Live in the Philippines

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Driving in the Philippines

Transportation / by

Today’s guest column is from our regular contributor, Jim Cunningham.  Jim recently relocated to the Philippines, and is living in Talakag, Bukidnon.

Having at last taken the plunge and purchased a set of wheels I now know what other people mean when they talk about driving in the Philippines. In all the 25 plus years I’ve been visiting the Philippines I have never driven a vehicle here in all that time until last Monday that is.

After ordering our new vehicle from the dealership in Cagayan de Oro just before Christmas, I must confess as the day drew near to collect it in early January 2009 I felt more than a little apprehensive at the thought. Its funny but up till the point of ordering the vehicle and paying the deposit I never gave the driving part any serious thought. I have held a driving licence for over 40 years and driven hundreds of thousands of miles in that time with both my work as well as for pleasure in the UK, mainland Europe, Africa and the USA but never South East Asia or indeed the Philippines. During the time I have been driving I have witnessed humorous, unbelievable as well as tragic incidents on the road. One example whilst in Nigeria I saw a 40 foot trailer still connected to its tractor unit with one on one side of a concrete centre reservation and the other on the opposite side with no one injured except pride I presume. I have seen bodies cut from vehicles and it makes you shudder at the thought and at the time of passing the incident. Anyway back to the present, last Monday to be exact when I turned up at the dealership paid the balance and was then taken to the service area and then given the mandatory once over of the controls etc.  After a warm handshake and plenty of smiles and waves from the sales staff I suddenly found I was on my own. What do I do now was the first thing that went through my head. There was no use asking Marilou for advice as she has a firm grip of her seat with her eyes shut tight. Well I actually turned right and joined the mayhem that is driving in the Philippines. Where did the sales guy say the horn was, oh yes I remember and haven’t forgotten or taken my hand off it since. In the whole week I have been driving all 327 Km’s I have managed to avoid being hit by every conceivable object from Batchelor’s buses, HGV lorries, Jeepneys, Motorellas,Trisikads, Motorbikes other various private vehicles, human beings, dogs and carabao and that’s just to name a few. I thought I had done well managing to get to being 62 years of age and still not being completely grey on top, I fear this may change sooner rather than later.

Well as we say in the UK “The joys of motoring”, I hope in time and as my knuckles return to a less pale appearance I can relax sufficiently to really appreciate the freedom that owning my wheels could possibly bring to Marilou and I. So if any of you Kings of the Road happen to come across an exasperated Scotsman and his irate Asawa just toot your horn and I will hopefully be able to wave or perhaps give some other kind of hand signal as you pass by.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  2. Hello Jim! So, you're not completely gray on top. Keep us updated as to if you start to lose your hair rapidly! You are much more braver than I will be once I make the move there!

    Cheers!
    Ed

  4. I don't know if you had the opportunity to test drive your car, but i sure didn't .. too risky to let the potential customer on the road, even with a chaperon 😉 My test drive consisted of going up and down a ramp to the second and third-level parking garage overhead the dervice area at my dealer.

    I had driven in the Philippines once bfore, but the feelings you described upon your 'fitrst solo' quite accurately reflected mine. I started with a left turn across the busy four lane street in front of my dealer, not becuase I wnated to, but becuase turning right was the direction _away_ from home and all I could think of was getting my shiny new possession home and safe behind the driveway gates.

    Fortunately a blind lady giot off a Jeeney along with her sighted companion and people actually stopped for her. I seized the opportunity, zipped out quite close behind her, stuck the snout of my car between two stopped jeeneys and made darn sure I was the one who moved first as soon as the guy in front of me did.

    We call that "making singit" here in the northland, "singit" being Tagalog slang for the inguinal crease, The meaning becomes completely obvious within the first few minutes of driving.

    All went well though, made it home alive, thank the Lord and have continued to now for more than 2 years and 20,000 kilometers. Knock wood and happy motoring.

  5. Hi Jim,

    You are braver than me. I've only been a passenger in the front seat of a van driving up (and down) Luzon for 6 to 8 hours. It's something one never forgets! I loved being a passenger, but no thanks to the driving.

  7. Damn you are 1 brave soul.
    I have actually been thinking of putting off my immigration by 6 months just so I can save enough to hire a driver full time.
    I have driven in Vancouver(not to bad) Los Angeles( so so) and London(OMG!!!) Paris (hail Mary full of Grace……!!!)
    But I had the ever loving s**t scared out of me as a backseat passenger last year in Cabanatuan Luzon.
    Our driver was a fabulous man who had driven for the family I was with for 6 years without so much as a scrape.
    He told me "ma'am close your eyes or read. it will keep you calm……instead of watching"
    I took his advice and read alot of books in the backseat.

    I will NEVER drive in the Philippines unless someone is dying in the backseat and I have no choice but to drive them to the hospital.
    BUT
    Let me tell you I will be loudly reciting the Rosary and beseeching God for his grace to fall upon me and keep me alive.

