End of the road: Philippines to phase out its beloved cheap but rickety jeepneys

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A typical jeepney packs in 10 to 16 commuters, sitting knee-to-knee on twin benches, and lacks air-conditioning or windows to shield occupants from the heat, rain and choking fumes. (Reuters)
Updated 29 January 2018
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End of the road: Philippines to phase out its beloved cheap but rickety jeepneys

MANILA: Jeepneys, the flamboyant passenger trucks of the Philippines, are nearing the end of their reign as the “Kings of the Road,” but they’re not going down without a fight.
Government moves to overhaul outdated public transport, making it safer and more environment friendly, will put the brakes on a mode of travel that has long been the surest and cheapest option in a country of 105 million people.
But the operators and drivers of the 200,000 jeepneys that have plied the nation’s roads and highways for decades are defiant, denouncing moves to oust them as “anti-poor” and a threat to their livelihoods.
“It is a big hassle to us poor people since we are the ones suffering,” said one jeepney driver, upset after traffic police pulled him over because his vehicle was belching black smoke.
Jeepneys have evolved from surplus army jeeps left behind by the US military after World War Two to become brightly-painted vehicles festooned with religious slogans, horoscope signs or family names.
At a cost of 8 pesos ($0.59) for a journey of 4 kilometers in Manila, the capital, they are easily affordable, but the ride is far from comfortable.
A typical jeepney packs in 10 to 16 commuters, sitting knee-to-knee on twin benches, and lacks air-conditioning or windows to shield occupants from the heat, rain and choking fumes.
In Metro Manila, one of Asia’s most gridlocked mega-cities, passengers can sit there for hours.
There are no seatbelts and commuters have only ceiling bars to keep from being thrown off their seats as drivers race to beat traffic lights or edge out competitors for waiting passengers.
The government wants to force unsound and shabby jeepneys off the streets in favor of bigger, cleaner, safer and more modern replacements, some electric, others using cleaner fuel.
But drivers complain that the newer units, priced around 1.8 million pesos, are prohibitively expensive, and government subsidies are paltry.
Some fear vested interests are at play.
“They only want to kick out the operators so they could let corporations take over,” said George San Mateo, head of transport group PISTON, as he led a protest last week outside the transport regulator’s office.
“The government is using this crackdown on dilapidated and smoke-belching jeepneys to force poor operators to buy new ones they cannot afford.”
Regulators have said the plan, backed by President Rodrigo Duterte, aims simply to modernize public transport.
“There’s a lot of public utility jeepneys which are old and dirty, so we have to address it,” Martin Delgra, chairman of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board, told reporters.
“We cannot compromise safety when it comes to roadworthiness.”

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Healthier ‘King of the Road’ Makes Debut in Manila

Author: 
Julie Javellana-Santos, Arab News
Publication Date: 
Thu, 2007-07-05 03:00

MANILA, 5 July 2007 — If tests go well, the Philippines’ “king of the road” known as “jeepneys” would soon become environment-friendly and a regional model.

Tests on the electric-powered minibuses began yesterday in Manila’s financial capital, Makati, and were welcomed with great enthusiasm by a public tired of heavy pollution in the national capital.

“If the project is successful, our hope is that the project will be replicated in other cities in the country and possibly other Asian capitals,” Athena Ronquillo, a Greenpeace energy campaigner and founder of the Green Renewable Independent Power Producer (GRIPP).

Makati Mayor Jejomay Binay, who was present at the launch of the passenger vehicles, said he believed that the project willd not only address the problem of pollution, but will also provide public transport drivers with cheaper fuel alternative.

Binay himself drove one of the two e-jeepneys being tested during the launching ceremonies.

Ronquillo said the e-jeepneys are expected not only to drastically reduce pollution but would also cost less to run.

According to GRIPP, an e-jeepney can run 140 kilometers after eight hours of battery charging at an estimated cost of only 120 pesos or $3, as against the regular jeepneys that guzzle at least 300 pesos ($6.5) of diesel a day.

Introduced after World War II, the usually brightly painted jeepney is the most ubiquitous passenger vehicle in the country.

The early jeepneys used to run on engines taken from US Army weapons carriers and later from knocked-down Japanese-made diesel trucks, which cause a lot of noise and air pollution.

Ronquillo said the iconic jeepney’s colorful design remains “but without wasteful and carbon emitting diesel, while providing increased incomes to the vehicles’ drivers.”

The 14-seater e-jeepneys were designed by Philippine renewable energy firm Solar Electric Company and the engines are made in China.

An e-jeepney costs 550,000 pesos ($11,982), has a 5-horsepower engine powered by batteries that can run up to 120 kilometers per day on a maximum speed of 40 kilometers per hour.

