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Once, an Australian friend of mine and I were in SM City Mall when he had a “great” idea. He thought that it was time for him (after four days’ stay here in the Philippines) to take the definitive Filipino practice: ride a jeepney. It was a mark of my hospitality that I – even when I thought the idea rather silly and pointless – readily okayed. Unfortunately, the only jeepneys that would go by where we were going were multicabs, which, being scaled for the average-sized Filipino commuter, only made my 6-foot-3 friend look like Gandalf in a Hobbit’s hut. It was with a sense of adventure that we boarded our ride.

The jeepney we hopped on was packed. We were sat near the front and, because my friend obviously had the longest reach, it became his unofficial duty to pass the other passengers’ fare to the driver (as well as hand them their change back) – a proxy konduktor (see below for the meaning). I first thought that he might find the task bothersome, and it was quite a surprise to see that he actually enjoyed doing it – and this while he still had to make sure his head doesn’t keep bopping on the roof.

This had me wondering what makes jeepney riding — despite its obvious discomforts — a tolerable, if not quite pleasant, activity. And, for the benefit of anybody else who might be wondering — may you be a foreigner or a local — here are three of my observations:

Jeepney-riding is a practice on common courtesy

Apparently, Filipinos view public space as other people’s personal space — if only evidenced by how we always excuse ourselves when passing in the jeepney’s aisle — and the better of us act in a jeepney as we would in other people’s homes. Politeness is observed, perhaps best exemplified by how we pay our fare: although all passengers have the communal obligation of passing each other’s fare to the driver / konduktor, we still act as though this is not obligatory and we give our thanks when we find assistance. (As a sidenote: it might be interpreted that when a passenger asks for his fare to be passed, he implies giving his trust – that the other passengers won’t cheat him – as well as “declaring” that he has come under the favor of strangers.) Other courtesies are also performed: assisting the elderly, helping our co-passengers with their baggage, and looking after the younger passengers.

The jeepney offers a chance to show our pakibagay or “fellow-feeling”

To ride a jeepney is to enter a social contract; along the ride, one is expected to be observant and considerate of one’s fellow passengers. This is why, in a packed ride, the chief rule is: occupy as small space as possible. This is not only for the financial gains of the driver, but more so for whatever amount of comfort one can give to one’s seatmate from giving those precious inches of sitting space.

However, ironically, little attention is paid to the intimacy of the situation (bodies may bump on each other, arms and thighs may rub). Once inside the jeepney, the passengers are — as much as can be helped — just sexless, anonymous bodies.

A jeepney ride offers a rest even while in transit

With twenty-plus years of commuting, even I still find it quite a wonder how we Filipinos can sleep in a moving jeepney. For locals, it might seem like a usual thing to do, but consider the facts: jeepneys travel at 30 – 45 kph (with sudden stops and starts), most drivers blow their horns liberally, we constantly move in our seats because of the shifting number of passengers, and we only have a beam of metal attached to the roof to hold to keep ourselves steady. Yet, it seems so easy to sleep inside the jeepney.

The only explanation I can find for this is, simply, we are just not bothered by these conditions. (I might even go as far as to say we’re fine with it.) This only shows, I suppose, not only our faith in our motorists’ obedience to traffic rules but also our feeling of easiness with the little communities that we get to form within the span of our travel.

Many good things have been said about the jeepney – mostly about it being the typified Filipino vehicle, the best example of our “ingenuity and resiliency” – but my honest opinion on the vehicle, per se, is that it isn’t really much to brag about. The wonder of jeepney-riding lies not in the contraption itself, but rather in what it carries. The jeepney do not only transport passengers, it transmits common decency and understanding: it is a showcase of Filipino culture.

Foreigners perhaps try riding the jeepney for its novelty. But, as my Australian friend and I have found out, it could also be an economical chance to participate in a wonderful, albeit strange, cultural activity.

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There is more to riding a jeepney than just getting from one location to another. In this article, Gabriel Milado also reveals something about Filipino Values and Courtesies observed by Filipinos even in routine and trivial activities like riding the King of the Road: The Jeepney.

Davao 4 Expats Notes:

Sakay-sakay means taking a ride.
Kundoktor is Jeepney driver’s sidekick; he or she is the one who handles the passengers’ fare and is the overall in-charge of the passengers. If the driver is the pilot, this guy is the steward.

