While in Cebu, I happened to ride a jeepney with a very lively conductor (a guy who collects the fare). I was on my way to my grandmother’s place. When I got in, I wasn’t quite sure if he really was a conductor or just a “sabit” or someone along for a free ride. He was not wearing a shirt, was very noisy and he was all over the outside of the jeepney. I saw one of the passengers give him the jeepney fare but I was still not convinced so I withheld paying until I was sure. He was calling passengers in a loud voice which he intercepted with his risque comments. A girl passenger got in and he said, “Gunit sa gahi na puthaw” with a sexual innuendo. (can be intrepreted to mean “Hold on to the hard rod/metal”). The girl did not hold on to the rail that’s why when the jeepney suddenly moved, she was almost thrown to the floor. The conductor commented, “Gi ingnan gunit sa gahi na puthaw.” (I told you to hold on to the hard metal) The passengers, including me, were laughing quietly at his antiques. Whenever the jeepney would stop for the red light, he would get off the jeepney and move around the area, calling for more passengers and reciting the places that the jeepney would pass through. One of his comments was, “Luag pa. Adlaw-adlaw gamiton” [There's still space (for more passengers).] He played on the word “luag” which can mean, “plenty of space” or “loose”. This second meaning goes well with the phrase “adlaw-adlaw gamiton” (“used everyday”). I’ll leave it to you to decipher what he meant. Hehehe
Jeepneys in Cebu are different from jeepneys in Manila in the front structure. There are only few jeepneys in Cebu with the “Sarao” look. Here are some pictures of Cebu jeepneys. The jeepney on the left side of the first pic is the one with what I consider the “Sarao” look typical of the jeepneys here in Manila. While the rest of the pictures depict the typical look of Cebu jeepneys.
