Those of use who decided not to rush out of town or fly away for Holy Week are currently experiencing a version of Metro Manila that has become increasingly rare. Some would even say it normally only exists in history books. Step outside and the first thing you notice is a blue sky and strangely clean air. They say when navy soldiers working on submarines resurface after months underwater and breathe fresh outside air again for the first time, they report that it smells alien to them. All of us in Metro Manila probably feel a little bit like this right now, having emerged from the perma-smog and felt clean(er) air fill our lungs for the first time since Christmas morning.

It’s quieter, too. The constant cacophony that usually fills the air of this megacity has been dialed down a few decibels. Those who like to terrorize their fellow citizens with loud exhausts (looking at you, jeepneys and motorbikes) and heart-attack-inducing horns (looking at you, buses) seem to be taking mercy on the rest of us or have gone to distribute their noise pollution elsewhere.

If you get to experience this version of the nation’s capital—or even if you’re only looking at these images of it—then I think it’s worth pointing out that it doesn’t have to be an occasional treat. We can have this—a clean, quiet, sustainable and healthier Metro Manila—every day of the year and not just during Holy Week, Christmas, and Pacquiao fights (does the last one still apply?). How do I know that? Simple. It’s what many cities around the world are already doing.

Here he goes again with his talk about alternative transportation, sustainability, and Metro Manila totally being capable of becoming the Amsterdam of Asia.

But I really mean it, and days like these show us why it’s worth fighting for. When they first introduced Car-Free initiatives around here (such as the one along Ayala Avenue in Makati), some people were skeptical and thought it would just lead to more traffic. Those who have experienced it and seen how nice the place can be without cars love the idea, and it’s spreading across the metro.

Of course, we are still a long way away from being a cleaner, healthier and easier-to-navigate city, but there are good people fighting the good fight, and they are getting more. In the end, it doesn’t matter if COVID or rising fuel prices are getting people to cycle more. The key is that it happens, and that it helps to bring a change in government thinking and policy. The fact that EDSA is now seemingly getting wider sidewalks with built-in cycle paths (the type that you can’t just rip out again) shows that some of that change might already be happening.

Hope always dies last, and I hope that positive change—pushed by a younger generation—will continue to steer this place in the right direction. There are still some severe bumps in the road to overcome, including rampant corruption and too many people who only care about themselves, but we live in changing, unprecedented times. Technology is helping us access and create information faster than ever before. We can now visualize our dreams with ease, and talk to each other at lightning speed. I don’t really need the monorails and self-driving buses from the future. Just a Metro Manila that looks more like Good Friday every day of the year would be a nice start.

Are you with me?