Road courtesy

Getting into traffic near a fare-rich corner is different from getting in at any other part of the thoroughfare.

Passenger utility vehicles compete for fares all the time. They race to get to stops with lots of prospective passengers. They try to outmaneuver each other or cut off the other PUV to find a spot that will give them the most fare.

The trick to get your vehicle filled up with paying commuters is to be at a corner when the light is red "forcing" the driver to stop. That gives them an excuse to load passengers in a no loading area.

To achieve this, drivers tend to dilly-dally when they are approaching a corner with a stoplight. so they get stopped at the right moment -- at the corner where pedestrians abound.

Entering traffic near a corner full of prospective passengers will be to your advantage because PUV drivers will use stopping to let you pass as an excuse to miss the green light and get that coveted spot. :)

Traffic violation - patience is a virtue

On my way home from work, I took a jeepney ride from Crossing (along Shaw Boulevard near EDSA across Shangri-la Mall)

When we crossed San Miguel Avenue, the jeepney stopped and took on some passengers. This practice was allowed since it does not affect the flow of traffic much. When the driver was ordered by the traffic enforcer to move ahead, a woman carrying a big plastic bag with 2 one gallon containers (probably in a hurry to get home) called him to stop so she could board. The driver heeded the would be passenger. He stopped, let her board, and began to drive away when the enforcer banged on the side of the vehicle and told the driver to stop.

My fellow passengers and I were confused at what was happening and are unable to discern the discussion between the enforcer and the driver. In the end, the driver got off the jeep and followed the enforcer to the road island to talk to another enforcer leaving us confused, annoyed and impatient.

Two of the passengers thought aloud directing their words to the distant driver saying that he should just fork over some cash for coffee or snacks so we can be on our way.

Impatient that we are, we sat and waited. Meanwhile the woman-who-may-be-the-cause-of-all-the-delay for stopping the driver even if he was asked by the enforcer to leave got up and off the jeep then waved on other jeepneys passing us.

Fearing that they might end up like the other driver, they ignored the woman and went on ahead without stopping.

Less than 2 minutes later, the driver got back on the jeepney, was given a final warning and set free.

When we left the scene, I saw the impatient woman-who-may-be-the-cause-of-all-the-delay still waiting for the next jeepney to come by.

Generosity in the midst of economic crisis

We often hear public utility drivers whine about increasing fuel prices. They seek increase in fare that are held back by the government. We never hear about their generosity to some passengers who themselves do not have enough cash to pay for their fare due to one reason or another.

In the Philippines, public mass transport is owned by private individuals, groups or companies. Buses and some taxis are company-owned. Jeepneys, most taxis and AUVs are owned by individuals or groups.

For those owned by individuals or groups, drivers are employed on a turn basis - you drive today, you have a day-off tomorrow. Some drive the vehicles everyday. From the earnings of the day, drivers need to pay the owners what we call a boundary (a fixed amount that serves like a rent for driving the vehicle), they spend from that income fuel and repairs when needed. What's left becomes their own personal income that they take home to their families. So, you can see how important it is to them to have a good balance between fare rate and fuel cost.

But like the Filipinos that we are, we tend to be generous even if we have not enough for ourselves or our families. Maybe it is the religious upbringing in most of us or it is our character that makes one a true Filipino.

Just yesterday, I got into an AUV plying the Megamall-Pateros route. When the dispatcher began collecting our fixed P30.00 fare, one passenger seemed confused at how much the fare was. He repeatedly asked the dispatcher how much the fare is and how much the other passengers paid for their fare.

In the end, he conceded that he only has P20.00 with him which puzzled us.

Why did he get on the vehicle when he did not know if he had enough money to pay for the fare? That was the question that ran through my mind, blurted by the dispatcher, and - probably - thought by the other passengers as well.

The passenger never responded. I don't think he even paid for the fare.

And the AUV driver, the good man that he is - God bless him and his family - told the dispatcher to charge the fare to him. The dispatcher agreed and gave the driver his due from the fare collection less one passenger's fare.

I never knew what that guy's problem was. And I am not in the position to ask.

During the ride to Megamall, I remembered when I had the same problem. I took my sister to the sea port for her trip to Iloilo eating lunch on our way. When we were about to part ways at the gate, I gave her extra for some food at the ship (her ticket allows her free meals anyway). All I had left is twelve pesos which I thought will be enough to get me back to Quezon City.

When I paid the fare, I was told that the money I gave is not enough to get me to Quezon City. All my money is tied in my bank account and I did not bring the ATM with me.

I told the driver to drop me off wherever my payment brings me. He just smiled an said not to worry and that he will take me to where I am going. He added that at least, I told him that I did not enough cash unlike other passengers who do not pay the right fare.

God bless that man. And God bless all our PUV drivers who spend their days and nights on the risky streets to feed their families and educate their children.

Music to my subconcsious

This morning, I was able to get to the terminal at almost 9:00. As I was waiting for the next FX to come along, I heard a Visayan rendition of a popular song played in parties and discos.

At first, I thought the song is about a party that the singer and his companions joined one night. They had fun in that party and later on the lead singer asked one of his friends for a prepaid load of three hundred pesos so he can call someone to say hello-lo-lo-lo-lo.

The music got stuck in my mind and I sang it, or at least a part of it, in the office. One of my officemates knew the song an since she is Visaya, she told me my interpretation of the lyrics was wrong.

