Being bathed in a hot black cloud of exhaust fumes is one of the first experiences the new traveller to the Philippines will encounter.  It is perhaps not the most salubrious of welcomes, but it does at least introduce you to one of the most remarkable of all the Filipino cultural icons.

Most visitors will enter the Philippines via Manila, notorious for its smog problem, and after disembarking at their desired hotel, they will be engulfed by the noxious aroma that they will become all too familiar with, despite being transported at a later date to the numerous far flung resorts on this beautiful archipelago.  It is only when you realize where these volatile organic compounds emanate from, that you notice that the corner of your mouth starts heading north.

Welcome to the Jeepney!  The ubiquitous Filipino MPV and national treasure, has its roots in WWII, when the Americans began to pack up their belongings and head off back home with their new found wives.  Not being economically viable to ship certain types of military equipment state side, US Army Jeeps were sold, or even given away to a willing and grateful local populace, which in true Filipino style they adopted immediately into their culture and recycled beyond almost all recognition.

Today, as the hapless tourist meanders around the streets of Manila in search of an air conditioned taxi cab, you could be forgiven for not recognising them as rehashed army surplus stock.  Their gaudy paintwork and elaborately written exclamations to a benevolent and loving God, almost distract you from the fact they are the culprits for you holding your booger encrusted handkerchief over your mouth.

A recent study showed that a fully laden Jeepney, which can carry somewhere in the region of 16 people, has the same fuel consumption as an air conditioned 54 seater bus.  When pondering that study in the madness that is Manila’s rush hour (Like the biblical day, the Manila rush hour lasts significantly longer than those denoted by your Seiko), be sure to note the number of half empty Jeepneys darting in and out of the traffic as if they were bicycles.  To be sure, the honourable Jeepney solved an otherwise intractable public transport problem after the war, but are they still relevant in today’s ecologically concious society?

Today there are many lookalike Jeepneys, that are rehashed Isuzus or Nissans, but to the untrained eye, you would never notice the difference.  They still have the over the top skin, complete with religious graffiti and chromed bonnets and bells.  But they are beginning to look a little tired and anachronistic – spare tyres worn to the wire, and the aforementioned pollution problems in particular.  There has also been a move away from the traditional design, with small minivan conversions beginning to pop up everywhere.  They do the job handsomely, but lack anything themselves that could be described as being, well, handsome.

A number of pioneering projects introducing eJeepneys, or electric Jeepneys to the world have been rolled out in a few cities, but this diarist feels that with the demise of the real Jeepneys not far over the horizon, that the Philippines will have lost something deep within themselves, but with cleaner air in the future, perhaps it will be their asthma.