Young analyst Ken Abante wants to move people, not just cars | The Howie Severino Podcast
Former Ateneo college valedictorian Kenneth Abante has been using his numbers expertise for public causes. He has dissected the national budget to show just how biased government transport policy is in favor of private vehicles. The expansion of the bike lane network during the pandemic can be credited to Abante and other advocates of inclusive mobility. He talks to Howie about what motivates idealists like him in the face of huge odds.
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00:00 Good day, Podmates! It's me, Javi Severino again, with another great Filipino.
00:05 Kenneth Abante, the class valedictorian of Ateneo de Manila University in 2012,
00:11 who has become the rare analyst activist.
00:15 His research has helped guide civil society groups for the last several years,
00:20 and before that, he was in the Department of Finance in the Aquino administration.
00:28 Obviously, this is an idealist who has kept true to the ideals that he expressed in his commencement speech as valedictorian at Ateneo,
00:43 and now he is one of the guiding lights of the Move is One coalition, among other groups active in civil society.
00:53 But I want to ask him about transport first because I just got here, I rushed for this interview, I came from Batangas,
01:01 and I passed through the Eslex Skyway traffic nightmare on a Friday.
01:13 Kenneth, first of all, have a good day, and congratulations on all your achievements.
01:19 Good day, Javi. Thank you very much. Hello, Podmates.
01:25 Thank you for joining us. Ken, basically what I went through today is just the proof of your concept.
01:35 The advocates are saying that we are constantly making expressways, highways, infrastructure for motor vehicles, private vehicles,
01:44 but we can't really reach the point where the traffic will just flow freely.
01:52 What is the basic theory behind that? Why do we keep on making infrastructure but still have traffic? It's like the traffic is not slowing down. Ken?
02:01 Yes. The traffic, the major cost of driving a car, a four-wheeled motor vehicle,
02:11 is that not all cars are suitable for the entire country and not all cars are suitable for our roads.
02:19 What is important to do is to make it transferable and not dependent or not a burden on our cars.
02:29 We need to have a public transport system, a bicycle system, and a walking system that is comfortable so that we don't have to ride and not be a burden on our cars.
02:45 That's it. The theory is very simple. There is also a second part to this. This is called induced demand.
02:56 When you are constantly making roads, people want to continue driving.
03:04 It can be more spacious if the skyway is built or if there is a little space for the road,
03:12 but as time goes by, the number of cars will increase and the traffic will be more.
03:18 That's why it's important that we have a public transportation system that is safe, human-friendly, and for everyone.
03:24 Okay. What you're saying is just common sense, right? The logic is very simple. This is not rocket science.
03:32 It's already understood in other countries. I mean, late last year, I went to Korea, to Seoul.
03:40 I took the train and the bus and I just walked. I saw the whole city. All the sites were accessible by public transportation.
03:48 And I thought, this is the country that sells us cars. So why do they get it in other countries?
03:56 I mean, Korea and many other countries in Europe have seen the light of what you're talking about.
04:04 They also got it in the car-centric model of transport. But they got it.
04:10 And now, their emphasis is on the inclusive mobility that you're talking about, moving people rather than vehicles.
04:22 But for us, we keep building, build, build, build, infrastructure for moving vehicles rather than people.
04:30 Why can't we get it here in the Philippines?
04:32 Yes, I think it's a lot of parts, but it's based on the minds and hearts of our decision-makers
04:44 that our cities are for cars. And the history is a bit deep. Even American urban planning is like that.
04:56 Even the colonial legacy is like that. So this is a long process of unlearning.
05:02 But many countries are learning. Because they see that if we create a city really for our persons with disabilities,
05:14 so that they can move in our cities comfortably, safely, inclusively, then it will be better for everyone.
05:26 We have a test called "Grandma-Grandpa Test".
05:31 Imagine that you're your grandma and grandpa.
05:36 You're either wearing shoes, the view is a bit blurry, or you're in a wheelchair.
