One time, it was dubbed as the King of the
Road, these American military jeeps left over from World War II transformed
into colorful jeepneys. These have become ubiquitous vehicles in the streets of
the Philippines and were embellished and added with flourishes according to the
owners’ taste to become an amusing, moving mélange of folk and pop art, and a
country’s icon.
But over time the jeepneys have become a source
of headache. The “king” has become a bully in the streets. Their colorful adornments
have faded over time. People complained of rude drivers, reckless in their driving
and indifferent to traffic rules. They have become the primary source of
traffic jams.
Additionally, Undersecretary Corazon Jimenez,
general manager of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA),
admitted that jeepneys are the biggest source of air pollution in Metro Manila.
“The jeepney is one of our greatest challenges,”
she said, adding that there are half a million of them in Metro Manila.
But when she was informed of a
project of rehabilitating the Philippine jeepneys, she was supportive. The
Jeepney Arts Festival will happen from Sept. 20 to Oct. 20, a corporate social
responsibility project of the Hop-On Hop-Off Travel, Inc., the operator of the Jeepney
Tours, which provide daily city tours of Metro Manila onboard a modern version
of the jeepney with air-conditioning system, videoke facility, cooler and a
tour guide.
According to Clang Garcia, managing director
of Hop-On Hop-Off Travel, the Jeepney Arts Festival, which has been in
gestation for two years, aims to celebrate the Filipino artistry, relive the
values of bayanihan, and rehabilitate
jeepneys by repainting and redesigning them into works of art.
The highlight of the festival is the
four-day, on-the-spot jeepney painting event at the SM Mall of Asia open grounds,
behind the SMX Convention Center, in Pasay City from September 20 to 23, 2012. The
organizers invited all artists to join in the spirit of volunteerism (bayanihan) through online registration at
their Web site (www.JeepneyArtsFestival.com).
Participants submitted design concepts for evaluation. To support the campaign
of the Department of Tourism, designs must be inspired by the tourism slogan
“It’s more fun in the Philippines,” depicting the country’s cultural heritage, destinations,
attractions, etc. The basic materials such as paint, spray guns, etc. will be
provided by the organizers in cooperation with Nippon Paint, the leading paint
brand of the automotive industry in the country (83 percent of the market). The
interior as well as the exterior of the vehicle must be also be refurbished
with the option to upgrade the interior materials (such as the seats) and to
add decorations inside the jeepney.
The organizer will also supply the jeepneys. In
cooperation with the Federation of Jeepney Operators and Drivers Association of
the Philippines (FEJODAP), they will select 50 working jeepneys for the
venture. Participants can also bring in their own jeepneys. The jeepneys must
be of good condition and must have the proof of a successful MMDA emission
testing and Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board’s (LTFRB) Certificate
of Public Convenience that states that the franchise is still valid until
November 2012.
The event is not only concentrated
in beautification. The drivers and operators of the participating jeepneys are
to attend a comprehensive training program on value formation, culture of
tourism, passenger handling, road ethics, road safety tips and others.
Environmental awareness is also part
of the training program, although there are more things to be done concerning jeepneys
and pollution. Hopefully, the festival will be a venue for highlighting this
issue. In the end, “we want to
see beautiful jeepneys plying our streets using clean, natural gas as well as
electricity,” said Jimenez, who also envisions for jeepney drivers to courteous
and in uniforms.
Culminating the on-the-spot jeepney painting session
is a grand jeepney parade on September 24 at 10 A.M. The jeepneys will also be used
as a shuttle for foreign visitors in the travel mart of the Pacific Asia Travel
Association. The Jeepney Arts Festival is also part of Design Week Philippines
of the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM)
happening from October 14 to 20, 2012, and the ManilART 2012, which will auction as many
as 50 artworks in various media featuring redesigns and reinterpretations of
the jeepney on October 4, 2012, 4 to 6 P.M.
According to Garcia, the Jeepney Arts Festival
aims to be an annual event. She envisions the jeepney to be a roving museum of
Philippine arts and culture.
For
more information, contact telephone numbers 994-6636 and 869-7771, e-mail bayanihan@jeepneyartsfestival.com or
visit Web site http://jeepneyartsfestival.com.
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