Boundary

"Ma', sandali lang, " said the middle-aged woman as she was hurriedly alighting from the jeep.

"Sige, kahit magtagal ka pa," replied the driver.

Usually, a driver wouldn't say that. Instead,  he would say, "Paki-bilis-bilisan lang po. Bawal bumaba dito."

I looked around to see we were in the intersection and the red light was on. Whether the driver said that in jest or not, being there was a serious opportunity to pick up passengers.

I sometimes forget that jeepney drivers also work to earn a living. To be honest, it infuriates me to be in a jeep that would stop at every sight of a possible passenger and take its sweet time to wait for passengers crossing from the other side of the road. The thoughts of other irritable passengers: Can we just leave them and go already? I'm already late! I can't imagine what an additional seven pesos can do? Our thoughts don't really matter because the drivers have to make up for their 'boundary.'

The  word 'boundary' takes on a different meaning for the drivers, but it means the same as '9-5', or 'duty' to any working class. In the same way that a seven pesos could save you ten milliliters of sweat from walking, that additional seven pesos could buy the driver about a quarter of a liter of diesel, and eventually could get him passengers to earn more than his boundary. It requires a mind of a worker to fully-understand what those seven pesos could do.

It is the same mentality that conflicts with the teacher in me.

I have a breadwinner student who always absents himself from class. When I asked him the reason, he said, "Walang pera, sir. Namamasada ako sa umaga."

"Eh, dapat may pera ka," I responded.

"May binabayaran kasi, sir."

I found out that our principal had been aware of my students' situation. My principal added that my student had been paying  the tricycle being used through installment. My student resorted to buying his own vehicle as this was the wiser thing to do than shell out money daily for the boundary.

Now, if I don't see him at school, I would understand; if I do see him in school, I can't help but see fatigue etched on his face. It's not halfway through the school year, yet he has amassed a considerable number of absences to send him out of school and give him all the time in the world to earn his living through his trike. Now, do I let that happen?

Chivalry gone

"Hindi ka gentleman, noh?" my gentleman friend said.

I knew the answer to this question.

My friend must have observed a few commuting instances, or maybe more, that led him to his opinion of me. I guess, for my friend, chivalry can best be seen in commuting among other venues and situations. I think he saw me not offering my seat to a female companion while we were on on board a train.

I feel that I don't owe anybody an explanation for my actuations. If you don't like me, then don't!

BUT this certainly got me thinking. Despite my "I-don't-care" attitude, I wanted to be likeable to a certain extent. I never aim to be everybody's favorite although to be liked by at least two people would be more than great! And maybe that gentlemanly trait might just win me at least one 'like.'

Since I want some 'likes' as in Facebook, I shall explain.

For the longest time, I have been commuting alone; actually, I prefer doing it alone. I have been trained for aggression, in so far as commuting is concerned. "Nandyan na!" The sight of a jeep approaching was my cue. My years of commuting experience has made jostling my second-best skill next to sleeping. This is the reality in Manila, whether you take a jeep, a bus, or the train in terminals where queuing does not exist.  Less aggression would leave you 'ride-less.' This mindset has made me forget other things, including companions. All that was in  my mind was to get in no matter what and sit comfortably. This behavior is dangerous, though. I don't recall getting in fights for doing this, but I nearly injured a woman inside a jeep many years ago in Zamboanga. When a nearly-filled jeep halted, I hopped inside it nearly pushing an alighting woman back to her seat. For a brief moment I saw fear in her and for the seven-month baby in her womb. I felt miserable after. That was a lesson learned. Never charge a pregnant woman or anyone for that matter. I have learned to let people get out of the vehicle first before entering. This is a simple commuter rule yet I learned it the most stupid way.

I still have that agility to seize any seat although I have conducted myself in a more acceptable behavior since that pregnant woman incident. Commuting in Manila taught me more desirable things may it be in commuting or about life in general ,and so did my Manila education. I had feminist teachers for my countless literature classes in Manila. They tried to imprint in my mind 'women power.' I think they have successfully did that as I am very far from being a male chauvinist pig --- a pig maybe but never a chauvinist! hehe. The simple tenet of feminism, "men and women are equal" found its way into my long-term memory that is so easy to retrieve anytime. Hence, if women get tired standing on buses, so do men. (Dear ladies, just leave your comments in the comment box. Thank you!)