The two vehicles would be plying Makati in the next six months to test their viability.

“The pilot test in Makati is meant to ensure the technical, commercial, environmental and social feasibility of the project,” said Ronquillo. (With input from Agencies)

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‘King of the Road’ on Display in Jeddah

Author: 
Francis R. Salud, Arab News
Publication Date: 
Tue, 2004-11-02 03:00

JEDDAH, 2 November 2004 — The Philippine’s most popular jeepney, a rugged-looking but an economical means of public transport, is now on display at the Jeddah’s Corniche Commercial Center in Balad.

The Filipino workers and their family will now have the chance for a glimpse of this trendy looking passenger jeepney, popularly known among Filipinos as Manila’s ‘king of the road’.

Ambassador Bahnarim Guinomla was invited to cut the ceremonial ribbon, in a simple ceremony attended by sport’s organizer Mohammad Bayoumi and Qatar Airways executives headed by their area manager Ahmed Al Idrissi.

“This is the great way to promote Philippine tourism by showing our popular and decorated public transport jeepney,” said Guinomla.

“Since 9/11, tourists from the Middle East are shifting their travel destinations to the Far East, including Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines. That is why this effort of Qatar Airways is of great help to generate more revenues for tourism in our country,” he added.

Guinomla is looking forward to the possibility of exporting these jeepneys in the Middle East as it has already been exported to South African countries, Bangladesh and Papua New Guinea.

“Qatar Airways has been transporting Filipinos and tourists to the Philippines and having said that, we are sincere and committed to give what the Filipino needs. We want the passengers complete travel satisfaction, especially this Christmas,” said the area manager Ahmed Al Idrissi.

After a month’s the display in Balad, the jeepney will be transferred and be displayed at Sarawat International Market and Hera Mall where large concentration of OFWs are known to converge.

The jeepney’s next destination will be Kuwait and Lebanon.

Qatar Airways has been instrumental in transporting the jeepney to the Kingdom, as part of their promotional campaign to attract the traveling Filipino customers.

The airline executives are happy to announce that Qatar Airways now fly direct either to Manila or Cebu.

Aside from competitive rates, passengers are also given SR900 in savings by joining their frequent flyer club. For reservations, call 667-9911 ext. 121 or fax 667-5916.

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Microsoft workers say they’ve been fired after 50th anniversary protest over Israel contract

Updated 28 sec ago
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Microsoft workers say they’ve been fired after 50th anniversary protest over Israel contract

  • Among the participants at the 50th anniversary of Microsoft’s founding were co-founder Bill Gates and former CEO Steve Ballmer
  • AI models from Microsoft and OpenAI had been used as part of an Israeli military program to select bombing targets during the recent wars in Gaza and Lebanon

Microsoft has fired two employees who interrupted the company’s 50th anniversary celebration to protest its work supplying artificial intelligence technology to the Israeli military, according to a group representing the workers.
Microsoft didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment Monday.
The protests began Friday when Microsoft software engineer Ibtihal Aboussad walked up to a stage where an executive was announcing new product features and a long-term vision for Microsoft’s AI ambitions.
“You claim that you care about using AI for good but Microsoft sells AI weapons to the Israeli military,” Aboussad shouted at Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman. “Fifty-thousand people have died and Microsoft powers this genocide in our region.”
The protest forced Suleyman to pause his talk, which was livestreamed from Microsoft’s campus in Redmond, Washington. Among the participants at the 50th anniversary of Microsoft’s founding were co-founder Bill Gates and former CEO Steve Ballmer.
“Thank you for your protest, I hear you,” Suleyman said. Aboussad continued, shouting that Suleyman and “all of Microsoft” had blood on their hands. She also threw onto the stage a keffiyeh scarf, which has become a symbol of support for Palestinian people, before being escorted out of the event.
A second protester, Microsoft employee Vaniya Agrawal, interrupted a later part of the event.
Aboussad was invited on Monday to a video call with a human resources representative at which she was told she was being terminated immediately. Agrawal was notified over email, according to the advocacy group No Azure for Apartheid, which has protested the sale of Microsoft’s Azure cloud computing platform to Israel.
An investigation by The Associated Press revealed earlier this year that AI models from Microsoft and OpenAI had been used as part of an Israeli military program to select bombing targets during the recent wars in Gaza and Lebanon. The story also contained details of an errant Israeli airstrike in 2023 that struck a vehicle carrying members of a Lebanese family, killing three young girls and their grandmother.
In February, five Microsoft employees were ejected from a meeting with CEO Satya Nadella for protesting the contracts.
“We provide many avenues for all voices to be heard,” said a statement from the company Friday. “Importantly, we ask that this be done in a way that does not cause a business disruption. If that happens, we ask participants to relocate. We are committed to ensuring our business practices uphold the highest standards.”
Microsoft had declined to say Friday whether it was taking further action. Aboussad told the AP she lost access to her work accounts shortly after the protest and had not been able to log back in.
Dozens of Google workers were fired last year after internal protests surrounding a contract that the technology company has with the Israeli government. Employee sit-ins at Google offices in New York and Sunnyvale, California were targeting a $1.2 billion deal known as Project Nimbus providing AI technology to the Israeli government.
The Google workers later filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board in an attempt to get their jobs back.


