Ang Diwata ng Dyipni

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Ang Diwata ng Dyipni

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It was a bright and sunny day, with the sweltering sun high up in the clear blue sky. It was a typically tropical afternoon, hot and humid with people hiding in the shade to avoid the heat or sweating profusely under the sun when they couldn’t. But despite the time of day and the high temperatures, the hustle and bustle of city life continued unabated. People went to and fro doing their business, while those who loitered in the shade gathered round the streetside vendors selling stuffs like squid balls and dirty ice creams. Children played in traffic, selling rags and newspapers to motorists or otherwise begging for money, and sometimes disabled homeless people went to beg with them whenever the stoplights turned red.

Taxis laden with tourists plied the streets, drivers rolling down windows or opening doors to spit the occasional wad of phlegm, and then after delivering their passengers, the taxi drivers would sometimes take time off to urinate by the streets. Private cars, vans and SUVs drove by with disdain, honking their horns at the bad driving of the taxis or merely signaling whenever they overtook other vehicles in their own acts of lousy motorism.

But for all the bad driving in the world, or at least in the Philippines, neither taxi nor privately-owned automobile could ever hope to match the sheer deftness and boldness of the jeepney. A pedestrian signaled by flailing his hand and almost instantly a jeepney halted in the middle of the road, heedless and careless of the flow of traffic. Despite the protestations and honking horns of other cars, the jeepney stayed there as the pedestrian clambered aboard, thus becoming a passenger, and the public utility jeep slowly sped off – resuming the flow of the road. Laterwards, the jeepney would once again halt unceremoniously to deposit another passenger in the middle of the road. The passenger, now a pedestrian once more, upon arriving at his or her destination would then go wherever, or again board another jeep with the appropriate alphanumeric designations denoting its route.

The price for all this? Nothing more than a paltry few coins for the right to ride, wave a hand to board and then holler and shout to disembarkate from the jeepney. Aboard the jeep, one can find anyone and everyone riding on board – men, women and children, the young and the old alike, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, children of all ages. Kids going to or from elementary school, high schoolers skipping classes to play videogames or snort glue, grownups going to work in the government or at the mall or in the hospital, or moldy old infirm people who’re confused and don’t even know which jeepney they’re in or where it’s headed. They all take the jeep.

The jeep itself is an idiosyncratic thing. No two are ever identical or too much alike, each one’s exterior a product of the individual hands that built it, painted it, and drive it. Some are covered in gleaming chrome, most are painted in wild bright colors, others have unsolicited product placement adorning their hulls and fuselages. The faces of popular people, like General Grievous, Lara Croft and Sarah Kerrigan, often grace the covers of the jeep.

The cast and crew of the jeepney is just as varied as its passengers and its paraphernalia. There’s the driver behind the wheels, who steers the vehicle in its regular routes and bravely defies the traffic laws whilst slyly evading traffic enforcer cops; and there’s the konductor hanging precariously off the backside of the jeepney, clinging on for dear life as the vehicle speeds on. The driver drives and the konductor collects the fares, shouts and barks when to stop and when to go, and acts as a carnival barker to prospective passengers hobbling in the sidewalks or jaywalking in the streets. Sometimes, the konductor rides shotgun and is the driver’s wife, with the driver’s children aboard as well, forming a whole family unit working and living in the jeep – taking in passengers of all sorts and depositing them anywhere and everywhere.

The jeep is their source of livelihood, income and life. For the myriad passengers, its their source of cheap and reliable transportation and is a no less vital part of their own lives, crucial in ferrying them to work and school and home and church. Everyday thousands, if not millions, of Filipinos take the jeep and it becomes another part of daily life for them.

Sometimes, life also ends in the jeepney.

Dusk is dark and dreary, and the drudgery of school is finally coming to a close. A college student boards a jeep bound for a route that’ll take her home. She cradles her bags and books close to her, aware of pickpockets and snatchers. She holds her cellphone near, texting her mother that she’s coming home soon. She is about to put her phone away when a man comes close and grabs it. Without thinking, she reacts and struggles to pull her phone away from the man’s hands. The other passengers look on but do not intervene, they don’t know what to do, they’re afraid. The girl continues to struggle until the mall pulls out a gun. He shoots the girl and makes off with the cellphone. The traffic light is red, the jeep is still, he jumps out of its back and vanishes into the night.

The jeep takes the dying girl to the hospital. It goes as fast as it can, not slowing down for anything, desperately honking its horn at slow drivers and slow cars. But it is too late. The girl is rushed to the hospital but she does not make it.

Later, the jeepney goes home. The driver washes the blood off its seats and turns its engines off. Despite what happened, he still has to drive his jeep tomorrow. He still has to earn money, he still has to feed his family, and he needs his jeepney to do this. He parks his jeep and goes to sleep. But the jeepney does not sleep. Its headlights turn on, its engines start, and as the driver slumbers with his family after a hard day’s work, the jeepney returns to the road.


