GOING around Davao City can be a breeze with the multitude of public utility vehicles a.k.a jeepneys that weave through the city's streets.
These road warriors come in a plethora of types, sizes, colors, and shapes. The routes are divided into numbers and its details are painted on both sides of the jeeps. However, commuters still rely on sign boards displayed at the vehicle's front to recognize which jeep goes where.
The smallest and oldest units are AC jeeps that lord over the Jacinto/San Pedro/Ilustre streets or the "city proper" route. These slow AC jeeps are remnants of the languid past of Davao City. The largest and the noisiest jeeps called "uso-uso' ply the Mintal/Calinan/Toril routes. These jeeps can accommodate as many as 25 passengers and have wide aisles. The uso-usoare also notorious speedsters because of their modified engines.
However, these vintage AC and commanding uso-uso jeeps have been over an by a tiny Filipinized import - the multicab.
The multicab is a small, lightweight converted vehicle. Some call it "surplus," a misnomer for "used' items from countries like Japan and Korea. The front cab allows two or three passengers while the low bed at the back could carry light farm produce. As an industrial giant Japan, has imposed an expiry on vehicles. So, after a period of time (usually five years) the vehicles are disposed of or in this case, shipped to other countries to be sold at give-away prices. Here, they are turned into jeepneys. The vehicles' size seems to fit the narrow streets of Davao's main thoroughfare. But if they fit or provide comfort to the commuters is another matter.
Commuters usually say Para or Lugar lang to alight from the jeepney. Lugar lang meaning that the passenger will get off the nearest unloading area. On the other hand, para means "stop." Pamasahe (fares) are usually paid to the driver and those seated near the entrance would rely on other passengers to pass the fare to the driver with a palihuglang. But there are other palihuglangs to make riding these multicabs bearable. Here are some of the palihuglangs that I have learned through years of being a commuter.
Sit properly. And that means sitting in a manner that you are facing the passenger in front of you with knees almost touching. Dili mag-ilusyon, walay nabuntis sa naghalok nga tuhod.
Multicab seats are very constricted and if you sit ala beauty queen, you automatically occupy two seats. If you just think of yourself as a beauty queen but definitely do not have the makings, all the more you cannot sit sideways.
Also, do not bikang-kang. I can say sit-with-legs-wide open but bikang-kang definitely sounds the way it looks. If you bikang-kang, you also occupy two seats. That's not an equitable distribution of space. Perokung gusto jud nimo magbikangkang, pagsakay ug trak. Basin pa diay pang trak gyud ang imong kargada.
Tie that long hair. No one in the multicab cares about your dream of wind-blown effect for your OOTD. Your hair can get inside the nose, eyes, or mouth of your seatmate. The irritated seatmate can pull or chew your bothersome tresses. Or if they have scissors on hand, they can give you a free haircut. Palihug lang, dili baya bagay ang pahak sa bisag unsang OOTD. Bisag si John Lloyd nagpatubo na balik ug buhok ug si Toni Gonzaga, gipanganak na s'ya nga windblown ang buhok.
Avoid wearing sando or basketball jersey tops. Why? Angilok (bow). Let me explain in Davao binisaya for emphasis.
Ang ilok ang isa ka parte sa lawas sa tawo nga dili gina-share sa katilingban. Dili ni sya ginakiskis sa abaga sa katapad o sa agtang sa ubang pasahero labina kung trip nimo ang pirmi mukapyot sa bakal nga gunitanan sa bungbung sa multicab. Ang ubang ilok, naay deadly emissions. Delikado. Palihug, be environment-friendly, keep your ilok to yourself.
Do not shake your legs while seated. It is bothersome and probably you are afflicted with some twerking disease or used to riding the bicycle. But if you want to vibrate those legs while riding the multicab, palihug, pagbalhin sa trisikad. Puslan man nga gusto ka'g sige kurog-kurog ug legs, pag-drive ug sikad. Madato ka pa.
Do not use your speakerphone while taking or making a call. A multicab is very cramped. Everyone can hear about your Abun (avon) orders or the observations about your neighbor that you clandestinely share with your caller. With Davao still being a small community, that neighbor could be the ig-agaw sa ig-agaw sa ig-agaw sa ig-agaw of one of the passengers. If you really want your phone conversations to be heard by the other passengers, use a megaphone next time for better broadcast quality.
Palihug lang, take off the backpack when you get on a multicab. If you usually carry a backpack, take it off and carry it in front. If you don't remove your backpack, you cannot see what it hits or side swipes. The backpack becomes a deadly weapon if it drags someone's nose, face, or head while you look for a space where you can fit your hump. But if you insist on carrying that pack on your back: Baktas! Palihug intawon, ang mga camel wala gasakay ug jeep. Gabaktas ra na sila. Backpack is part of the OOTD for baktas.
If you do not only carry a backpack but also a hand bag, shoulder bag, and shopping bag, take a taxi or a truck. Like I said, the multicab's passenger space is too narrow and limited. It becomes more challenging if you are wide or big and you carry too many bags. If you insist on riding the multicab with your collection of luggage, palihug lang, pagnaug nimo sa multicab, balikid pud kay basin napilit na imong katapad sa bangko sa multicab. Mao nang naghilom-hilom na siya. Biraha balik para ma-restore ang iyang mga bukog. Malooy ka, buhi pa na!