jeepney

just last week when i was on my way back to nueva ecija from pangasinan, i rode with a pregnant mother and her two little sons in the jeepney from san jose to munoz. she looked frail, her children malnourished. she actually begged the driver if they could ride the jeep to cabanatuan. she had no money left, she said. the driver agreed with a grunt. i thought, oh well, na-pressure lang ito from the curious stares of his passengers kaya pumayag. just as they were seated, the lady next to them started asking a barrage of questions.

taga-san ba kayo?
sa penaranda pa po..

naku, eh ang layo pa nun a!

….

---o, etong kwarenta, pamasahe nio.

kunin mo na!abay wag ka ng umarte.nasaan ba asawa mo?

nasa kulungan po..

anoo?!wag mo ng palabasin!hayaan mong mabulok sa kulungan yan.kita mo nga’t binuntis ka pa ulit!

…..

the woman cant help but cry.not just because of the helplessness of the situation she was into, but more of the humiliation she got from that woman. The jeepney was packed with employees rushing for work on that Monday morning, so just imagine the stares she got from these people who were all immaculately dressed in their corporate attires while she and her two children wore old, mangy clothes. One passenger, an old man who looked like a farmer, handed her P40 for their fare. Penaranda is still a long way from cabanatuan.

It just struck me as something really ironic that all the elite, more capable people riding in that jeep did not care about her, they just stood there and watched the drama unfold. One by one, they got off from the jeep… phil carabao center, bureau of post harvest, central Luzon state university, denr… an elementary teacher in Munoz. No one bothered to offer her money, which was what she badly needed that time. when the jeep neared the staff dorm, I handed her a hundred peso bill and hurriedly got off.she thanked me in a hushed tone, and I gave her a smile.

At the office later that day, I cant help but compare the jeepney with the society we have.it has become selfish and impersonal, where the privileged few are so caught up in their comfortable, neat world…never caring for those who are in need.i must admit there were times when I was also guilty with that. I was so busy thinking about my problems with work, with the mp3 player of my phone, my plane ticket reimbursement that I failed to get involved in the real world. I did not have time to comfort my sister when she was having problems with her relationship, I ignored my mom’s sentiments about her sister, i postponed a meet-up with a friend because of a deadline, without knowing she’s leaving for the states na pala.i immersed myself with things that gave me temporary happiness.

I just hope that it isn’t too late yet to make up for all the things I missed.