  8. Jim: it's not so bad once you get used to it. Just remember that you can't be tentative… Agressive (assertive), but keep your cool. On the highway, just remember that you can always slow down. In Manila, just remember that nosing in to make a turn is normal and once you decide on an action, follow it through. If you can drive in the RP, then no traffic anywhere will faze you at all.

  9. Jim: one other thing… In Jakarta, a local told me something that is very applicable to the RP. Driving is like swimming in a school of fish… Stay with the school, and you'll be fine. Leave the school, and you'll get eaten. Try and keep this in mind.

  10. Hi Jim,
    the last paragraph ' reax& enjoy…' I think whether you enjoy or not is a matter of dispostion but DON'T RELAX! Be on gaurd always. Use that horn at the slightest opportunity. Assume nothing- lights at night/ staying in your lane/ not throwing U turns in heavy traffic or no overtaking on double lines.
    I have survived on the road for 25 years on all manner of bikes by following the simple assumption: everyone on the road is either out to kill me or about to have a micro-sleep or has never had a license or proper training in road safety and etiquet. This applies anywhere in the world when riding a two wheeler; I have stuck to the same principles for larger vehicles without incident for this whole time.
    When you get relaxed that is when your mind will drift and not notice the danger until it's too late.
    On the other hand, I really enjoy riding here; even if it is defensive. Most drivers are courteous and much more calm in traffic than in the west. Road -rage is almost unheard of here.

  14. Hi Dave- I wish I’d met you before I took off from the dealership, I could have done with your advice. The reason I turned right was to delay crossing the highway in full view of all the sales staff and the other 300 bystanders. I therefore drove down the highway till we reached the Marco Hotel in CDO turned into its grounds calmed my nerves and Marilou’s then crossed the road when it was clear on both sides for about half a kilometre. Rather than drive through CDO the short way home, I took the scenic route and got home an hour later than I should have. My excuse was I wanted to get used to handling the vehicle in my own time ha!ha!ha! The truth was well I don’t need to confess here do I?
    Regards.
    Jim.

  15. Hi John- We live in the mountains of Bukidnon and some parts of the road back and forth to CDO can be scary, but I’d rather be the driver than the one being scared next to him.
    Regards.
    Jim.

  16. Hi Tyleen- It looks as if you have made up your mind never to drive in the Phil’s. But according to what I’ve seen reading in the back seat can equally be done in the front seat. I have seen people read, text and eat merienda and they are the drivers. I’m sure one day you will change your mind and take the wheel.
    All the best.
    Jim.

  17. Hi Bob- As always thanks for the vote of confidence. Its funny but in my former life I used to do 60,000 miles in a little over a year that’s 100,000 Km’s and I thought nothing of it. I certainly would like to see a lot of our region and of course Mindanao in general. Well I just know we will pass each other on the road in time, I almost said bump into one another hahaha!
    Kind regards.
    Jim.

  19. Hi Chris- Did I say RELAX maybe I meant when driving in the Phil’s I’ll never need “Exlax”. However I shall take your advice to heart and never drop my guard not even for Marilou who is sitting by my side as I reply saying “See I told you driving here was not easy, apart from Bob and you no one wants to drive here”. Well she never actually said that but I can read her thoughts.
    All the best.
    Jim.

  22. I have been driving in the Philippines for about 5 years now. I still think the most crowded place I have driven would have to be Cairo, Egypt… 5 times the amount of cars with the same amount of roads and space as Manila.

    Speaking of strange accidents here are 3 classic examples of horrible drivers.

    On a busy 6 lane hi-way in Kuwait there was a burnt out SUV literally wrapped around a light pole 6 feet off the ground and hanging there for a few months.

    School Bus balanced crossways on a concrete median. The front and rear of the bus was off the ground

    I actually witnessed a car fly up and over the side of a bridge. The driver must have been doing well over 280kph (I know that because my odometer was pegged out at 240kph when he passed me). ha-ha guess I had a bit of a led foot.

    Would you believe that every one of those drivers survived!!! Now before I scare you all away just remember those incidents were not here in the Philippines.

  23. Hi Mike K- Having been in Cairo myself and experianced being amoungst the 22 million population its a wonder anyone got over crawling pace in the car let a lone in excess of 200 Km's. I must confess I have exceeded that on the German autobahn but that would never be possible anywhere in the Phil's I'm afraid and maybe just as well.
    Kind regards.
    Jim.

  24. Hi jim,

    You have not seen the worst yet, well not in the philippines of course, here in saudi arabia, you would not miss a terrible accident on the road everyday, it would be unusual if you don't see one, I believe there is one bloke here working in saudi too, he could pretty much demonstrate to you what's it is like here, the most common accident here is beating the red-light and as a result. Death!, very rare you see them alive after the accident, the car is literally unrecognizable, the common speed here is 160kph on a 100kph traffic!, if you slowed down and follow the 100kph, you are looking for a trouble.