Lastly, I have to put my dear mother in this conversation. My wonderful mother has made all of her sons feel like they were princes. My dear mother made everything comfortable for her sons and her daughters who were to come much later. Hence, I am accustomed to comfort. Thus, I want to sit  in jeeps or on buses, and, yes, I am selfish. As a result, I am not gentleman.

They say that one's demeanor is a reflection of one's character, and that it is difficult to change especially when it is deeply rooted in one's childhood. This maybe true or maybe half true, but the truth remains that things can still change, and that the word 'effort' is invented for a reason.

Upong Piso

"Tatlo pa, tatlo pa!" the jeepney barker called out.

A lady opined, "Tatlo pa? Eh, wala na ngang mauupuan dito." I had the exact observation.

From the looks of it, someone is to have a 'upong piso' or else the jeep won't go. This brings me to ask, "If bathala had known that Pinoys would be riding jeepneys, why didn't he give us the same butt sizes?" It causes an uncomplaining commuter some discomfort when only a small chunk of his or her butt is accomodated. This has happened to me a lot of times. To appease me, I just think of the passenger who will get off soon; I say a short prayer of thanks for the ease that that passenger will give me. But my darker side would like to pin my misfortune on other passengers whose asses should be made to pay for two to three people! I do not dislike the healthier members of our society; in fact, I find most of them to be very adorable. My mom is one! hehe. But, but, but I just want to exercise my right of equality! Equal seating space! I pay the same amount as everyone else, but why do they get more than I do? Hmm....

But I forget that healthier people have the same reasons as me for being there. I seem to have detached myself from their feelings. I was once overweight. These probably have been our thoughts:
Should I pay for two?
I know they are looking at me. I shouldn't mind them.
I'll put on my headphones.
I shall look away. Ignore.
Accept my slow death through embarrassment.
Continue eating the food I have.
So what if I'm fat?
Quietly apologize for being me.
I'll succumb to self-pity.
Consider losing weight.
Accept I'm fat.

And many other kinds of thought cloud a fat person's travel.

I'll leave this at this note.

Jeepneys and fares

In a third world country like ours, the Philippines, owning a car is a luxury reserved for the rich. Those who are not take the public transport, and, boy, there are so many of us who keep the various PUV's (Public Utility Vehicle) in business.

A certain jeepney-riding culture has been formed from our long relationship with the jeepney, initially called jitney, a military conveyance transformed into the ever-dependable 'service' of the people. Its existence has largely to do with Filipinos' honesty. It may raise an eyebrow, but our jeepney-riding public is honest. How would the operator continue without its passengers who hand their fare from hand to hand until the money reaches the welcoming hands of the driver, who , by the way, multi-tasks? I wonder how drivers are able to keep track of the payment. That's a great skill to master.

The jeepney-riding experience is a great equalizer. Once you hop onto a jeep, you are its passenger and no other social label could change your state at the very moment. So, physical contact should not be frowned upon, unless, of course, it is deemed inappropriate. By physical contact, I mean hand contact since it is the hand that literally transfers the money to energize the jeep. With the hand contact that transpires in the whole transaction, it would be nice to hear the words "thank you," which apparently are increasingly disappearing in jeepney vocabulary. I smile when I hear these precious words aboard the jeep. I remember one jeepney ride, a man who could obviously pass for a snatcher/murder sat opposite me. A plain-looking
woman handed him her fare and said thank you. He responded with the sweetest "You're welcome" I heard in years!That made my long trip eventful!

Having lived in Zamboanga and worked in Manila, I have seen how different passengers pay their fare. I notice in Manila that most passengers hand in their fare the moment they hop onto jeep. In Zamboanga, they normally pay when they are about to get off. Sometimes they stand beside the driver to wait for their change. As a result, this causes some inconvenience to the driver and other passengers and also to the other vehicles plying the street. But it's culture. Also, I notice in Zamboanga, their notion of fare is proportional to distance. They don't seem to follow the fare matrix. I see people handing five pesos to the driver when the minimum is seven, and yet the driver does not complain.The same cannot be said in Manila. You'll surely get your share of verbal barrage when that happens. I still would like that people follow the fare rates imposed. Mamang driver is like any other person working for a living. It's best we give what is due to them, in the same manner that we expect they bring us to our destinations safely.

to be continued...