The Ten Commandments for Pinoy Commuters

Marahil lahat sa atin ay nakapag-commute na papuntang trabaho, iskuwela , palengke o kung saan pa mang lumalop ng Pilipinas. Maliban na lang siguro kung ipinanganak kang may pilak na kutsara sa bibig at sundo’t hatid ni Manong drayber or as we like to call it back home in Paris, chauffeur.

Commuting is tough, you don’t decide when the vehicle stops or moves, you are at the mercy of the driver and you share every inch of available space in the rusty vehicle with your co-passengers. Co-passengers who have different principles, ideologies, and definitions of good manners and right conduct. Wouldn’t it be nice if there are ten commandments for Pinoy commuters? May it be an unwritten rule or a set of guidelines carved in stone, rules would definitely help so all of us can have our commuting bliss.

1st Commandment: Thou shall pass the fare of your fellow passenger to the driver.

(Applicable for jeepneys and other circumstances that require you to do so)

If you are not deaf, suffering from neck paralysis or had loss both of your limbs, then you do not have any reason not to make abot the bayad of your fellow passenger. Riding a jeepney is a social activity in itself. Di mo kakilala ang mga kasama mo but your sharing whatever space there is in the rusty automobile. Iaabot ng ibang pasahero ang pamasahe mo at bilang ganti ay diringgin mo ang payo ng iyong mga magulang at iaabot ang pamasahe ng iba. That’s so simple, right? Check my older post for a detailed discussion.

2nd Commandment: Thou shall sit properly in the public utility vehicle.

(Applicable to commuters in all types of public transportation)

Hello, lovely passenger, I was going to be nice to you but you are occupying half of my seating space so I am going to set aside the niceness and smack you with the free newspaper I got before boarding this frickin ride. You may have encountered this kind of people every time you get on a PUV, the ones who like to spread their knees like there’s no tomorrow. You try to get a little more space to seat and they don’t seem to budge or seat accordingly. You try to make eye contact for them to notice that there’s someone seating beside them but they seem to be in a trance and pretend that you do not exist.

3rd Commandment: Thou shall not ask the driver to let you get off the vehicle in any place other than the designated stop.

“MAMA, PARA…PARA SABI, BUSET”

A few days ago I was boarding a bus plying the Lawton-Alabang route and as we were moving along the Alabang viaduct the old lady in front of me began to shout. I dunno if she was a regular passenger but if she was then she was definitely doing the wrong thing by asking the driver to let her get off at the “no unloading area.” This prompted the other passengers to give her an instant lecture on traffic rules which the lady seemed to ignore as she kept on mumbling when we got to the proper stop. I could only sigh and say in my head “Only in the Philippines”

4th Commandment: Thou shall not push other passengers.

Train commuters are notorious for this. You’re all waiting at the train station, some are busy with their mobile phones. Others are engaging in lively conversations about the end of the world while some are just standing and checking their watch hoping the train arrives on time. And then the train arrives, chaos ensues and everyone jumps for their lives to get a seat in the Hogwarts Express sans the magic. We can actually ride like educated people, we all are educated right? But then maybe it’s just the Stone Age gene in our blood that makes us forget everything we learned in GMRC that makes us push and shove our fellow commuters.

5th Commandment: Thou shall not play the radio or your personal playlist via loud speaker.

We understand how much you love the latest Lady Gaga song or the complete songbook of the Bee Gees or even the Salbakuta classic, “Stupid Luv” but just don’t play it using your player’s loud speakers. Headsets were invented for you to immerse yourself in whatever tune you feel like listening to and for us to enjoy the little silence on the way to our workplace. Just like our seating space there is also an invisible auditory place passengers must respect.

6th Commandment: Thou shall not pay with a large peso bill in the morning and expect to get change immediately.

The sun has just risen in the eastern horizon and people are only beginning to be up and about to start the day and then someone in the jeep/bus/trike gives a crisp peso bill that is way over the regular fare. The conductor/driver just rubs his head and asks the passenger if she/he has a smaller bill. Those who are innately nice just shake their head and say they have none. But the smart aleck would probably say, “If I had one then I would I have given it to you.” This is one commandment where I would take a soft stance. It happened to me a few times and I really did not have a smaller bill, I am kinda O.C. when it comes to this and I try as much as possible to give the right amount but sometimes you get on board and realize you just have a piece of Ninoy holding his chin in your wallet.

That is alright but if you intentionally pay with a large bill especially when you are already about to get off the vehicle, then Houston we’ve got a problem.

7th Commandment: Thou shall not grumble about being in the co-ed coach of the LRT/MRT/PNR (for women only)

Yes, I know there are guys who intentionally take advantage of the hapless women who find themselves inside the co-ed coach of the train when there is already an exclusive female only coach but please don’t complain to the heavens about your predicament when everyone is just minding their own business. I’d like to make a lengthy discussion but you probably get my point already. If not then I am sorry for ruining your day.

8th Commandment: Thou shall not engage in P.D.A. especially in a crowded vehicle.

I love you, you love me, let’s show them how we lovey dovey … Can I just say awkward? Imagine yourself in a bus seat for three and you are sharing the seat with two lovebirds who obviously have the hots for each other. You wanna tell them to get a room but they seem to be in their own world. You have nowhere to go as the bus is filled to the brim and you have 10kms more to go before you finally get to your destination. You try to sleep so you can escape the situation and let them do their thing. And then you feel a hand…okay, I’ll stop there. That is for another very different blog post. Basta, if you wanna do some P.D.A., just don’t do it. Think of other people who have no choice but to watch the preview of your “indie movie.”

9th Commandment: Thou shall not smoke in a public vehicle.

There should be no explanation for this one but maybe there are people who do not understand the feeling of those who have no choice but to inhale the nicotine filled air brought to them by the smoking passenger. If you’re trying to be cool by puffing your yosi, I am sorry but you’re not going to get cool points for that.

10th Commandment: Thou shall not let your shiny long black hair hit the face of your fellow commuter.

Thanks to Hitokirihoshi for this. I had the unfortunate experience of sitting in the back ride of a tricycle one morning on the way to work. The lady beside me was pretty and I could smell her light cologne, everything was going well until her long black Cream Silk scented wet hair hit my face. Not a great experience pretty lady, trust me. You lose your chance with me. 🙂

How about you dear readers, any suggestions? Till my next rant. Peace and Stay Fresh wherever you maybe. 🙂