P H I L I P P I N E S
I have been to the Philippines only twice, but each time was a joy. I would again visit this incredibly beautiful country in a heartbeat. Below, I have some general impressions from this 7000+ island-country, and some location specific thoughts under the tabs above.
Jeepneys
I have long been fascinated by the jeepneys (especially the Sarao) of the Philippines. Most cities have them as a means of public transport. They are present in the rural areas too as a means of inter-barangay connectivity. They originally started off as a re-imagining of surplus Wilson jeeps, left over from WWII. Over time, they have evolved tremendously. They still have a basic construction; a bare bones chassis is fabricated in local workshops, engines are typically from Mitsubishi or Isuzu and of course, the body panels feature a lot of chrome, proudly and lovingly embellished. While there are not a whole lot of modern safety features that we see on the new generation passenger vehicles, the exterior artwork definitely has kept up with popular culture, judging from painted characters of the Marvel universe.
Each of these vehicles typically takes on passengers in the back on two long benches facing each other. Owing to the open rear door, passengers can get on and off relatively safely, although some jeepney drivers will inconsiderately stop anywhere and block traffic. In the cities, it is prohibited to ride on the rooftop, but that is not the case in the barangays. Drivers will try to accommodate up to three dozen passengers. Unless one is a resident of a particular city or town, it is very difficult to completely figure out routes and halts. Methods of route indications vary in different cities – Cebu jeepneys display route numbers, while those in Manila have neighbourhood names permanently painted on the carbody. Passengers usually clutch their fare in their hands, sometimes knocking coins on the metal grab poles to signal a stop. Those perched on the roof top do so by banging their palms on the ceiling. Some jeepney drivers will engage an assistant to coordinate the seating of passengers in the available pockets of space and collecting fares. Drivers that do not engage such conductors, rely on the passengers to forward the fare to him, through an opening in the driver’s cab. It was interesting for me to note that a passenger all the way at the back, would hand over the money which would then change hands perhaps half a dozen times before reaching the driver. If there was change due, the driver would pass back the amount which would also similarly flow all the way to the correct person. One hand on the driving wheel, another in the cashbox, one eye on the road, another on the coins and notes – that’s another dimension to multitasking! But I imagine, for the jeepneys without the additional personnel at the back, there are times every now and then when a passenger perhaps nimbly hops off without having paid his dues and disappears in the urban crowds of, say Manila or Cebu.
Each of these vehicles typically takes on passengers in the back on two long benches facing each other. Owing to the open rear door, passengers can get on and off relatively safely, although some jeepney drivers will inconsiderately stop anywhere and block traffic. In the cities, it is prohibited to ride on the rooftop, but that is not the case in the barangays. Drivers will try to accommodate up to three dozen passengers. Unless one is a resident of a particular city or town, it is very difficult to completely figure out routes and halts. Methods of route indications vary in different cities – Cebu jeepneys display route numbers, while those in Manila have neighbourhood names permanently painted on the carbody. Passengers usually clutch their fare in their hands, sometimes knocking coins on the metal grab poles to signal a stop. Those perched on the roof top do so by banging their palms on the ceiling. Some jeepney drivers will engage an assistant to coordinate the seating of passengers in the available pockets of space and collecting fares. Drivers that do not engage such conductors, rely on the passengers to forward the fare to him, through an opening in the driver’s cab. It was interesting for me to note that a passenger all the way at the back, would hand over the money which would then change hands perhaps half a dozen times before reaching the driver. If there was change due, the driver would pass back the amount which would also similarly flow all the way to the correct person. One hand on the driving wheel, another in the cashbox, one eye on the road, another on the coins and notes – that’s another dimension to multitasking! But I imagine, for the jeepneys without the additional personnel at the back, there are times every now and then when a passenger perhaps nimbly hops off without having paid his dues and disappears in the urban crowds of, say Manila or Cebu.
I have long been fascinated by the jeepneys (especially the Sarao) of the Philippines. Most cities have them as a means of public transport. They are present in the rural areas too as a means of inter-barangay connectivity. They originally started off as a re-imagining of surplus Wilson jeeps, left over from WWII. Over time, they have evolved tremendously. They still have a basic construction; a bare bones chassis is
Although the vehicle itself is rather long, the height of the cab itself is not all that much. People with a height of 1.8m and above will have to hunch down and risk hammering their foreheads on handrails during rough rides. It has been reported that the environmental impact on a vehicle carrying these many people is much more than a modern 40-seater van. Most ageing jeepneys typically belch out thick clouds of exhaust, sport balding tyres and bent chassis frames. Despite the criticism, for the Filipino commuters, jeepneys are a relatively inexpensive and familiar means of transportation.
