our culture means “willing to hang on to the rails of your jeepney/bus, just please let me ride.”

This is a traffic scene in the Philippines during normal-day rush hour. Take the number of vehicles in this picture and multiply it by three, then place the cars side by side ’til there’s no more space on the road and the sidewalks. That was how it was at 10 pm in Manila and the neighboring provinces tonight. Everyone wanted to go home so badly that mothers and wives of these passengers were probably rejoicing.