KASUROG: Kalinga sa Kalsada

In recent weeks, the continued rise in fuel prices has significantly disrupted daily transportation. For many students, what was once routine has become uncertain and burdensome. The increasing cost of fares forces difficult choices between transportation and other basic needs, leading at times to missed classes, reduced participation, and added financial strain. At the same time, jeepney drivers and operators face their own crisis, as rising fuel costs diminish already fragile earnings. What emerges is not an isolated difficulty, but a shared social reality where both students and transport workers bear the weight of a system under pressure. This situation reflects a deeper concern raised in Fratelli Tutti, where Pope Francis cautions against a culture that leaves individuals to face hardship alone. He writes, “everything, then, is not simply about us, but about the ‘we’ that we seek to build.” In the face of widening inequalities and everyday struggles, the encyclical calls for a renewal of social friendship, one that recognizes how lives are interconnected and how burdens are often shared across different sectors of society. Ateneo de Naga University, as a formation ground shaped by the values of Ignatius of Loyola, is called to respond to this reality not only with awareness but with concrete and communal action. The Jesuit principle of cura personalis finds its fullest meaning here. It is not merely about individual care in abstraction, but about responding to the concrete conditions that affect a person’s ability to live, learn, and participate fully in community life. In collaboration with the Council of Organizations in Ateneo de Naga, KASUROG: Kalinga sa Kalsada is a response rooted in this shared responsibility. By providing a free and reliable shuttle service, the initiative directly addresses the transportation barriers faced by students, ensuring that access to education is not hindered by economic constraints. More importantly, it recognizes that care for students must be both practical and responsive to real-life challenges. At the same time, the program embodies the call of Fratelli Tutti to build relationships that transcend transactional support. As Pope Francis emphasizes, “solidarity means much more than engaging in sporadic acts of generosity.” In this light, the initiative’s partnership with jeepney drivers and operators becomes essential. It affirms their dignity, supports their livelihood, and situates them as partners in building a more inclusive and humane community, rather than mere service providers. In this way, Kalinga sa Kalsada, more than a transport initiative, is a concrete expression of a community that chooses to move from isolation to encounter, from individual struggle to shared responsibility. It reflects a commitment to journey together, ensuring that no Atenean is left behind while also recognizing the dignity and role of those who help sustain the broader social fabric.