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EP 33: Filipino Jeepneys ride with pride
25 Plays15 days ago
Two weeks ago John Stech, host of The Auto Ethnographer, traveled from Bangkok to the Philippines to visit his wife’s family. Together with them, we traveled from Manila to the center of Luzon and then to La Union on the northwest corner of the island. There was much to see but one thing was a constant: the hard working Jeepney. This episode focuses on that Filipino icon.
Jeepney’s are unique to the Philippines. They originated from the Willys military Jeep, thousands of which were left behind by the United States Army at the end of World War 2. These vehicles were modified by lengthening their wheelbase, adding long benches in the bed, covering the seating with a roof, and then customizing them by the owner.
The result is the wildly colorful Jeepney, a rolling mural, a cultural icon on Filipino roads. Each is unique in style, in color, and in expression. Emblazoned with the owner’s name over the windshield, and the route and destination under the windshield, riders know immediately which Jeepney to take.
Passengers are wide-ranging from students to office workers to laborers, and even tourists. Whether passengers sit inside, or stand on the rear bumper platform, there is always space for one more. Luggage? On the roof. These versatile vehicles get everyone and everything where they need to go.
The Auto Ethnographer shares what he saw, his impressions, and what he learned about the humble, yet mighty, Jeepney during his five days on the island.
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Keep on driving!
#jeepney #philippines #cultureshock #expatlife #workabroad #jeep
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Transcript
Introduction: The Jeep as a Symbol
00:00:00
Speaker
The Jeep is not just a mode of transport in the Philippines. It's truly a symbol of Filipino resilience, of creativity, and yes, of humor.
Podcast Overview and Host Introduction
00:00:14
Speaker
Hello and welcome to the Auto Ethnographer. I'm John Steck, your host on this journey. We travel the globe to bring you stories about culture and the global automotive industry.
Missed Episode and Trip to the Philippines
00:00:24
Speaker
Fasten your seatbelt and let's get started.
00:00:27
Speaker
Hello and welcome to this week's episode of The Autoethnographer. I'm sorry I missed last week. I had a complete computer meltdown that prevented me from basically doing anything, anything at all.
00:00:40
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I did travel two weeks ago today. I left for the Philippines to visit my wife's family there.
Cultural Significance of the Jeepney
00:00:47
Speaker
I wanted to share my observations with you specifically on some of the, let's say vehicle car related um observations that I had, things that I saw, but the computer prevented me from doing that.
00:01:01
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But the good news is following an overhaul at a local IT shop, I'm ready to go this week. Let's now go to the Philippines and take that tour and talk about their most famous mode of transportation, the jeepney.
00:01:18
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So just to set the mood, imagine it's 6.45 a.m. The sun is already casting golden streaks across the skyline.
00:01:29
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You're on the streets of Manila. A young woman named Liza stands at the corner of España Boulevard, clutching her tote bag in a plastic cup of coffee.
00:01:40
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She's waiting for her ride. It's not a Grab or a Bolt or an Uber, and it's not a bus. It's a Jeep. One roars up, it's painted neon green and chrome, and it has a sticker of Spider-Man climbing across the front windshield.
00:01:59
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She hops in. She squeezes between a student and vendor who's carrying a basket of mangoes.
Jeepney as a Cultural Icon and Social Space
00:02:08
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The driver nods, turns the radio back up to full blast.
00:02:13
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The rosary is swinging from the rear view. This is the heartbeat of the city. Jeepneys are everywhere, from the bustling avenues of Quezon City, adjacent to Manila, to the sleepy roads of provincial towns like Muñoz or La Union, where I went during my visit.
00:02:37
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They dominate the Filipino landscape. They're not just vehicles though. They're more like moving murals. They're a social space. And frankly, they're also an economic lifeline.
Historical Origins of the Jeepney
00:02:50
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With over 150,000 jeepneys operating throughout the country, all of the islands, they really form the backbone of transportation for millions across the nation.
00:03:04
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You'll see them weaving through traffic, making wild movements from the left lane suddenly over to the right lane to pick up another rider. They're packed with passengers and they stop on demand.
