Filipino DIY

The Philippines has an impressive array of modes of transportation that can make any day’s travel unique. The most famous of their unique vehicles is the jeepney, a boisterously decorated limousine jeep. Its roots are in WWII when the US military left behind a whole bunch of modified army jeeps. Now they serve as public transport throughout the country. Some of them look ancient, and just might be originals. Many, especially in the cities, are newer and locally made. They are definitely pumped out of a factory, but instead just cobbled together in local auto shops. That is why most of their chassis look different than the one right behind it. Their paint jobs are the real treat though. Many hold true to a certain theme and color scheme, for example the many that have chosen a certain NBA team. Just watching traffic for one beer in Cagayan de Oro, I was pretty sure I saw the whole league drive by. Many are religious themed, while others have impressively spray-painted Disney characters. Chrome ornaments always goes over nicely. Others just have cool designs. My favorite looked like it had just come out of the body shop. It was painted in various shades of purple and had nautical themed-phrases written on it, including “Liberian Registration”, a nod to the country where people register their boats to avoid taxes and fees. If I pretend they are floats in a parade, I can sit and watch the street pass by for hours, never bored as each jeepney is completely different than the last. Most countries do a good job of decorating their trucks and buses, but the way they did it in the Philippines is something special and boundless. Jeepneys are the true Kings of the Road and a perfect symbol of the Philippines’ history, spirit, and creativity.

Jeepney

Next we have a whole fleet of various 3-wheeled vehicles. Most are some variation of the tuk-tuk, but even more unique since, like the modern jeepney, are built in local shops and don’t follow a uniform design. The tricycle is basically a modified motorbike with a carriage rigged onto the back. This can easily haul six, maybe eight passengers. We also have the sidecar version of this, which only holds a couple passengers, and feels completely flimsy as you bump along with all your luggage in the welded mess. There are also a variety of human-powered cycle rickshaws. Some just have big carts attached for hauling stuff. Others have seats for people, which could be the kind in front or behind the bike, or even on a sidecar. Needless to say, these vehicles are well-decorated as well.

Even in urban areas, Filipinos are not above animal transport. In Cebu’s downtown area we saw the occasional Tartanilla, a horse-drawn two-wheeled cart. Supposedly in Manila these are mostly for tourists these days, but in Cebu it seemed mostly for the locals. The horses were in such rough shape that I imagine most tourists wouldn’t feel ethical about having these animals pull them around.

Then we could talk about boats. However, I think that would require a book. The Philippines is obviously a country where life revolves around water and boats are as important to people as land vehicles are. Boats in the Philippines are as varied as snowflakes, though far more abundant. Ferries, barges, passenger boats all come in an assortment of designs and sizes, as do the smaller fishing or short distance boats.

To me, what seemed so interesting about all these various forms of transportation was that it showed the Philippines’ DIY spirit. Even for a developing country they made a remarkable number of things locally ramshackle shops. Throughout the streets of towns and cities you could come across places where men were hard at work bending steel, cutting wood and installing speakers into just about anything. I felt like if I ever have a great idea for some new contraption, but don’t know how to build it, I will just go to the Philippines and describe it to the local handymen. I feel that their creative minds are always on the same wavelength as the mechanics on Xzibit’s “Pimp My Ride”.

My favorite locally made contraptions were the karaoke machines. The self-contained units had a TV of varying age and quality installed in the top half of cabinet made of plywood. The bottom half of the cabinet contained the speakers. There was a panel with large 80’s arcade style button from which you could program the upcoming songs and the background videos. The mistakes in the lyrics and inconsistency in quality of songs was proof that all the music was pirated from a variety of sources.

Even things that I usually see made locally, like spear guns and bbqs are done here with much higher standards. The bbqs are not just halved oil drums, but elaborate rotisserie contraptions that run on a little motor attached to a motorcycle chain that turns the rods of roasting chickens. I saw all sorts of iron smithing going on. They made some really great machetes that had impressive form and function. I’ve had two machetes before, both of which were almost certainly made in China. I wanted a locally made Filipino machete, but knew I couldn’t justify its presence on my pack. It was useful every day in Mali, but I just didn’t see where I would need it the way this trip was going.

Maybe all this is local craftsmanship is not that impressive, but for someone that has grown up in modern America where machine shop no longer exists in schools, it is completely foreign to me. It is also an inspiration, though. We think that our society becomes more advanced the more our labor is specialized, But these days, how many people with a college degree know how to do anything with their hands?

And a few extra photos: