Live in the Philippines

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Isa Pa (One More)

Transportation / by

The oldest joke I know about living here that even the Filipino will howl laughing at is; “What is the capacity of a Trike, Jeepney or a bus in the Philippines? The answer is always: “Isa Pa” or in English, one more. When you go home to where you grew up this joke will bomb unless they have been here.

Inter-Island flights
Inter-Island flights

My friends in Boston gasp in horror over these pictures they see on Facebook or swear they were photo shopped (Well the PAL picture was) but the rest are a daily sight for most of us who live here. But never in Tagaytay (Okay, okay that’s my last time to mention Tagaytay, I’ll swear to it)

On a trip to Palawan 20 years ago, heading across the Island to the Underground River in a hired van, I stopped and rode the roof of a Jeepney from one town to the next just to experience it. The view was spectacular and the folks up there with me were surprised to be sitting with a Kano. They thought I was crazy and laughed about it the entire 20 miles.

Where I’m from in Massachusetts you will pay a heavy fine for a passenger on the back of a truck. Or one person more than you have seatbelts for; I’m not saying they are bad rules but they would not work here on this Archipelagoes that we call home. I have never seen the police here stop anyone for doing it. Albeit I have noticed that the foreigner will be stopped for riding his motorbike without a helmet but not a Pinoy, we foreigners must be known to process soft heads.

That 90cc motorbike loaded with the family heading to town is the result of economics. Not all can afford a car, but with a steady job a citizen can make a down payment and get a loan for two years and own a new motorbike. (The interest rate would shock you) This is called; “The Peso down and the chase is on” finance plan. If you are looking to buy one go to your bank and ask about their yard full of “REPOPS” Great deals!

I’ve had a car for most of the 20 plus years I’ve lived her but have taken every form of transportation when I was here on ships. I still do use public transport, because taking a car into the city you spend most of the time trying to finding a parking space, and then worrying if the car will be dented when you return. A friend in Manila told me that to park a car there you must purchase a parked car, have it towed away and then pull your car into the empty space. (Someone might jump into the space if you’re too slow) I foolishly drove into Manila to go to the immigration office, circled for twenty minutes looking for a parking space. I saw a family driver cleaning the van, stopped and said; “I’ll give you PHP 300.00 for that parking spot. He had the van moving before I finished the sentence. When I came out he was doubled parked in front of my car. I smiled and waved goodbye as I drove away and he had some extra cash and his parking spot returned.

In 1996 my friend Charlie and I were sipping a few SMB’s in Olongapo City. He said lets go to the Barrio, out the door we flew to hire a Trike, where we discovered that due to Charlie’s girth two Trike’s would be needed. I heard Charlie tell his driver that there would be an extra PHP 100.00 if he got there first. I smiled and told my driver it would be PHP 150.00 if I won. Up the hill by the grave yard at the beginning of the Zig-Zag with the sidecars wheel leaving the ground on the turns I offered my driver PHP 200.00 extra if Charlie won the race. We never did that again.

I’ve been on public transportation all over the world, for ease of travel and no waiting time the Philippines has most places beat hands down. Just remember when the guy who loads the Jeepney’s at the market points at you and shouts; “Isa Pa”, he’s talking to you, so start climbing up to the Jeepney’s roof.

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  2. Good morning to you there in DinBat, Mr. Paul T. You sure know your Philippines – even the transportation and ways of traveling. 🙂 I am also sure you have tried the “publicos” from Ceiba to Old San Juan in Puerto Rico. Have a great SMB week. Uno más (Isa pa.) 🙂

    • Jose;
      I guy owed me some money, so he gave me an Audi. We took it into San Juan to Isla Verdi (Gringo Ghetto) after way to many Don “Q” and coke took a Publico back to Luquillo. Never saw the Audi again.

      • Mr. Paul T, Don Q is a helluva rum! Ronrico is milder -comparable to your Tanduay there in PHL. I know, I know you prefer SMB. My girlfriend there now drinks SMB – but the “apple flavored” kind. Just like drinking a soft drink, she said. 🙂

        • Jose;
          I promise to not make soft drinks taste like beer if they leave my beer alone. Ronrico Rum is not for the serious rum drinkers. I think they make that in New York.

  3. Riding in a Jeepney can give you a new perspective of how a sardine in a can would feel if it were still alive.

  5. It is always a treat to be able to feel the heart beat of the person sitting on both sides of you..hahaha

  7. I love the public transportation here. It is cheap and fast and have never had a problem. from the anywhere in the city proper it is only 7 pesos to my house and with my senior discount that drops it down to 6 pesos. (about $.13 to .15) And the buses are an adventure and I like the air cond or non air cond it is just fun and a lot cheaper than driving the car for a long distanceand almost as fast. But I love the picture of the PAL plane. LOL

  9. Hi Paul

    This week I am purchasing another form of mass transportation in the Philippines, namely a pick-up truck.

    I will keep you informed of the record number of people, lechon baboy, cooler box full of SMB, 19litre bottles of water, bottles of soft drinks, plastic boxes of rice and caldereta that we manage to fit in on a family day at a local resort.

    Cheers

    AJ UK

    • AJ UK;
      The options with a pick-up truck are unlimited. Remember to have “Not For Hire” stenciled on both sides. And the rest of the time you’re dragging 8 feet of empty space behind you. (LOL)

      • Actually, I hate trucks but it’s a matter of necessity now.

        We have just bought land on Samal island and the concrete road near our plot is still a couple of years away. The truck will come in useful for buying items for the house build and the monthly canned goods shop in Davao. Also, with an extended cab, it’s only 5 feet wasted LOL.

        We have built a Nipa Hut for now so at least we can enjoy it there at the weekend on my piece of paradise.

        I had a Honda Civic sport before but it was useless for some of the lesser roads around Davao and also driving on the concrete roads was like driving over gravel what with the stiffer suspension. A bad choice of car in all fairness unless you are just driving in the city areas.

        One lives and learns!

        Cheers

        AJ UK

        • AJ UK;
          A friend of mine back in the 70’s had a Dodge “Lil’ Red Wagon” (Goggle it, if you have never seen one, well worth it.) and it was the best looking step side pitch-em up you’ve ever seen. So another friend was moving and we called Glenn to give a hand and he answered; “I can’t, it might scratch the bed on the truck!”
          That came up for years anytime we gathered for a beer, without mercy.
          Building can be fun as you watch your vision rise in front of you, and then you get to live there. It took 10 years of living at my house before they put in city water and paved the road. Just wait and things improve here in the RP..

  10. Hi Paul, great post yes it can be hard finding a parking spot in Manila I usually park in
    The supermarket in cubao ,free parking for 3 hours then just 10 pesos a hour after that
    Plenty of security guards there, then we catch the lrt into Manila jeepneys in Manila
    Can get very crowded keep an eye on your pockets, but it can be good fun especially
    The old bone shaker buses on edsa it’s like being on a fairground ride lol,
    But if you’re traveling a fair distance I like to take the car yes it’s more fun in the Philippines, ?? Derek in pasig.

    • Derek;
      Most older cities in the stares that have a good Subway System, you can leave your car outside the city for free to ride the MTA. I see you have made that work in Manila. I park at the Harbor (Harbour for you) Point Mall (All day PNP 20.00) and walk over the bridge to go in to Olongapo. Great minds will find the solution. (LOL)

    • Bob (NY);
      For the rest of us especially the drivers they are the scourge of the roadway, picture hundreds of chickens on a road with no discipline or firm direction and that describes the pedicabs.

  13. ‘Sapa also applies to RP child production. That’s why at the POPULATION GROWTH RATE of 2%, 35 years from there will be close to 200 million Filipinos. How many padyaks by then, your guess is as good as mine.

  14. Hi Paul,
    I just wanted to take a moment to thank you and all the veterans who served to protect our freedom!

    On your topic, we here the “one more” a lot when the jeepney stops, but when I travel I have an entourage of at least my wife and 2 kids so after awhile when on vacation they do not stop. We put 7 people a sack of rice and some other groceries on a trike once that is about as much as we could. I guess public transportation would be impossible for a germophoic person in the Philippines.

    Thanks again for your service!

    • Jay;
      First: Thank you!
      In the states if you move you call “Two Guys and a Truck” here it’s “One Guy and a Trike” I was amazed by the power of a 125 CC 4 stroke engine. The rich use Jeepney’s!.
      Could there even be a germophobe in the Philippines? Where could they eat?

  15. Absolute thanks Paul. So very apropros. Precious.
    I’m going to get some “photo-paper” to print that on, get it laminated, and have it posted in our mega-jeepney for all to enjoy.