00:03:19
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It's not called by an app. There's no fixed stops. It's just a honk, a wave, and then a few coins change hands. And yet another passenger is off to get to their destination.
00:03:34
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They have an interesting history and origin. I used to work for the Jeep brand many years ago. And of course, the Jeepney, the name seems to give away a little bit about the history of the of the vehicle, right? Jeepney.
00:03:49
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Well, the history begins in the ashes of World War II. When the American troops left the Philippines, they abandoned thousands of Willys Jeeps that had been used in combat against the Japanese.
00:04:03
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The Filipinos, always resourceful, they transformed these military vehicles into public transport. But if you've ever seen one of the old willies, it's really small.
00:04:16
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it's It's unimaginable that this could be any kind of a transport vehicle, right? Well, what they did was they stretched the body, they extended it, they added benches in the back facing each other on either side of the vehicle.
00:04:31
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and then they covered them with a stainless steel roof. Pretty simple. By the 1950s, there were companies like Surrell Motors who were mass producing jeepneys, literally turning them into cultural icons, vehicles that would be become part of the enduring Filipino spirit.
The Art and Expression of Jeepneys
00:04:50
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But they weren't just practical transportation. They were also extraordinarily expressive. Jeepies became canvases for Filipino identity, where you could see painted on the sides and hanging from the rearview mirror, mixes of Catholic devotion, symbolism, pop culture, and a lot of street swagger.
00:05:16
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You can certainly see the color of the jeepney from far away. You know your ride is approaching in the traffic ah just by the crazy colors that they paint the vehicles.
00:05:27
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But when do you step closer, you really can appreciate the riots of colors on the side of the vehicle. You have electric blue, you have fiery reds, chrome accents, and even led strips inside or underneath the vehicle.
00:05:43
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So it gives it this kind of spaceship hovering look in the nighttime. The sides can be adorned with images of Jesus. but mixed with anime characters and other, let's say pop culture icons of the day, which gives a bizarre blend of imagery, something that's very expressive for the owner, the driver of the the vehicle.
00:06:09
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They also, in large graffiti-like letters, have their name or the route emblazoned above the windshield. It's painted on with these big letters. And and usually it's color matched to the rest of the paint job.
00:06:24
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But there is no way to miss the identity of the ride coming at you from the front. And wait a minute, is that? Is that Mercedes-Benz?
00:06:37
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It looks like a Mercedes-Benz star affixed to the front grille of the jeepney. Can that be? Is it a Mercedes-Benz? No, of course not.
00:06:48
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It's not a sponsorship. It's not a Mercedes-Benz. Frankly, it's satire, it's humor, it's kind of a joke. It's a playful nod to luxury.
00:07:01
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It's a way for working class drivers to say, hey, we may not be rich, but we ride with pride.
00:07:13
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Some jeepneys even have multiple emblems. You have BMW and Audi and Lexus and Mercedes Benz all kind of blended together in some sort of panorama on the side of the vehicle.
00:07:25
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It's really pretty humorous to see. And again, it's it's more of a symbolism of being aspirational, being ironic and being deeply Filipino with, of course, a nod to humor.
00:07:43
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But who rides the Jeepney?
00:07:47
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Everyone. Students, office workers, vendors, even tourists. I mean, how can you go to the Philippines without riding in a Jeepney?
00:08:00
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I have to admit, I did not ride one last week when I was there, simply because I was in a car the entire time. I didn't need any public transportation. It's...
00:08:13
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the most affordable mode of transportation on the island. And it's extremely accessible. you know Fares can be as low as 15 Philippine pesos, which is equal to roughly 25 cents.
00:08:32
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And inside, it's like a ah social microcosm. While I was in traffic and several times in Manila or other cities, I always tried to just look at who was on board the GP. And and it was interesting.
00:08:49
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you You see a real mix of of different people, as I mentioned, students and workers and and so on. the The people, they pass the fare from hand to hand. It makes its way up to the driver.