Tajikistan to jail people for illegal electricity use

Updated 42 min 40 sec ago
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Tajikistan to jail people for illegal electricity use

  • Electricity consumption in Tajikistan is limited for about six months per year, as its outdated energy infrastructure struggles to keep up with rising demand

DUSHANBE: Tajikistan has introduced 10-year prison sentences for the illegal use of electricity, as a decades-long energy crisis caused by water shortages worsens in the poor Central Asian country.

Electricity consumption in Tajikistan is limited for about six months per year, as its outdated energy infrastructure struggles to keep up with rising demand.

The country’s Energy and Water Resources Ministry on Saturday announced measures to introduce “criminal liability for violations of regulations on the use of electricity.”

In a sign of how tightly the country controls the press and flow of information, it was only reported by independent media outlets on Monday.

Under the new rules, anybody found trying to disconnect or bypass an electricity meter will face up to 10 years in prison.

Ex-Soviet Tajikistan is ruled by President Emomali Rakhmon, a former state farm boss who has held power since 1992.

Justice Minister Rustam Shoemurod said earlier in April that those who alter meter readings or bypass them to avoid payments are “seriously damaging the country’s economic interests.”

A shortage of water needed to fuel hydroelectric plants, which generate about 95 percent of electricity output in Tajikistan, has led to years of regular power outages.


American trying to make contact with isolated tribe in India arrested

Updated 47 min 47 sec ago
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American trying to make contact with isolated tribe in India arrested

  • Polyakov was fascinated by the mystique of the Sentinelese people

NEW DELHI: Indian police have arrested a 24-year-old American YouTuber who visited an off-limits island in the Indian Ocean to try to make contact with an isolated tribe known for attacking intruders.

Mykhailo Viktorovych Polyakov, from Scottsdale, Arizona, was arrested on March 31, two days after he set foot on the restricted territory of North Sentinel Island — part of India’s Andaman and Nicobar Islands — in a bid to meet people from the reclusive Sentinelese tribe, police said.

A local court last week sent Polyakov to a 14-day judicial custody and he is set to appear again in the court on April 17. The charges carry a possible sentence of up to five years in prison and a fine. Indian authorities said they had informed the US Embassy about the case.

Visitors are banned from traveling within 5 kilometers of the island, whose population has been isolated from the rest of the world for thousands of years. The inhabitants use spears and bows and arrows to hunt the animals that roam the small, heavily forested island. Deeply suspicious of outsiders, they attack anyone who lands onto their beaches.

Police said Polyakov was guided by GPS navigation during his journey and surveyed the island with binoculars before landing. He stayed on the beach for about an hour, blowing whistle to attract the attention but got no response from the islanders.

He later left a can of Diet Coke and a coconut as an offering, made a video on his camera, and collected some sand samples before returning to his boat.

On his return he was spotted by local fishermen, who informed the authorities and Polyakov was arrested in Port Blair, the capital of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, an archipelago nearly 1,207 kilometers east of India’s mainland. A case was registered against him for violation of Indian laws that prohibit any outsider to interact with the islanders.

Police said Polyakov had conducted detailed research on sea conditions, tides and accessibility to the island before starting his journey.

“He planned meticulously over several days to visit the island and make a contact with the Sentinel tribe,” Senior Police Officer Hargobinder Singh Dhaliwal said.

An initial investigation revealed Polyakov had made two previous attempts, in October last year and January, to visit the islands, including in an inflatable kayak.

Police said Polyakov was drawn to the island due to his passion for adventure and extreme challenges, and was fascinated by the mystique of the Sentinelese people.

Survival International, a group that protects the rights of Indigenous peoples, said Polyakov’s attempted contact with the tribes of North Sentinel was “reckless and idiotic.”

“This person’s actions not only endangered his own life, they put the lives of the entire Sentinelese tribe at risk,” the group’s director Caroline Pearce said in a statement.