05:43 Try going from one part of, for example, Metro Manila to another part of Metro Manila.
05:52 Can you do that without a companion?
05:57 If the answer is no, your city is not yet inclusive.
06:03 And it's important to know this concept because if we have more people and citizens who are like grandparents,
06:15 who are like our loved ones, like our mothers, like our children, who need to move in our cities,
06:27 if our cities are for them, then it's better for everyone.
06:31 So we need to build a system of support so that our decision makers see that this is the way to go.
06:37 This is how we should build cities.
06:39 There's a change of mind and change of heart, a persuasion that needs to happen with our decision makers.
06:47 But the problem is deeper. I think this is the problem of empathy, the problem of a more basic empathy.
06:58 If we see that we will be wheelchairs in our cities and we see it's hard,
07:04 we won't make our cities like this, with the narrow walkways,
07:15 with a lot of overpasses that people can't climb.
07:20 If we think this way, if we have a deep understanding, I think more of our decision makers will see the light.
07:31 That's what he's saying.
07:33 Why did you decide on this field of advocacy?
07:38 There are many sectors that you can choose from, especially those like you, you have a lot of skills,
07:45 you're well-educated. Why are you focusing on this?
07:50 Actually, before, in the Department of Finance, I was assigned to the infrastructure cluster.
07:57 The advocates that we see in civil society, I've worked with before in different capacities.
08:05 But for a time, I paused and studied.
08:09 But when I came back here and the pandemic happened, there was an alarm during the pandemic.
08:14 Some of my friends who are in the field of advocacy, I remember Anton C.,
08:21 @goodkidbikesity on Twitter, he's the one who always tweets about public transport.
08:26 He said that when the government suspended the public transport supply,
08:32 there were a lot of healthcare workers who had to walk for 3 or 4 hours to be taken care of.
08:38 I said that this is not possible. There was really an emergency.
08:44 During that time, we had been involved in analyzing the COVID-19 budget.
08:53 Because my background is in public finance and budgeting.
08:57 So we were studying the budget, and some of the advocates said,
09:01 "Hey, this is the right time. COVID-19 is a reason for us to put these budgets in.
09:10 Then the Bayanihan to Recover Act."
09:13 So we studied the first act, the Bayanihan to Heal as One, the Bayanihan 1.
09:17 The Bayanihan 2, this is it. It seems like there's a chance.
09:20 Because the healthcare workers are demanding that there's a proper public transport system,
09:24 there's proper bike lanes.
09:26 The transport workers were also demanding better contracts.
09:30 So I just told my friends, "Hey, you're budgeting, right?
09:35 Let's help each other."
09:38 It was an excuse for all of us to come together and to try to make together work.
09:43 Our fields are different.
09:47 So there are persons with disabilities, urban planners, healthcare workers, transport workers unions.
09:55 We all came together and said, "Okay, in this budget, in the Bayanihan to Recover Act as one,
10:01 we need to claim our space, and we need to push our decision makers to put the budget for these things that we really need."
10:09 Until the first nationally funded protected bike lane networks were built in Manila, Cebu, and Davao,
10:15 worth around a billion pesos.
10:17 So it's the first ever national budget funded for protected bike lanes in the Philippines,
10:25 which is systemic.
10:26 There was funding for service contracts for our transport workers,
10:31 so that they don't have a boundary system.
10:35 What I mean is that their income is more fixed and stable,
10:40 so that they don't have to cross roads and compete for passengers.
10:45 And the budget for what we call "just transition" for the modernization program of "upgrade" of jeeps.
10:59 But there are still many issues there.
11:01 But at least we were able to show that by coming together and working together to engage the House,
11:08 engage the Senate, engage the Transportation Department, and Public Works and Highways Department,
11:14 that together, and by working together, there is hope.
11:18 Even if we think that this is a thing that has no hope.
11:22 That's my problem.
11:24 Well, you know, I'm also a bike commuter.