Ang Diwata ng Dyipni

In ancient times long before Christendom’s arrival, the Philippines was a land full of spirits and mystical creatures. The tribes of the Philippine islands learned to live with these strange things that dwelled in the forests and the trees, in the mountains and in the seas. There were rites and rituals to curry favors from them and to placate their temperament. The tribal elders would teach the young these rites and tell them, through songs and fables, of the spirits and creatures that lived in the wilderness. They had strange names and strange forms, and amongst them were things such as the agta, the anitos, the Bathala, kapris, duwendes, mananangals and wakwaks. Some were great, some were small, there were those that were malicious and evil, and there were those willing to help man as he toiled in his works. Amonggst them were the diwatas.

The diwatas were kind and helpful spirits who lived in the woods and the plains, in the rivers and sea corals. They were tied intrinsically to the peoples whose livelihoods depended on the will of the spirits, whose rituals sought to invoke good harvests for the farmers or bountiful catches for the fishermen. To appease the diwatas meant to live in a fine and fertile land, but to anger them meant slim pickings from the fields and fisheries.

The ancient Filipinos lived in harmony with these spirits for thousands of years, until the coming of the Spaniards and the new faith that waged war on the beliefs and traditions of olden times. Deprived of the rites and rituals that appeased them, and the beliefs that sustained them, the diwatas and spirits went into hiding – but they were never truly gone, for they could never truly die. In the faraway rural lands there were still those few who believed and listened to the tales of their elders, although in the populous places where the cities would rise, the forests were cut down and the woods slowly gave way to steel and concrete. In these places, the diwatas had lost their homes and were slowly forgotten in time, their only place in the people’s memory that of superstition and long gone mythology.

Not all the spirits went away, though. Surely the older ones that had grown used to the thousands of years of tradition and rites could not cope with such sudden and violent change. But the younger spirits could and did adapt, for creatures such as the diwatas did not only dwell in the forests and did not only draw subsistence from rites and rituals, for they too were tied to the lives of the people and the toils of their works. Whereas the woods were their natural home, they learned to live in steel and concrete and in other non-living things, and those few that made this change once more insinuated themselves into the livelihood of the Filipinos.

The jeepney is a symbol of Filipino ingenuity and Filipino culture, and has become a central form of livelihood in not only the cities but also in the rural lands as well, and this is what makes it an ideal vessel for the diwata. Unwittingly, the driver has come to gain favor from a spirit that dwells in his vehicle without his knowing – a spirit that has inhabited the same vehicle when it belonged to the driver’s driver father, and his driver father’s driver father. He himself pays homage to the diwata through the rosary he hangs on the rearview mirror and the Jesuses and Mama Marys he has on his dashboard. Another ritual that sustains and nourishes the diwata is the fares the passengers give upon riding the jeepney, each and every piece of peso coin that becomes imbued with magical spiritual symbolic energy as it changes hands from passenger to driver to collection plate. This simple act has unspeakably great significance to the driver whose livelihood is dependent on these monies, but also to the jeepney itself.

But the diwata in the jeepney has gained from more than just pesos. It is the passengers themselves, who depend on the jeepney to bring them to work or to home, who need the jeep in their lives, who in turn give the jeepney its life. The spirit of the jeepney sees these passengers as they live their lives, as they go from one place to another, every single day in every week of every month and year, and it is in this interplay of life, the significance of the passenger to the jeepney and the jeepney to its passengers, that is the magic that animates the diwata of the jeepney.

This fundamental process was instrumental in the nearly forgotten relationship between the ancient Filipino tribes and the spirits. Unlike its passengers though, the diwata of the jeep’s presence is largely unknown, but in seeing so many people the diwata has come to grow an affinity for its passengers who it watches on a daily basis. The same goes for its driver, who takes care to diligently maintain his jeepney.

This is why, should any unscrupulous soul seek to harm the jeepney, its passenger, or its driver, the diwata’s wrath is as swift as its wheels and as hard as its chrome bumper. Any wrong to a passenger or the driver is an affront to the jeepney itself, and should the misdeed be grave then the diwata cannot let it go unanswered. For the diwata of the jeepney is more than just the sum of its parts, more than just steel chassis and wheels. The tales of old speak of scorned spirits bringing famines, droughts and storms, and as in those olden tales the diwata of the jeepney can bring grave misfortune on those it marks for death. The jeepney fares, the tune ups, and the diesel fuel have made the diwata strong and its spirit animates the jeepney in a way that is beyond the ken of mortal man – its wheels moving it at speeds that defy the speedometer and mileage gauge, with unnatural fuel economy and a lack of crumple zones that do not deter it from delivering its vengeance.

