Kings no more
“WE have the right to make a living,” the man declared, as he pulled over in his 20-year-old jeepney, the diesel-fed smoke belcher that once dominated the streets of Manila.
“The government’s modernization program should be abolished because it doesn’t take into account our livelihood. It’s anti-poor!”
“But aren’t most of the people who ride your jeepney poor, too? Wouldn’t it be better to let them ride in the comfort and safety of a modern public utility vehicle, where they are not exposed to fumes and the punishing heat? And where they are not hunched over and squeezed in together like a can of sardines?” I asked.
“No, you’ve got it wrong,” he countered. “The people love the traditional jeepney. This is how they have been getting around the city for decades.”
“Besides, we are giving them a break by going on strike!”
I was perplexed.
“So, let me get this straight. Giving them a hard time getting a ride and trying to paralyze the public transportation system is going to help them?”
“Yes, because it’s for the greater good,” he replied.
“But what about the greater good of reducing pollution?” I asked. “A recent study found that diesel-powered jeepneys contribute 15 percent of the total particulate matter emissions in Metro Manila, and we know what that means — more respiratory problems for luckless pedestrians.”
“As I said, this is the way we have always done it. No to modernization! No to the phaseout of jeepneys!” he said, thrusting a clenched fist into the air. “I’ve been plying my route for 20 years, and I don’t see why I should stop!”
“But using the same argument, we can say let’s go back to public payphones, kalesas and kerosene lamps because that’s the way we have always done things,” I said. “We do need to move forward because there are now better ways to do things.”
“But I cannot afford the modern jeepneys because I’m poor!” he said. “The subsidy they offer will hardly cover 10 percent of the cost of a new unit.”
“But isn’t that why they want you to organize into cooperatives or companies? So you can collectively take out loans to afford the new units? Besides, you don’t need to buy the most expensive units available — just ones that will meet the program requirements. There’s a local manufacturer who is offering electric jeepneys for less than P1 million per unit, which is a third of the cost charged by other electric vehicle makers.”
As an afterthought, I added: “You tell me you’ve been driving a jeepney on the same route for 20 years now, yet you are still poor. Isn’t there something fundamentally wrong about this? Don’t you want something better? For yourself and your family, and for the people who ride your jeepney?”
He shook his head and unfurled a banner that said, “Modernization program anti-poor! Stop jeepney phaseout!”
It is easy to gain sympathy — especially from politicians — by branding the program you oppose as “antipoor.” It is less palatable to admit that you are “anti-progress.”
At some point, there is nothing more to be gained from trying to reason with people who are set in their ways and who oppose any kind of change. In their minds, they are still kings of the road, entitled to operate the way they always have for better or worse — long after this became no longer true.