Friends in transit

I discovered a new method of transport during my recent stay in New York City. Because they wanted to spare us the hassle, and the possible encounters with unethical drivers of taxis, my relatives shared with us their method. This was having a link to a group of friends and relatives who operate what is akin to our colorum business here. These people, who all have their own vehicles, offer their services to commuters, and are quite efficient in the way they do it.

***

What they apparently do is to pool their vehicles together, with the owners themselves driving them, and accept passengers who call by phone. We were able to get the number of one of these groups and, Oh, what trouble they spared us, transport-wise, because my cousins and I were not too familiar with subway commuting. Me, I developed a sort of phobia for subways after my sister Perla and I lost our way in one of them in Hamburg, Germany, sometime in the late nineties. That gave us a big scare, because we could no longer remember, nor locate, the area where we had originally entered, and kept popping up in different sections of the city.

***

It was only when we met a young Japanese couple, who told us they were both professors at a local university, were we able to find our way back to where the Hotel Norge, where we were billeted, was located. From then on, we always took the taxi, even if the fares were prohibitive. But the New York system was quite efficient. You call up their number and immediately the one who answers contacts the driver who happens to be in the place nearest you, and in a few minutes, the vehicle drives up. And the fares are reasonable – they tell you approximately how much the trip would cost.

***

I noted that a similar operation goes on at Niagara Falls City. There we even made friends with our drivers, who were soon competing good-naturedly for our patronage. It was also very interesting, because they came from various countries. The ones at Niagara were mostly Pakistanis, but they told us they had Filipino friends, with whom they were very close. One even showed us a P20 bill that he was keeping in his wallet as a souvenir. They really made our short stay very interesting and ensured that we covered a lot of ground there.

***

Our favorite was the one named Nur, who also took over the photo-shooting function so we could all be in the picture. However, he was also very imposing, and would order us to pose this way or that. He even got me to sitting on the grass, facing the waterfalls, but I got very embarrassed when I could hardly get up later. He would also insist on taking us to his favorite tourist spots, saying he would feel very bad if we could not see it. But his car was a gleaming Lincoln, and it made us feel like visiting VIPs, so we humored him.

***

But drivers were not the only interesting people we got to know during our trips. We also met a promising young musician, who was much admired in Los Angeles, and who turned out to be from Bacolod! Melvir (from his parents' names, Melchor and Virginia) Ausente, is a noted conductor and choir leader, as well as a singer. Another one, whom we did not actually meet, but whom our friends kept talking about, was Nove Depaylan from Victorias City, Negros Occidental. Like Melvir, Nove is also a University of the Philippines College of Music graduate, and of Masters degrees, with honors from California universities. I was ashamed to admit I had not heard of them before, and lamely excused myself by quoting that saying about prophets and their own countries.

***

Meanwhile, let's not to be too harsh on the trisikads that have become the bane of other motorists here. I noticed that they are also operating in New York, even in such classy areas of Fifth Avenue, right in front of the St. Patrick's Cathedral. However, the units are taller, the wheels bigger, and the driver goes in front, just like the horse in the calesa. Which is a healthier position because their entire body helps pull the conveyance. Sometime ago, there was a report that Indonesia banned trisikads, confiscated the units and threw them into the sea because driving them affected, not only the posture, but especially the health of the driver. By the way, they call the New York version “bicycle taxis.”

***

But I had some experiences that were very flattering, like when several Filipinos – not all of them from Bacolod or Negros Occidental – were saying that they read the DAILY STAR, although they are already residents of various U.S. cities. At the NAIA, when I landed the other day, I was surprised when a security officer greeted me in Ilonggo. He said he was from Iloilo, but later, the skycap carrying my luggage said “VIP ka pala, Ma'm” I asked him why he said that and he answered that their supervisor (the Ilonggo man) told him I was with the “well-known” newspaper in Bacolod. As the tagalogs would say it, “Nakakataba ng puso (makes your heart swell).” Oh yes, it did!*

back to top