11:29 I've been a bike commuter in Manila for more than a decade.
11:34 So I know the dangers, I also know the frustrations, exasperation, sometimes desperation.
11:43 But in the last couple of years, when the network of bike lanes expanded,
11:49 at least something good happened during the crisis of the pandemic.
11:55 I'm just realizing that this is really an alignment of various factors.
12:00 This is not just the government that moved because the frontliners couldn't get in.
12:07 This is also a product of years of advocacy.
12:11 People who are advocating not just bicycles, but the walkability of our cities,
12:19 and inclusivity of transportation.
12:23 And I saw your other contribution, Ken, because of your background in finance,
12:29 and your grasp of the national budget, etc.
12:34 One of your contributions was you wrote this paper, "Move People, Not Just Cars."
12:41 Yes.
12:43 I read this.
12:44 "Correcting the Systemic Underfunding in National Road-Based Public Transport in the Philippines."
12:49 Basically, your conclusion here is that the budget is really lopsided in favor of private cars.
12:58 And you were able to show through the numbers because it was very clear in the graphs and in the tables that you presented.
13:05 But I'm just wondering, what was your reaction to this paper?
13:12 Someone like me, parang ako na, namang ha, ako na.
13:16 Wow, this is really a very strong argument in shifting resources.
13:21 But what would you say was the impact of this kind of research on policy?
13:28 So, just really interesting numbers that came out.
13:34 From 2010 to 2021, 12-year period, the government budgeted Php2.8 trillion for road infrastructure.
13:48 That's only 1% for the expansion of the supply of public transport for protected bike lanes.
13:55 Maybe what we need to understand about the budget is more basic.
14:00 That's our money and that's what the public will spend.
14:04 So, if only 1% of the attention is given to 94% of people who don't have a car,
14:14 isn't it wrong to prioritize our resources?
14:20 Isn't it unproven?
14:23 So, the reaction to that argument, it became clearer to the transportation department that such prioritization is needed.
14:34 We've talked to the secretaries, then Secretary Tugade, now Secretary Bautista.
14:41 We've talked to their undersecretaries in charge of road, and there's a new one, new road leadership, no new undersecretary yet.
14:50 So, we're trying to build a relationship with them to help them when they defend their budget in Congress.
14:57 Because they really need help to make the argument that this is a better push for resources.
15:05 We have good news, but for us as advocates, it's not enough.
15:11 But there's progress.
15:13 From 2020 to 2023, the years where we advocated for these budgets,
15:22 we've pushed for 32 billion pesos.
15:26 Sadly, not all of it has been implemented yet. That's another issue.
15:30 The second issue is, we've also looked at the plan for the next decade.
15:36 What we saw there was a bit of a lopsided.
15:39 So, 2 trillion pesos for the budget for the transport infrastructure pipeline, but most of it is for rail.
15:46 98% of that pipeline is rail.
15:49 It's important, very important.
15:51 But we'll feel that maybe 5 years from now, 7 years from now,
15:54 the road infrastructure improvements and road transport supply improvements,
15:59 that's what we'll feel, but only 2%.
16:03 What happened here is, there's a systemic shift in the government's investment programming
16:09 because of this more technocratic approach, but also political approach in advocating for this.
16:15 There's an increase in, a 700 billion peso increase in investments for the future,
16:25 for the active transport network, meaning bikes and pedestrian infrastructure,
16:32 service contracts, equity subsidy, and new series of bus rapid transits.
16:39 Meaning, there has been a systemic shift, at least in how government has communicated its investment pipeline.
16:47 And we should be very happy about this, actually.
16:49 You will see in our coalition page in the next few weeks these numbers.
16:54 But this is really good news.
16:58 It is one thing though, to say it in the investment pipeline, it's another thing to have it implemented.
17:07 There are a lot of barriers to implementation.
17:10 There are a lot of government agencies that don't want to allocate more road space for bicycles,
17:19 wheelchairs, and for walking.
