In Manila, commuting is part of everyday life. The streets are often filled with traffic, street vendors, and the loud sound of jeepneys and buses passing by. Today, people can easily check directions using their phones. But long before digital maps existed, commuters relied on something much simpler the signboards on jeepneys. These signboards show the route and destination of the vehicle. For many commuters, especially first-timers, they serve as a quick guide to know where a jeepney is headed. The tradition started after World War II when military jeeps were transformed into public transportation. As Filipinos customized these vehicles,…
Author: Ceejay Jose
EDSA has been around since the mid-20th century and has gone through different phases of life. Epifanio de los Santos Avenue, or EDSA, was named after a Filipino historian, scholar, jurist, and art critic Epifanio de los Santos. Let’s deep dive into EDSA’s phases, and how artists, historians, and everyday commuters have been inspired by this road. Built to Connect EDSA’s story began in the 1930s, when it was engineered as part of Metro Manila’s road expansion. Its original purpose was simple: to connect North and South from Caloocan to Pasay stretching roughly 23.8 kilometers based on aerial measurements. At…
Did we really lose our sense of direction, or did navigation just evolve? Before Google Maps told us where to turn, before Waze warned us about traffic, and long before a single tap could summon a ride, getting around meant something else entirely. Did you ever ask your dad for directions and immediately regret it halfway through? He’d start with confidence.“Diretso ka lang diyan, tapos pag nakita mo yung bakery, kaliwa ka. Lampas ng tindahan ha, hindi yung bago.” And somehow, that made sense. At least… to him. Back then, directions weren’t pinned on a screen. They lived in people’s…