00:09:02
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probably are chatting about politics or maybe about the music of the day that's been released. ah You even see people eating on board, sharing some snacks, something they've just purchased at the local market.
Modernization Challenges for Jeepneys
00:09:15
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There's no hierarchy somehow. It's just a ah shared space and shared stories on board while you're working your way towards your destination.
00:09:28
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But as with almost everything, the future finally arrives. And that has even been the case for the GP.
00:09:40
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For the GP is kind of at a crossroads right now. The Philippine government They have this program called the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program, the PUVMP, which aims to replace the traditional jeepney with a modern, more eco-friendly unit.
00:10:03
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I mean, the jeepney is put together from various cheap metal with a diesel engine, um and you can just listen and hear that that they are not the most efficient vehicles on the roads.
00:10:17
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But the new jeepneys, and I did see a few on the road in some of the more rural countryside areas, They have cleaner engines, they have a digital fare system in some cases, and they have a more standardized design. it looks Frankly, it looks more like a minibus, a long minibus, an enclosed jeepney that actually has windows.
00:10:38
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But I have to laugh because the front end is reminiscent of those handheld vacuum cleaners, the Dustbuster. It's a very long pointy snout that extends at the front of the vehicle towards the road.
00:10:54
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While this PUVMP promises safety and sustainability, many Filipinos, of course, are mourning the loss of the you know or the impending loss of the jeepney.
00:11:11
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because of its artistry and the community that's shared.
Cultural Reflection and Adaptation in Jeepneys
00:11:15
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If you think about it, you have 150,000 jeepneys driving throughout the Philippines, which employ 150,000 drivers and scores of artists, people who have made their entire career and make their living and feed their families by by painting the jeepney, painting them with airbrushes and and and other you know applied decals and and so on.
00:11:44
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This would be a loss. The drivers today do feel financial hurdle if they were to have to trade in their existing vehicle for one of the new ones. And frankly, i think the people would would miss the charm.
00:12:00
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It's a different experience in the new vehicle. The debate, i am sure, is going to continue regarding modernization versus tradition and efficiency versus having a soul.
00:12:19
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The jeepney is not just a mode of transport in the Philippines. It's truly a symbol of Filipino resilience, of creativity, and yes, of humor.
00:12:33
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It was born from war. It was shaped by necessity, becoming longer and able to seek more people. And it was elevated to an art form.
00:12:47
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it carries more than people. It actually carries a culture, something that's deeply embedded and ingrained in the Philippines. And whether it's a chrome plated Mercedes-Benz star on the front where it's one of the sleek new, in my opinion, not quite as attractive or interesting yeah modern units.
00:13:13
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The Jeep reflects the Filipino
Engagement and Social Media Interaction
00:13:16
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spirit. It's adaptive, it's expressive, and most importantly, it's always moving forward.
00:13:25
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For those of you who joined watching on YouTube or on Apple podcast video, you had the opportunity to see some of the jeepneys that I saw during my trip.
00:13:38
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You can also see these if you follow the Auto Ethnographer page on Instagram or on Facebook, where just a week or so ago, I dropped some pictures in four ah from the Philippines with a number of different jeepies that I saw on the road.
00:13:56
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I do actually drop almost daily a bunch of pictures on Instagram and Facebook. These are unusual cars in unusual places.
00:14:07
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Quite often they're in Southeast Asia, but when I do have the chance to travel elsewhere, I try to feature other cars as well. Please also follow on LinkedIn.
00:14:18
Speaker
where I share information, upcoming updates about the podcasts, as well as information about the individual podcasts. And last but not least, please hit the subscribe button and please leave a review.
00:14:33
Speaker
It does help to get more traffic to the podcast as well as to you know broaden the appeal. Thank you very much. Until next week, keep on driving.
00:14:47
Speaker
Thank you for joining us on today's journey. Please remember to like and subscribe to The Auto Ethnographer and leave us a rating or comment. For more information, visit our website at auto-ethnographer.com.
00:14:59
Speaker
You can also follow on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.