Having ridden the metros of Kolkata, London and Singapore, I was totally at ease in this throng of people. The only difference that I noticed in the barangay commuters was the conspicuous absence of smartphones and tablets. So what do these commuters do? Some used the chance to catch a few winks, others chatted with their companions and some were content to look out the window, lost in their own thoughts.
Only recently, did I find out that not all jeepneys are meant for public transportation. There are ones that are privately owned and do not ply on the roads for business. They usually can be made out by a sign clearly stating so, and also by their much better condition. It was one such jeepney that we used to ride to the Miraculous Hot Springs.
Although the vehicle itself is rather long, the height of the cab itself is not all that much. People with a height of 1.8m and above will have to hunch down and risk hammering their foreheads on handrails during rough rides. It has been reported that the environmental impact on a vehicle carrying these many people is much more than a modern 40-seater van. Most ageing jeepneys typically belch out thick clouds of exhaust, sport balding tyres and bent chassis frames. Despite the criticism, for the Filipino commuters, jeepneys are a relatively inexpensive and familiar means of transportation.
Having ridden the metros of Kolkata, London and Singapore, I was totally at ease in this throng of people. The only difference that I noticed in the barangay commuters was the conspicuous absence of smartphones and tablets. So what do these commuters do? Some used the chance to catch a few winks, others chatted with their companions and some were content to look out the window, lost in their own thoughts.
Only recently, did I find out that not all jeepneys are meant for public transportation. There are ones that are privately owned and do not ply on the roads for business. They usually can be made out by a sign clearly stating so, and also by their much better condition. It was one such jeepney that we used to ride to the Miraculous Hot Springs.
Farewell
After having spent a most memorable time in the Philippines, we were not quite ready to leave the Philippines, but regrettably we had to. Visitors to the Philippines often do a cursory Google search by images on the hashtag #itsmorefuninthephilippines but there is so much more to this nation of over 7000 islands.
Filipinos are a remarkable nation of people. It was been reported time and again that despite challenges such as political turmoil, poverty and inefficiency in some processes, the average Filipino continues to maintain a sunny and optimistic outlook towards life. They are, largely, content and happy with their day to day lives and treasure their family and friends highly. For any individual, compadres (close male friends) and comadres (close female friends) are part of all important personal events and proceedings going on at home. They are prioritized (rightly so) for valued for their companionship and advice, higher than worldly and material pursuits, such as wealth and consumer goods.
While riding a motor tricycle, I found myself seated to the right of the driver and engaged him in some yapping. During this conversation, it became obvious to me that on any average day, he would earn somewhere between 400 and 600 pesos (about USD). He had a family to support and his vehicle needed some long overdue maintenance. And yet he was content with his life and maintained his sense of humour. It certainly put our aptly called “first world” problems into perspective.
Filipinos, with their control over English language and work ethics, have displaced India as the BPO destination. In 2015, the overseas Filipino diaspora remitted close to 30 billion US dollars. Elections in the year 2016 have shone a spotlight on corruption and tough measures are expected to take force soon. I would be interested to see what is next in store for this population of around 100 million.
Filipinos are a remarkable nation of people. It was been reported time and again that despite challenges such as political turmoil, poverty and inefficiency in some processes, the average Filipino continues to maintain a sunny and optimistic outlook towards life. They are, largely, content and happy with their day to day lives and treasure their family and friends highly. For any individual, compadres (close male friends) and comadres (close female friends) are part of all important personal events and proceedings going on at home. They are prioritized (rightly so) for valued for their companionship and advice, higher than worldly and material pursuits, such as wealth and consumer goods.
While riding a motor tricycle, I found myself seated to the right of the driver and engaged him in some yapping. During this conversation, it became obvious to me that on any average day, he would earn somewhere between 400 and 600 pesos (about USD). He had a family to support and his vehicle needed some long overdue maintenance. And yet he was content with his life and maintained his sense of humour. It certainly put our aptly called “first world” problems into perspective.
Filipinos, with their control over English language and work ethics, have displaced India as the BPO destination. In 2015, the overseas Filipino diaspora remitted close to 30 billion US dollars. Elections in the year 2016 have shone a spotlight on corruption and tough measures are expected to take force soon. I would be interested to see what is next in store for this population of around 100 million.