The Jeepney: Jewel or Junk?

By: Natacha Bensoussan

My father came home on a Tuesday and told us to pack our bags. “Tomorrow we’re moving to the Philippines,” he explained without preamble or warning. I was eight. Though I’d traveled to Europe to visit family, I’d never been to Asia before. The California mountains sheltered me from any notion of poverty and pollution, which were unknown realities inside my cushy little bubble comprised of horse hair, crystal hunting, and sycamore trees. Within less than 24 hours, we left everyone and everything I understood about the world behind and headed for Manila.

Manila was a bustling metropolis on the island on of Luzon surrounded by a cocoon of ashen smog. Exiting the airport and absorbing my new surroundings for the first time was like looking through a pair of prism glasses – the ones you win at county fairs at the beginning of Fall when the sun sits heavy on the dusky horizon. Everything swirls about you in a psychedelic flurry of color, yet you’re not entirely certain what’s real and what isn’t. This is how I felt when I saw my first jeepney, at least.

Traditional Jeepney. Google image.

       Refereed to as the “Kings of the Road,” jeepney’s are the most popular form of transportation in the Philippines. Colorful, crowded, and cheap, the open-windowed mini-buses are distinguishable by their roaring engines and garish decorations. Some sport traditional Philippine symbols and ornamentation, others pay homage to Western pop art. Synonymous with Filipino culture, each jeepney’s design communicates its own unique story, serving as a source of pride and expression for its owner. Today, there are almost 180,000 in operation, servicing nearly 40% of commuters (Nebrija). Yet for all the wonder they offer, this iconic vehicle has recently been placed on the governmental chopping block for its negative environmental impact.

              The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that air quality in the Philippines is 70% higher than the recommended safe level. According to the Philippines Department of Environment and Natural Resources report in 2017, roughly one in four deaths in the country are the result of this. Outdoor air pollution is a combination of various components, including toxic gasses – such as nitrogen dioxide –  and any particulate matter (or soot) suspended in the air (Young). The Global Burden of Disease study links breathing polluted air with “lower respiratory infections like pneumonia, cardiovascular disease – including ischemic heart disease and stroke – some cancers, and chronic respiratory diseases such as COPD.” Factories and motor vehicles, especially of the diesel-powered variety like jeepney’s, are the main culprits.

eJeepney. Google Image.

In 2017, Filipino president Rodrigo Duterte announced a plan to reduce harmful emissions 70% by 2030 by modernizing the nation and its public transportation system (Young, Chen). This move highlights the harmful smog jeepney’s regularly belch out of their janky exhaust pipes. Originally made using abandoned US military jeeps from World War II, most of them are now old, rusting jalopies underneath their sparkly exteriors. The maintenance of their decrepit parts is simply too costly for the average owner (Sarmiento).

Instead of re-vamping the post-war relics, authorities are jumping on-board with the global clean air movement by slowly replacing them with “eJeepneys.” These new versions, first launched in 2008 by E-Jeepney Transport Corp, are electric and will help the country move away from its dependency on fossil fuels (Sarmiento). Each eJeepney can run for eight hours and takes ten minutes to swap batteries at a charging station, saving both time and money for drivers. Although the initial costs of purchasing one are high, funding remains shaky, and there are many opponents to the project, Red Constatino, the Philippines’ Director of Climate Policy, explained that “each eJeepney avoids discharging more than 62 kilograms of carbon dioxide exhaust emission each day," which could have a significant impact on improving air quality once the conversion is complete (Sarmiento).

I spent four years in Manila. It’s difficult to imagine visiting the Philippines in the future without the loud, congested presence of the traditional jeepney, sputtering its way through the busy streets and spitting out smog and passengers like party favors. Like most native Filipino's, I've come to view them as an unofficial symbol of the island's culture. Yet, despite fond memories, I can’t deny that I’ll walk around with a lighter heart when I don’t see children wearing surgical masks to protect their lungs. 

 Family photo, Manila, 1998.

Works Cited

“Air pollution.” IHME: Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. www.healthdata.org/air-pollution. Accessed 2 Apr. 2018.

"Air Pollution: A Public Health Concern in The Philippines.” Department of Environment and Natural Resources. 24 Sep. 2017. www.denr.gov.ph/news-and-features/latest-news/3295-air-pollution-a-public-health-concern-in-the-philippines.html. Accessed 2 Apr. 2018.

Chen, Heather. “Philippines strike: Filipinos rally around iconic jeepney drivers.” BBC News. 16 Oct. 2017. www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-41632035. Accessed 2 Apr. 2018.

“Global Burden of Disease Report.” IHME: Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation.  www.healthdata.org/gbd. Accessed 2 Apr. 2018.

Nebrija, Julia. “Philippines’ brightly decorated jeepneys face an uncertain future.” CNN Design. 12 Nov. 2017. www.cnn.com/style/article/jeepney-philippines-cultural-icon/index.html. Accessed 2 Apr. 2018.

Sarmiento, Prime. “Electric jeepneys ease Philippines air Pollution.” SciDev.Net. 12 Mar. 2016. www.scidev.net/asia-pacific/energy/news/electric-jeepneys-ease-philippines-air-pollution- 1.html. Accessed 2 Apr. 2018.

Young, Mike. “Jeepneys face scrap head as Manila targets cleaner air.” The National: Business. 12 Apr. 2017. www.thenational.ae/business/jeepneys-face-scrap-heap-as-manila-targets-