King of the Road: A Poor Man's Tale

              The streets of Manila were in its most intense heat, the highways were packed with numerous vehicles, each one exhaled fumes of dark smoke. It was orderly chaotic as ever, as our group walked around the jeepney terminal. The weather was too difficult for us, but for some reason, I noticed the jeepney drivers resting in their parked jeepneys for the meantime. Seeing their tired faces, the sweat trickling down their temples and the heavy way they drank their waters, I felt my exhaustion suddenly seem invalid.

             As a commuter, I realized, who better to represent resiliency, but our very own jeepney drivers?

             In our group’s venturing quest, we stumbled upon Renante, a jeepney driver with a humble smile. The toughness of Manila visible in his tanned face.

             Renante is currently 42 years old, with a whole family to support. He has been driving for more than twelve years. As a driver, his everyday life is a struggle. Especially with straight driving schedule three days a week, that he pushes to finish, just to fill the stomachs of his two children.

Kuya Renante, resting after driving for six hours straight

           

            Behind the driver, is also a loving, hard-working father. One of his children is an elementary student, the other a high schooler. Both are in public schools. Renante is originally from Bohol, but he moved and started living here in Manila since 1994. He enthusiastically mentioned that the reason he drives in the first place, is to help lead his family towards a good life. Not to mention despite his small earnings, he still helps his relatives financially.           

               

               Being a driver, he gets his fair share of economic difficulties. Due to the current inflation, prices of gas and other fuels gets affected too. And Renante is one of the Public Utility Vehicle (PUV) drivers who gets to feel its impact.

             “Sa ngayon, nagtataasan ulit presyo ng Diesel, kaya nagtataasan din mga presyo ng bilihin. Bigas palang magkano na, di pa maganda, (Right now, prices of Diesel are increasing so the prices for commodities are getting higher too. Even rice costs so much now, and it’s not even that good)” he said with a defeated tone.

             "Kaya kaming mga driver, di maiwasan mangutang sa 5-6 lalo na kung ginigipit, (So us drivers can’t avoid borrowing loans from 5-6 (Indians who lends money with interests) especially when we’re in a tight budget)” he added.

             He forlornly told us how his daily incomes would have been enough for his family if not for their debts. So, whenever he’s not driving, he also does construction work. 

             Fortunately, he never experienced any hold-ups, robbery nor near-death accidents. In my one-time circumstance of being his passenger, I noticed his carefulness in driving and his friendliness to other commuters.

             Even when resting, Renante still thinks about work. He mentioned how seriously tiring it is to drive all day that sometimes, he contemplates on joining some jeepney strikes, due to the lack of earnings and benefit he gets. But he can’t. He can’t help but think about his family’s welfare. If he doesn’t work, what will they eat? He admitted there won’t be much opportunities out there for someone like him who didn’t finish college.

             Perhaps, he said, he’ll stop driving and look for other jobs if the government’s jeepney phaseout meddles badly with his income and work schedule. However, for now, he drives anyway.

             "Kahit papaano, nai-aahon ko pa rin ang pamilya ko sa hirap, (At least, I still get to lift my family from poverty)” said Renante, forming a sad smile.

             As soon as he said those words, I somehow understood what it’s really like to be a jeepney driver. It’s not just about driving. I did not just hear the messy noises of vehicles nor the polluted smokes in the busy streets of Manila. I heard stories. Truths. In that chaotic world, I found order. Meaning, in Renante’s, and the rest of the jeepney driver’s faces. The faces of exhaustion. The faces of poverty. The faces of strength. The faces of resiliency.

             So, the next time you plan on doing a 1-2-3 (not paying fees) on jeepney drivers, think about the lives you plan to destroy.  

To know more about the resiliency of Jeepney drivers, watch the video below: