In the Philippines, the equivalent of the tuk-tuk is the ‘Jeepney’, which has a much more interesting history. The fascination of the Jeepney comes in the utilization of vehicles and engines that were already existing, and adapting them to the requirements of the time. Today’s Jeepneys are vehicles that can trace their roots, some 50 plus years later. I have written about these before, but history needs to be retold.
Most people are aware that the Jeepney was derived from the American Jeep, itself a most interesting development. These were not, as again popular ‘wisdom’ would suggest, designed by Willy’s, but were first designed and produced by Bantam Engineering in Detroit, the makers of the American Austin Seven, and the first batch of these ‘Scout Cars’ rolled off the assembly lines in 1940. The American government later had Willys and Ford also make these vehicles to the Bantam design. The name ‘Jeep’ came later, being a phonetic interpretation of G.P. (General Purpose) vehicle, and allegedly coined by a lady journalist when being shown the prototype, so never say that women writers don’t know anything about the motor industry!
When General MacArthur said “I shall return” he did not say anything about coming back to pick up the Jeeps that the US government had left in Manila in 1945, and in fairly short order, the ex-US Army military vehicles were plying the streets of Manila, and the enterprising new Filipino owners began using them as taxis, replacing the horse-drawn ‘calesas’, painting them in bright colors to alert passengers to the fact that this was a version of public transport. This was just the beginning.
To protect the drivers and passengers from the sun, the Jeep grew a fixed roof. More seats became necessary to give these diminutive taxis some economies of scale. More bums on seats needed more seats for bums, and so the original six seater ‘auto-calesa’ began to grow appendages on the rear to get more people on board, until the much longer 16 seater PUJ’s (Public Utility Jeep) became commonplace.
As the Jeep began to mutate, it got its name of ‘Jeepney’. It was no longer a modified ex-WWII Jeep, but had become its own persona. It had also produced its own motor industry, manufacturing and assembling these now unique vehicles. Not only to manufacture, but to keep them running, there was now an attendant vehicle repair industry, and to satisfy the Filipino penchant for decoration and then some, there was a parallel industry making the elaborate accessories, such as the mandatory chrome-plated horses for the bonnets of the new vehicles.
It did not end there. With the Filipinos being the musicians of Asia, there needed to be a way of giving these Jeepneys some music on the run, and the auto-sound industry grew to encompass this important side of the Jeepney story as well. Several hundred decibels of distorted sound was the norm.
Jeepneys were described best by Valerio Nofuente. At the front of the Jeepney, often right on top, is a plastic headdress verging on a crown, with names like Jeepney King, Queen Leah, Super-Star or one of the Jeepney body makers, such as Sarao Motors written on it. At night, this will be festooned with blinking lights, around some saint’s statue.
The bonnet is the special repository for the Jeepney decorator. Here is at least one chrome horse in memory of the horse drawn calesa. Along with the horses is usually a forest of other decorations including aerials, mirrors and numerous parking lights.
While the international auto manufacturers may build more practical people movers, a minibus (or even a songthaew) does not have the mystique that is possessed by a Jeepney.
