jeepney rides
-i posted this originally at barrio alimasag

i love jeepney rides. they're a good barometer for the current trends of the filipino society, as well as a good source for amusing anecdotes. behavioral patterns abound!

here's what i've noticed so far:

1. pinoy rap - jeepney drivers, especially those of patok jeeps were the first to patronize these homemade demo tapes. some were good, really good - i won't mention names since i don't know them, just heard them. some were bad, really bad - i.e saldakuta(sp?)

2. the yuppie is more likely to take up more than his/her fair share of space while the urban poor is almost always willing to give up their seat to those in need (pregnant women and lolas). why is that? i need 12 more jeepney rides to ponder on this one and come up with an answer

3. when you're in a jeep full of manangs and their pinamalengke, be at ease. you're safer with them. i once rode a cubao jeep with them, and another passenger (the only noncriminal male) was heldup. the unlucky guy, who was sat near the entrance, sought refuge behind these manangs--good move, i thought. the holduppers, faced with an angry mob of manangs, turned tail and ran.

4. the myth that riding a jeep in the wee hours of the morning (1-3am) is just that.. a myth. most of the petty and not so petty crimes i've witnessed and heard about happened in broad daylight or early evening. the one i mentioned above happened at around 10am. i don't know, maybe i'm just cautious, but the worst i've experienced was a drunk leering down my shirt. most the time, my copassengers were either just kids or tatangs going home from their lasingans and gimiks.