Children found malnourished in Greek migrant camp

Updated 07 April 2025
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Children found malnourished in Greek migrant camp

  • MSF doctors diagnosed six children from Syria and Afghanistan aged between six months and six years with acute malnutrition
  • EU-funded Samos camp, a sprawling, heavily-surveilled facility surrounded by barbed wire, was opened by the government in 2021

ATHENS: Medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said on Monday it had identified the first cases of malnourished children in a migrant camp on the Greek island of Samos, which has been criticized by rights groups for dangerous living conditions.
MSF doctors have diagnosed six children from Syria and Afghanistan aged between six months and six years with acute malnutrition needing immediate help, it said.
While it could not say if their malnutrition was due to living in the camp, conditions there — including insufficient food and medical care — endangered their health, MSF said.
“No child should suffer from malnutrition due to systemic neglect,” said Christina Psarra, director general of MSF Greece, calling for immediate action and adding that about a quarter of the camp’s residents were children.
The Greek migration ministry said the cases were isolated.
“Under no circumstances is there generalized malnutrition due to living conditions,” the ministry said, adding that asylum-seekers were provided with three meals a day.
On the forefront of Europe’s 2015-16 migration crisis, Greece saw a surge in arrivals in 2024, according to UN data. This year, nearly a third of arrivals to southern Europe from the Middle East and Africa were to Greece.
The EU-funded Samos camp, a sprawling, heavily-surveilled facility surrounded by barbed wire, was opened by the government in 2021 to replace the former camp of Vathy — once an overcrowded, rat-infested tent city of 7,000 people.
The six malnourished children arrived this year, MSF said.
Rights group Amnesty International has called conditions at Samos “inhumane and degrading” during periods of overcrowding, with water shortages and a lack of other basic services.
In December, a UN human rights expert accused Greece of failing to identify victims of sex trafficking in the camp.
MSF called on Greece and the EU to ensure adequate pediatric care and nutritional support in Samos and to restore financial support to asylum seekers suspended last June.


Thousands of Bangladeshi students join global strike in solidarity with Gaza

Updated 07 April 2025
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Thousands of Bangladeshi students join global strike in solidarity with Gaza

  • Student leaders call for more action from international community, Bangladeshi government
  • Protest comes in wake of Israel’s new massacres, after unilaterally breaking Gaza ceasefire 

DHAKA: Thousands of Bangladeshi students took to the streets of Dhaka on Monday to call for an end to Israel’s war on Gaza, joining a global strike in solidarity with Palestine. 

The student protesters skipped classes and rallied in different parts of the capital throughout the day, with the biggest crowd gathering at Dhaka University, Bangladesh’s largest and oldest tertiary institution.

“We are observing today’s strike as part of a global solidarity call with the people of Palestine,” Mostafa Mushfiq, an anthropology student at Dhaka University, told Arab News. 

“We want to demonstrate to everyone that all students and people from different professions and classes are united against the mass killing in Gaza.”

The call for a global strike for Gaza comes after Israel unilaterally broke the ceasefire agreement with the Palestinian group Hamas on March 18, launching a wave of deadly airstrikes that have since killed more than 1,300 people. 

Gaza’s Health Ministry estimates that at least 50,752 Palestinians have been confirmed dead and 115,475 wounded in Israel’s war on Gaza since October 2023. The real toll is likely to be much higher as thousands of people are missing under the rubble.

Monday’s strike and protests were joined by students from various universities across Bangladesh, many with the support of their lecturers and college administrators. 

“Our protests and struggles will continue … We are feeling a new spirit now. Our teachers are completely on our side in this movement,” Mushfiq said. 

Bangladeshi students have previously led other rallies in solidarity with Palestine, demanding more action from the international community to stop Israel’s relentless attacks on Gaza.

“As a Bangladeshi, as a Muslim, it is my duty to be here to tell the world what is really going on, to let the Gaza people know that we are here, we hear them, we are praying for them,” Arafat Hossain Siam, a student from the Shanto-Mariam University in Dhaka, told Arab News.

“Don’t lose hope. Allah is watching. God willing, they will be free.”

The students were joined by ordinary Bangladeshis as they waved Palestinian flags, carried posters and chanted slogans in solidarity with Gaza. Some demanded that the Bangladeshi government do more. 

“We demand a strong stance from the Bangladeshi government on the issue of ongoing mass killing in Gaza,” Tahmid Hossain, a master’s student in Dhaka University, told Arab News. 

“The Palestinians are being suppressed for a long time. For around 100 years, we have noticed that day by day, aggression continues on the Palestinian land and their land is occupied by the Israelis … The Israeli attack on Gaza people, which began over a year ago, has crossed all the limits now.”