What the song actually told is that, yes the guys did join a party and had fun but among those served for them to eat is what we call "butete." They ate the butete and were poisoned by the food. It resulted to them feeling dizzy (nahilo-lo-lo-lo-lo).

On my way home, I now have a better grasp at what the song means.

As luck would have it, I heard the song again as the radio station the jeep I was taking was tuned in to played that same music.

It was bad enough that I was playing the song in my head in the office, now, I am still playing it in my subconscious up until the time I am about to sleep.

Sheesh!

Of work and play

During the commute home, I had nothing to do but worry about an unpaid service rendered to our office. While in my stressful and distressing thoughts, I overheard four people talk about work and play.

There were two males and two females. One of the females is obviously the most senior employee since they address her as ma'am.

When they boarded the jeep, they began their discussion about a sports event where they came from. The two girls must have played in that game since they were both wearing uniforms. The two boys were probably just spectators because they were in the usual friday outfit of collared shirts and jeans.

After a few moments of teasing the "players" at how they fared in the game, their discussion shifted to things that happended in the office. They were laughing about how one of the guys was surprised by their boss with a question and gave an answer that is not in any way related to what was asked.

After a few minutes of office talk on the subject of questions and answers, they shifted back to the game that afternoon. This time, they talked about their other officemates and how they played.

The senior gal got off at her stop leaving the three others continue the journey with me.

Since the remaining three seems to be going to the same area, they changed topics to who lives where and who lives near to whoever. They even discussed who the town mayor of the last girl is.

In a minute or two, all three got off at the same stop to take another ride to where they are going.

And that ends their talk of work and play.

Community activities

In the last couple of days I commuted home, our public utility jeepney (PUJ) ran into two consecutive community activities of the same nature by two different baranggays (villages) bordering the same main transport route.

Friday night, I got held up in a 30 minute kilometer long traffic jam because of the Santacruzan that passed within the boundaries of Sta. Rosa, Pasig City. It was a long 3-lane crawl from the Pasig Plaza to the T-intersection near Ado's Panciteria. Fortunately, the procession turned right at the next corner. When the tail end passed that next junction, we zoomed to our destination in no time.

But then again, last night on my way home, our PUJ is once more stuck in traffic. Good for us it only took about 20 minutes for the parade to turn a corner before the Ado's panciteria T-intersection. If the line proceeded using the same route as before, I would have ended up taking the same amount of time to get home as the other day.

Although these two events are being undertaken by two different communities, these communities border the same main road and plotted their routes to include this road. Good thing I am not leaving the house today. If I had to and there is a third baranggay I did not know about, I'd be stuck again for almost the same amount of time.

Religion, geneology, and food

I overheard four ladies discussion in crisp highly audible voices about their work in the Church. They talked about what each of their contributions are, the roles they play, and the groups they are part of.

Then they began to discuss about priests, where they are assigned, where these priests were once assigned and who among those they know are members of families they are familiar with.

Genealogy is the next part of the discussions. They talked about who they know, who his/her parents were, and where they lived. Then came several "historical" accounts about the relatives of the people they know. This also includes the nicknames some of these people bear.

And they finally wandered to the topic about food. Food they cook, food they ate, and food served to them. They even talked about how best to cook certain meals and exchanged recipes on a few.

Japanese TV series and learning language skills

Before I went home tonight, I had to go to a dinner with my fraternity brods. Unfortunately the hosts changed the venue without even informing the restaurant where they first made reservations.

During the trip to the restaurant just in the periphery of Greenhills shopping mall, I was able to watch a tagalog dubbed Japanese TV series. The title of the series is Hana Yori Dango. It is the Japanese version of the ever popular Taiwanese series Meteor Garden. Meteor Garden was also dubbed in tagalog.

I remembered doing a marathon viewing of the series on pirated DVD last Christmas. I had no choice. We only had one DVD player and television and my sisters and my mom are fans of the series. We watched it from morning to the morning of the next day.

The series was introduced in the Philippines only this February.

On my way home bearing the frustration that I was first at the venue only to find out that I was moved elsewhere, I took a Jeep to EDSA. During the ride, all I heard was chatter among passengers. One thing that really caught my attention is when the "conductor" tried to find the person who paid P50.00 to give his change, no one answered. Irritated at the lack of attention, the conductor returned the change to his cash box.

After a while, a person sitting next to the conductor asked for his change. He paid P50.00 and he is yet to get his change. This got him into a light tongue lashing from the conductor.

The conductor mumbled about how he asked who is yet to get a change for fifty and nobody answered and then suddenly this guy next to him asked for his change. The changed that was being handed out a few minutes earlier.

After reaching the end of the jeepney's trip, I transferred to a FX for my ride home. During this time, the only chatter I heard is from a family sitting behind me and the noise from the TV-phone. The TV-phone is a modified phone with a UHF-VHF receiver to allow viewing of free TV. I am sure it was made in China. You can find some info on this in my other blog: blagsasapot.

The family was letting their child watch some news and listen to some music. The kid repeats some familiar word heard from the phone. The mother repeats the word again and asks the child if he understood the word. I don't really know if the child is a he or a she.

The songs they listened to are modifications (almost bastardized versions) of original songs. Most contain sexually suggestive lines but the parents don't care.

It's good though that the child only retains specific words and not whole phrases. Maybe in time, he or she will know what those words meant together and wonder why his/her parents allowed them to listen to such a music.

In the end, the couple argued about the husband spending more time downloading stuff than attending to the domestic needs of his child and wife.