Jeepney

1978. After enrolling himself at the local state-school – total tuition, P273 – he was too broke for lunch. But not to worry, he has the family jeepney parked at the school grounds. And it has sufficient fuel to make a single roundtrip on the Guadalupe-Colon route line. On his way out from school, he bumps into his girlfriend. She decides to spend the day working as his conductor. The goal for the day: To make enough money to spend for beer and food at their favorite folk house come evening.

The jeepney has a name. Maco Uno stands for Maria Consuelo, the family niece, first of what would later become a huge brood. Uno or One signifies the dream for more jeepney units in the future. There would be only 3.

A jeepney is a wonderful looking contraption derived originally from the World War II Jeep and converted into a vehicle for public conveyance. Its colors reflect the unique cultural-economic practice behind it. This he explains to his Hong Kong-Chinese-girlfriend working today as his virgin conductress. It was her first time. Excitedly, she collects fare, gives passengers change and counts their money, which quickly piles on the dashboard. All these while calling out the jeepney route in her thick British-Chinese accent.

The size of the pile of money is deceptive. The  driver rents his machine. At the end of the working day, which may last till midnight, he must have made more than enough to pay for the rental, called here boundary. And then he must fill up the tank for the next day unless he has a special agreement with the next day’s driver as in this particular case. Whatever money is left behind is his.

This set of constructs produce its consequence of behavior and practice. It is not easy acquiring the skills of a successful jeepney driver. It only seems easy. One must have an excellent sense of timing. Daily traffic density works in pulses. It is always a question of being there at the right time. And weather easily becomes a quick spoiler for everything. A good jeepney driver must also be a good reader of signs. Is the woman carrying the shopping basket a passenger? She squints to read the destination sign on your windshield. She is. But wait! She has with her three  kids too small to pay fare. Drive on.

There are pragmatic skills a good jeepney driver must learn. And yes, there are rules: Never drive faster that you need to. The longer you are on the road, the more passengers you get. Unless, the jeepney behind you is set to overtake. In which case, do everything you can to keep this from happening, including piling up a train of private cars behind you. One must master the art of the diagonal stop. If you must pick up or drop passengers, stop so that your rear end will discourage anyone behind you from overtaking. Otherwise, stop in the middle of the road. This will help you keep your position. And then you might make some money.

The Hong Kong-Chinese-girlfriend-conductress is studying for a business degree in hotel and restaurant management. She asks: Is the jeepney driver a capitalist on the road? After all, he does not work for daily wage, pays rent and fuel. The art student-driver nods his head. But being more familiar with the local culture, he explains how it might be more exact to relate this particular economic practice to the tradition of agricultural tenancy in the country.

Most farmers here do not own their land. They provide labor and oftentimes additional inputs to grow anything from the land. The landowners get a share by way of rent for the lands they own. It is a system that has never worked well and might help explain the poor conditions of the country’s agriculture. The girlfriend replies: As it might also explain your dismal traffic conditions.

Wouldn’t you be better off just paying your jeepney drivers a daily wage, she asks.  After all, public transportation should be public service. The idea is to move people as efficiently as possible through the streets. And there should be a modicum of state control over the economic competition at the city streets. How much state control do you really have now? Given the current system? Be honest! Nada, or bo, as we Chinese say.

But all these has distracted the driver. When was the last time he replenished their fuel? Oops! The engine stops in the middle of Colon street at the height of noon time traffic. The girlfriend has to walk to the nearest gas station with an empty gallon container. Before starting off she gives him the evil eye. He replies with his most apologetic, gap-toothed, smile.

By the end of the day, they will have earned more units of memories than money. Come evening at their favorite folk-house, she might whisper into his ears: Do you know how happy I am you are studying to be something else besides jeepney driver?