17:23 So we need to help these government agencies,
17:29 and think car-centric, to have more space for the majority of Filipinos who don't have a car.
17:38 In preparing for this interview, Ken, I contacted one of the co-authors of this paper, Saiza Suzana.
17:47 -Suzana. -Yeah, Suzana.
17:50 And then I'll just share what she said. She said, "Ken's unique contribution is his ability to bridge policy research with concrete action.
18:02 He's a prolific researcher and a skilled community organizer.
18:06 Ken was instrumental in mainstreaming our fiscal and budget research analysis among CSOs involved in national and local advocacy."
18:14 My decibel is quite high.
18:16 And basically, what she's saying is, it's not enough to have a heart.
18:20 You really need to apply brainpower to these problems.
18:25 And she said, you bring both to the table.
18:30 But I want to ask you about your background, because you did graduate as a valedictorian,
18:36 and you came from the province, Bicol.
18:39 You didn't come from one of these elite Manila schools, but you ended up at the top of your class.
18:44 I think you took management engineering, right?
18:47 Why have you decided to devote your talents, your education to service, to this kind of work, rather than...
18:56 There are a lot of other people who do a few years of service for the community.
19:03 They go to the province, etc. Then they come back, they join the corporate world, and start a family, and all of that.
19:10 But you, 10 years later, you're still involved in community service, and you're achieving these things.
19:20 You're having an impact on policy.
19:23 So basically, what are your motivations?
19:27 I think, first of all, I was a scholar all my life.
19:31 Starting fourth grade, until grad school, I was a scholar.
19:36 I think how to pay it forward was ingrained in me.
19:41 Second, I come from a family of civil servants and public servants.
19:49 We see public service as actually desirable.
19:56 For our family, it's especially, both mother's side and father's side, that it's good to serve the public.
20:06 And third, I think it's faith, I guess.
20:17 I have faith in the country, I have faith in Filipinos.
20:22 And I believe, as a Catholic, that everyone is loved by God.
20:32 And so, we are here to be the presence of God to others.
20:39 And that motivation is deep in choosing this career, even sometimes when it gets really hard.
20:49 For example, in some of our movements now, we're having a really tough time.
20:54 But, when there's faith, when there's help and hope together, there's hope.
21:06 I'll just jump in, because you said you have faith in the country.
21:10 What gives you faith in the country?
21:12 There's a lot of hand-wringing, a lot of soul-searching now about how we feel about this country.
21:21 What gives you faith?
21:24 Every time we call for help and ask for help in our social movements, people always help.
21:31 Filipino people have never failed these movements.
21:36 I think what Filipinos say is not true.
21:43 "There's no discipline, there's no account."
21:47 That's not my experience.
21:50 Sometimes that happens, but most of the time, my experience of being in community with fellow Filipinos
21:58 has been one of deep generosity, kindness, and that's part of what gives me faith.
22:12 Even during the past elections, I campaigned for another candidate, and the candidate didn't win.
22:23 I was so heartbroken.
22:24 But we are still in this country, and it is this country that raised me.
22:34 I owe it everything.
22:38 I owe this country everything, so I want to pay it forward.
22:42 Thank you very much, Kenneth Abante, a college valedictorian who has devoted his analytical and research skills to social causes.
22:51 Long live! Ken, thank you for your work in creating bike lanes.
22:56 Thank you. It's a community effort.
22:59 Can't do it without the whole community. Thank you very much.
23:02 And if you want to volunteer, please go to our Facebook page at Move Us One Coalition.
23:08 We have our other work in We Solve Foundation.
23:12 We'll also share some of those links. Thank you.
23:15 Thank you. Thanks for your time.
23:18 Hi, I'm Howie Severino. Check out the Howie Severino Podcast, an original for GMA News and Public Affairs.
23:25 New episodes will stream every Thursday. Listen for free on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and other platforms.
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