Click here to read the complete article online.

The Philippines is certainly one of the most well-connected places in Southeast Asia in terms of telecommunications. Sometimes it does seem like every Juan is not only busy sending text messages but also with updating his Facebook or Friendster account!

In today’s globalized world, you probably rank connectivity as one of the most important factors to consider when travelling, conducting business and even moving overseas. If the Philippines is your target destination, this article will give you an idea of what to expect with Internet access in the country.

Speed

One thing that may disappoint you with the Internet in the Philippines, if you are used to high-speed broadband Internet back home, is that connecting speeds are in general slower than in other countries such as Japan and the USA. While a speed of 2 Mbps may seem slow in other countries, this speed is already considered pretty standard for households here. Moreover, if your subscription is advertised as 2 Mbps, it really means up to 2 Mbps — don’t expect to get the whole 2 Mbps speed all the time, or even at all!

But it is not at all as bad as it seems. If you’re the type who downloads huge files over the Internet then you will obviously be at a disadvantage, but for most other personal purposes such as reading the news, watching videos and keeping in touch through email, instant messaging and social networking sites, the speed you get in the Philippines does the job well enough.

More high-speed connections (that is, connections that have more bandwidth) that bigger businesses utilize, such as BPOs and call centers, are available, but they are very expensive and not at all practical for homes and smaller offices.

Availability

The good news is that it is easy to get and stay connected. Broadband Internet is usually available by subscribing to cable companies such as Destiny Cable and ZPDee Cable, or through DSL subscription with providers such as Globe Telecom, Smart Communications and PLDT.

Mobile Internet is very quickly gaining popularity for users who need access to the World Wide Web on the go. Students, entrepreneurs, journalists and bloggers — they can stay connected whilst being on the move through services such as Globe Broadband Tattoo or SmartBro Prepaid, whereby users can plug in a USB modem to their laptops and be online wherever they are as long as Cellular signal is available from their respective Network Provider.

Also available are 3G Services from major telecomm companies, where you can access the Internet through your 3G-enabled phone like iPhone, Black Berry or HTC Magic (on either postpaid or prepaid mobile phone plans).

Wi-Fi internet is also becoming commonplace across cities in the Philippines. You can find it at places as varied as airports, cafes, schools and even some fastfood restaurants! More often than not, you will need to pay for something to be able to access the network (e.g. cafes may charge you an hourly rate for using their wi-fi), but you may also be able to access some networks entirely free of charge, if your laptop or smartphone can pick up the signal. In Davao City, for example, you do have to pay for your cup of coffee or pastry at a dizzying number of coffee shops that have mushroomed all over the city, but in return, wi-fi access is free, for as long as you stay in the cafe (and that can take hours, or until guilt starts tugging at your conscience, whichever comes first).

In more far-flung areas or provinces in the country, availability is admittedly more restricted, but internet service providers are striving every day to improve and optimise their coverage as much as possible.

Davao4Expats Notes: There is a new website in Davao where digital technologies are being discussed. You will be getting information on the prices of mobile phones, netbooks, and other electronic gadgets. Product reviews from other sources are also referenced and shown on the website. The website is DigitalDavao.com.

Internet For Business

More high-speed connections (that is, connections that have more bandwidth) that bigger businesses utilize, such as BPOs and call centers, are available, but they are very expensive and not at all practical for homes and smaller offices.

Internet Connection Cost

Quality Internet access has increasingly become less and less painful on one’s budget. An unlimited broadband connection such as with SmartBro is available for P 999 a month (and depending on the subscription, you may or may not have to pay an initial fee). Unlimited connections, however, usually require you to be locked in to a contract of anytime between 1 to 2 years.

Prepaid subscriptions don’t have lock-in periods in general, but as the service suggests, connections are pay-per-use and not unlimited. Initial payments may also cost higher for prepaid subscriptions, but just like a prepaid phone plan, you are in control of how much or how little time you spend on the Internet. An hour’s worth of surfing may even only cost you as low as P20.

You can hence be assured that staying connected will not be a problem for you in the Philippines! Perhaps a bigger problem may be resisting the urge to check your email, weblog or Facebook too much in one day.

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Internet in the Philippines is written by Katlyn Batuigas. Internet Access is among the most common questions we received from the visitors of Davao 4 Expats Website. This is our response.