At late night, when the roads are clear and when its driver sleeps, the jeepney cometh and seeks those who have sinned against it, for with its wheels it will write skid marks of blood on the asphalt roads of the Philippines.

The thief walked down the near-deserted road in search for those who he could barter his pilfered proceeds with. At this hour, the fat policemen would be at home sleeping and the only ones left outside lurking in the night would be other people like him, unscrupulous and in search for ill-gotten gains.

As the thief continued, he felt a prickly sensation on his skin, like the one that sent the tiny hairs on your back standing. The thief turned around, thinking that someone was behind him. He was right.

Suddenly, blinding light silhouetted him against the night and at this he recoiled, covering his eyes as he did so. The lights dimmed and he realized that they were the headlights of a jeepney not ten meters away from him. As he wondered just how it had gotten so close without a sound, it revved its engines with an inhuman roar and he began backing away cautiously. What the jeepney was doing at this hour, and what it wanted with him, he had no idea. He looked closer and saw that the jeepney had no driver.

Then the jeepney came for him. Its tires screeched against the pavement as it came, burning rubber on the asphalt road. He turned to run, to jump out of the way. He almost made it. Almost.

His upper torso cleared out of the jeep’s way, but his lower body didn’t. Everything below his waist went under its wheels. His hips, genitals, legs and feet were crushed as the jeep made its first pass. The jeep sped by, leaving his broken body behind it.

He laid there on the pavement, bleeding and trying to drag himself into a pedestrian lane, as if it would save his life. In a moment of realization, he noticed that the jeepney was the very same one where he had stolen the cellphone from that girl who he shot.

The jeepney began backing up and the thief’s eyes widened in fear. But he didn’t feel the wheels as they went over and crushed his legs, since his spine was broken, and he couldn’t scream when the wheels went above his waist because his abdominal organs were being forced against his diaphragm and squeezed out of his throat like a used tube of toothpaste. The jeep was backing up parallel to his body, and the wheels gradually went up into his chest, caving in his ribcage, before it went over his neck and then his head.

The driverless jeepney repeated the process several times, rolling over the body until what remained was no longer recognizably human. Then it stopped and returned home before dawn, before its driver woke up.

When the morning rush hour began, the motorists wouldn’t notice the greasy reddish smear marring the pavement they were on.
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Re: Ang Diwata ng Dyipni

Post by Ford Prefect »

Man, that was bizarrely fantastic. However, given the way it is presented, I cannot help but notice that this is not one vengeful jeepney, but in fact lots of different jeepneys. Goddamn. :D
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Re: Ang Diwata ng Dyipni

Post by Shroom Man 777 »

The article was vague on the exact number of jeepneys, and I originally meant for only one possessed jeepney. But due to the ambiguous wording, eh. I'm not averse to having multiple spirits infesting multiple jeepneys!
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Re: Ang Diwata ng Dyipni

Post by Malchus »

Mang, I love it when you do these Filipino characters. It's always trippy seeing Philippine culture bared for all to see in Comix. Especially the little details like the shameless use of copyrighted characters for jeepney decorations. XD

This is an awesome entry as well. It's like Stephen King's killer cars, but with a distinctly Pinoy flavor.
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Re: Ang Diwata ng Dyipni

Post by Shroom Man 777 »

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Early morning and the jeepneys already prowl the Philippine roads. They pick up passengers going through their daily commutes. Men, women and children all look for a jeepney ride - it is part of their routine, a ubiquitous aspect of almost every Filipino's life.

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In the everyday hustle and bustle, the jeepney flows through the traffic of the road like water down asphalt rivers. It is diligent, it is patient. Always it follows its driver and carries its passengers faithfully.

But under the unseemly exterior, within the steel chassis and the diesel engines, something unearthly lurks within the machine.

It watches. It waits.

When the night comes, and the night always comes, a few of these jeepneys turn into something else entirely.

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Who knows what evil lies in the hearts of men?

THE JEEPNEY KNOWS


(PS. Malchus, I KNOW you know those jeepneys I'm talking about with the faces of "famous people" in em. If I had a digital camera, I'd so totally picture em. :P)
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Re: Ang Diwata ng Dyipni

Post by Siege »

I want one of them colourful ones. They are sweet rides. And if they go out and drive over car-thieves at night, that's even better! Who needs a car alarm when the thing just crushes would-be thieves?
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Re: Ang Diwata ng Dyipni

Post by Heretic »

Man, that is just bizarre and awesome. It's like those kiddie sentient car shows, but instead of just chasing two-bit villains while singing songs, these jeepneys run evil-doers over at night, all while earning their salary for gas in day by driving people around.
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Re: Ang Diwata ng Dyipni

Post by Mobius 1 »

This is crazy. People make a lot out of the taxi being an integral part of city culture, but the yellow cab has nothing on the jeepney.

