The Jeepney...

There is no greater insight into the culture of the Philippines then to take a ride on the local transportation. The concept of the Jeepney was first inspired by abandoned US military vehicles post World War II, but they have now evolved to have roofs for shade, long bench seats for lots of passengers and brightly colored designs or religious phrases to decorate the outside.

Within the first few minutes of being on the jeep you will likely begin to sweat, because you will sit extremely close to your fellow passengers. I have been sat on, leaned on, and slept on. Believe it or not, I have also fallen asleep on the jeep a few times. The number one rule of the jeep? There is ALWAYS room for one more, no matter how physically impossible it may seem. And if ever you forget this rule, the drivers are always happy to remind you. 

In Cebu it’s very common for young children to jump onto the back of the jeep where they will perform a song or rap, then beg for money asking “Ate? Kuya?”(big sister, big brother). There are also always vendors walking in the middle of the street who will approach the jeeps and try to sell bottled water or snacks.

I take a jeep to work every day and the fare is eight-ten pesos, that’s about twenty cents. A cab fare of the same distance costs one hundred pesos, ten times the cost of local transportation. When you are ready to pay your fare on the jeep you simply say, “Palihog ko” (please) and pass your fare to the person next to you who will pass it along a line of passengers until it reaches the driver. If you have change it will return to you in the same manner. The jeepney follows a specific route but does not have pre-planned stops. If you want the driver to stop simply knock loudly on the roof or yell, “Lugar lang” (place). Often times if someone’s request is not heard by the driver the other passengers will chime in to make sure the jeep stops. The whole process requires a profound sense of teamwork. In the Philippines, no man is an island.