    Look at the brighter side when driving in the philippines, give yourself a year of so driving there and you will be the best driver in the U.K. in fact you can join the F1-Grandprix and you can beat alonso the best F1 driver of 2008!

  25. Hi Dans- I've heard all about Saudi driving and I would rather ride a camel. That reminds me of when we visited Lebanon in 2002, we were driving around Beirut with my friend and I asked him why no one paid any attention to the traffic lights and he said they are just for the tourists. I had to laugh as apart from myself and Marilou there were not many tourists.
    We drove down to the south of Lebanon on day and my friend stopped in the middle of a round about in Sidon to ask directions now that was impressive apart from bloody dangerous. No wonder no one visits the Lebanon its the driving their scared of not the Hezbollah.
    Regards.
    Jim.

  29. H i Jim . please dot not forget . In phil you can drive your car with no wheels , no doors , no engine even no steering wheel . But if you disconnect your hooter it is impossible to drive .

  30. Hi Jim,

    After 6 years driving in Saudi I though the Philippines would be a walk in the park.
    Ive witnessed daily disregard of all traffic signals,cars driving the wrong way on carriageways to take a short cut,almost compulsary use of a telephone while driving and manic lane changing at high speed….and that was the saudi police.
    But the seething mass of buses/bikes/trikes/taxis and cars on very narrow RP roads has to be likened to dodging the meteor shower in star wars.
    However I take every opportunity to drive while i am in Davao to get my local brownie points ready for my move here later this year.
    Like you the first few days were white knuckle events but it does get easier once you get to drive like a local.No signals….. just point your nose in the direction you want to go and make an upwards gesture with your head.JOB DONE.

    PS watch out for batchelor buses they dont slow down even when there is nowhere for you to go to get out of their way.

  32. Hi David- I will heed your advice. Incidentally the title of the piece I wrote was called "Avoidance in the Philippines" but Bob must have thought it was a typo and changed it to "Driving in the Philippines" but I get your drift.
    Regards.
    Jim.

  33. Jim,

    When you have a chance take a trip out to Manolo Fortich. My wife was born and lived there for a few years. Bob tells me the best steaks in the Philippines is in a nice little place there as well.

  34. Hi Mike K- As a matter of fact we drove out there today and had our lunch in the Del Monte Golf Club. Having been there before and sampled the steak I had Gammon Steak on this occassion Marilou had a Club Hamburger and her Tita had Roast Pork. We all enjoyed our meal as usual and ate too much. During our drive we visited Camp Philips and a new housing development called Menzi Estates which has a fantastic view of the surrounding area from its hilltop lodge.
    Yes Bukidnon is beautiful and the climate is second to none.
    The road from CDO to MF unfortunately is dreadful but you get good practice dodging the potholes.
    Kind regards.
    Jim.
    p.s Getting closer to Davao pay attention Bob.

  35. Hello guys from the Philippines!
    I have been driving here in the USA for almost 30 years and no ticket and no accident.

    I went home last year, get myself a rent a car because I want to drive the country side.

    I am not familiar with the main highways so I keep driving, yes I observe traffic signs but if I do not see a sign, what do you need to do? Use common sense!

    In the Philippines, even my cousin is a top police officer, he cannot help me concerning my accident last year. I am already in the middle of the road and here is the jeepney keep going on, I am not sure what I do!

    If i keep going on, I might be dead so God's angels save my life and my companion because an angel step on the brake!

    Then the jeep continue in a hurry! WOW that is a hit and run. now the police find out that I am a US Citizen so they want me to pay the jeep driver around $350 US dollars, nothing happened to the jeep?

    I left the country then find out that they filed a case against me in court. God said t bless those people who persecuted you and bless those greedy people!

    There are many places to visit in the world for US Citizens other than the Philippines!

    My whole family are here in the USA and I have a property in hawaii. Life is getting complicated in the Philippines, every one is always asking for money and money , there are more people who need money other than those greedy people!

    Thank you for listening!

    Grace

  36. I realy do have respect for every foreigner driving himself in the Philippines. The first thing I did when I arrived in the Philippines was: looking for a car to buy so I could go where ever I want on the time I want. It still took a few weeks to finaly be able to drive.
    I must say that the dealer 'assumed' that I knew everything about a car, but still I asked about the lights and other things to be sure.
    After the car was handed over I also was alone. My wife is also holding her seat tight but doesn't close her eyes. She's warning me all the time: 'drive slowly', 'watch out' and so on.
    I'm driving in the Capatal region, Manila, Makati, Quezon city and surroundings. And I must say, I'm getting used to the Philipino way of driving already. On my website I also wrote an article about my driving experiences.