What's crazier is that there are Jeepneys with General Greivous and Sarah Kerrigan on them.
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Re: Ang Diwata ng Dyipni

Post by Malchus »

Mobius 1 wrote:What's crazier is that there are Jeepneys with General Greivous and Sarah Kerrigan on them.
In blatant disregard of international copyright and trademark laws, I might add. XD
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Re: Ang Diwata ng Dyipni

Post by Shroom Man 777 »

Except for the spiritualistic mumbo-jumbo, Malachuschus and other Filipinos can verify that my article is 100% authentic and truthinessful! :mrgreen:

I wonder though. For you Americans/Europeans/non-Filipinos out there, just how did you guys hear about jeepneys? Aside from this article, where else have you guys heard/seen/read about it? Jeepneys are a big part of Filipino culture, and I wonder how foreigners are exposed to Filipino culture and stuff. What do YOU guys see in your TV documentaries talking about exotic locales?

I am wondering about these ubiquitous things that are taken for granted in the Philippines, but are utterly unknown or obscure or strange to the outside world. Or ubiquitous Filipino things that're SUPPOSED to be unknown or obscure but are actually pretty known to the outside world (like, say, how we actually-factually crucify people on Easter Sunday).

Since, I dunno, I guess I kind of find it odd for foreigners to hear/know about Filipino stuff since I kind of think our country's pretty unremarkable and obscure, and I myself know jack about stuff from, say, Indonesia and Malaysia or other such unknown places - whereas everyone in the whole world heard of stuff about Europe/America. I wonder what kind of rap the Philippines gets abroad.

I am curious because, apparently, Booted has a toy jeepney! Which is awesome!
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Re: Ang Diwata ng Dyipni

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To tell you the truth, Shroom. This is the first time I heard of the word Jeepney, and associate it with that thing. I just thought they were a small bus, with the title "bus".

I mean, the only things I know about Philippines are that we once conquered it, they eat barut, there is a prison that has the inmates doing MJ's Thriller and one festival seems to have them give money out like there's no tomorrow (my sis has a filipino friend, and when she went to that holiday, she got 40 bucks. After spending it on stuff). Might be a local thing though.

I wonder: with jeepneys around, what role do buses play in Filipino society? Is it usually for tourists and stuff, or do buses also have a prominent role alongside jeepneys?
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Re: Ang Diwata ng Dyipni

Post by Malchus »

Heretic wrote: I wonder: with jeepneys around, what role do buses play in Filipino society? Is it usually for tourists and stuff, or do buses also have a prominent role alongside jeepneys?
Primary bus functions in the Philippines include:

Tourist transport
Student transport
To-and-from airport transit
Long distance (which means the trip is hours long) city-to-city transport
Buses for hire (you charter bus companies for field trips, company outings, etc.)
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Re: Ang Diwata ng Dyipni

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Heretic wrote:To tell you the truth, Shroom. This is the first time I heard of the word Jeepney, and associate it with that thing. I just thought they were a small bus, with the title "bus".

I mean, the only things I know about Philippines are that we once conquered it, they eat barut, there is a prison that has the inmates doing MJ's Thriller and one festival seems to have them give money out like there's no tomorrow (my sis has a filipino friend, and when she went to that holiday, she got 40 bucks. After spending it on stuff). Might be a local thing though.
Old grandparents like handing out money to grandchildren in Christmas. But it's more of a Chinese thing, the cash is wrapped in red envelopes. :mrgreen:

I kind of thought that much of the everyday weirdisms of the Philippines was largely unknown to the rest of the world. So, I guess I was right. While that's kinda sad, since more exposition to the outside world would be nice, I think it's not too bad since it always lets us Filipinos surprise silly foreigners whenever they behold the super spectacle sights of our country.
I wonder: with jeepneys around, what role do buses play in Filipino society? Is it usually for tourists and stuff, or do buses also have a prominent role alongside jeepneys?
Buses are fairly common too. But in traveling inside a city, or within close distances, jeepneys are the main mangs. But for places that take several hour rides, and where taking a jeepney with a couple dozen passengers is no longer economical due to fuel consumption and mileage concerns, big buses are used for lots of folks who travel out of the city to the fringe world yokel provinces. You actually see a whole lot of them, with big bus stations just full of folk going to and from the faraway fringes.

I swear, I saw a farmer putting his goats into those cargo compartments that open up on the side of the buses.

There are a few buses in the city too. School buses, standard public transport buses, and ancient rusting buses owned by the government used to transport convicts - like those aforementioned MJ dancers! - to the courts. Those MJ dancer convicts are also found in my city, so yay me!
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