Her father’s jeepney is exactly her age and named after her. All of her young life, it was the same jeepney that sustained the family through her father’s long days and nights driving polluted routes, before catching a few hours of sleep inside the jeepney.
All of her father’s hard work enabled Hya Bendaña to focus on school and graduate college valedictorian of Ateneo de Manila University in 2019.
Now she’s paying it forward by speaking out on behalf of jeepney drivers as the government phases out jeepneys as part of its contentious modernization program.
Hya talks to Howie Severino about the challenge to achieve despite her poverty and offers an insider’s view of the world of the iconic jeepney.
All of her father’s hard work enabled Hya Bendaña to focus on school and graduate college valedictorian of Ateneo de Manila University in 2019.
Now she’s paying it forward by speaking out on behalf of jeepney drivers as the government phases out jeepneys as part of its contentious modernization program.
Hya talks to Howie Severino about the challenge to achieve despite her poverty and offers an insider’s view of the world of the iconic jeepney.
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NewsTranscript
00:00 Good morning, Podmates! Howie Severino here again, reminding you that a long attention span is a gift.
00:07 Our guest today is a son of a jeepney driver who graduated from the College of Valedictorian at the University of Manila in 2019.
00:18 And now, he is one of the bosses of the jeepney sector of the country, especially when it comes to the debate on the modernization of public vehicles.
00:29 This is Haya Bendana. Good morning to you, Haya.
00:32 Good morning, Sir Howie. Thank you for inviting me.
00:35 And thank you for inviting us even though you are very busy right now.
00:41 I have been interested in your background for a long time, Haya.
00:44 You are a unique son of a jeepney driver, but you graduated from the elite university of Ateneo at the top of your class.
00:53 You were even the president of the student government there, Sanggunian.
00:59 Obviously, you became very integrated in the community of Ateneo.
01:03 But, is there a time when you felt out of place when you were a student?
01:11 Or, did you have confidence that you would succeed there?
01:16 These questions are so confusing. And more so, thank you for researching.
01:21 I'm surprised by the information.
01:23 Sir Howie, I was really stressed when I first came to college.
01:30 My grandmother died at that time because the hospitals refused to operate on her due to admurism.
01:37 We didn't have a down payment.
01:39 Coming in to Ateneo, I was very angry.
01:42 And of course, I was more angry when I saw the comfortable schoolmates.
01:48 The kind of students who were paid P1,000 per day or P2,000 per day.
01:52 Meanwhile, five days of those students would have saved my grandmother's life.
01:56 So, I was very angry.
01:58 And I think I was very troubled coming in.
02:01 Not because I was afraid that I would be out of place. That was never my concern.
02:05 But more of, I was angry with the reality that I was seeing.
02:10 And how I contrasted it with our experiences on a daily basis.
02:14 So admittedly, it's not your usual college sentiments that I wanted to fit in.
02:20 It was never my intention to fit in. I was just angry.
02:23 So now, you're active in social causes, including issues in the jeepney sector.
02:34 Was it your dream to use your skills in social issues?
02:39 Not necessarily, Sir Howie.
02:41 I think what people need to realize is that when you grow up in poverty,
02:46 your goal is not automatically to save the world because you experienced poverty.
02:51 Your goal is to get out of poverty.
02:53 Your goal was to save your family.
02:55 Your goal was to find a better future for yourself.
02:58 I was active in social causes.
03:00 I ran for office since I was seven years old.
03:02 But it was not because I wanted to join the social cause.
03:05 It was because my father was also a businessman.
03:07 The intention was selfish, even if it was a social cause.
03:11 And admittedly, that's because people like me are pushed for survival.
03:15 And when you're pushed for survival, that's your priority.
03:18 So that was my status growing up.
03:20 It was really never to advocate and be a hero.
03:24 It was always because I wanted better for my family.
03:27 It just so happens now when I grew older, I realized that poverty has different faces.
03:32 And my story of poverty is not a unique story.
03:36 And the struggle is not individual but systemic.
03:40 That's where I started to advocate for bigger social causes.
03:43 But I did not start wanting to save the world.
03:46 I did not start wanting to save the Philippines.
03:48 I just wanted to finish school and give a better life for my family.
03:52 But of course, you experienced the advantages of the issue of jeepney drivers
04:02 and the sectors associated with transport.
04:08 How did that influence your choices?
04:12 The first thing is that I never wanted to fit in with Ateneo.
04:16 I think that's the first sign.
04:17 I never felt ashamed that my dad was a jeepney driver.
04:23 Everywhere I go, I always tell others that my dad was a jeepney driver.
04:27 When I entered Ateneo, I was actually in the School of Management.
04:31 So sometimes at dinner table, especially if you meet the parents of your friends,
04:35 they would talk about the business of your family.
04:38 And they would make a round of what the family's business is.
04:41 Textile, tiles, export.
04:44 Those are their businesses. Rice mill.
04:47 And when it comes to me, I never invent anything.
04:51 I just want to say that my dad was a jeepney driver.
04:53 And it will always make the room quiet.
04:56 Because that's how they react, right?
04:58 Usually, "So who are your business partners?"
05:01 They ask the same question to me.
05:03 And everywhere I go, I always say that.
05:06 I remember, actually, the first time it went viral,
05:10 it's not because of the graduation.
05:12 It was in 2017 when Ateneo refused to cancel classes
05:16 during a nationwide jeepney strike led by Pistol and Acto.
05:21 And I got angry because I didn't understand
05:24 why Ateneo wouldn't cancel classes
05:27 when there are commuters inside the university, etc.
05:30 So that was the first time I posted,
05:33 the first time I became popular that there was a jeepney driver's son in Ateneo.
05:39 And I think that was influential in my decision
05:42 because I never look at things the way my schoolmates would.
05:47 And I don't know, Sir Howie, if you can call it an advantage,
05:53 the fact that I grew up in a sector.
05:55 It's an advantage for me, but also at the same time,
05:58 it's an advantage in a way that I don't need classes in sociology,
06:05 or TOP so I can understand the struggle of the sector on the ground.
06:09 I don't need immersion.
06:10 But also, for a lot of poor people, being with the sectors
06:15 or growing up in poverty is something that they want to be alleviated from.
06:20 But I am proud of my origin, and I will always be proud of telling my story.
06:24 So, you just started, after you graduated, you became active in the sector?
06:32 Depends on what sectors, Sir Howie.
06:35 But I am active in advocacy movements.
06:38 When I graduated, I worked in Jesuit Refugee Services as a humanitarian worker.
06:43 So, anti-sex trafficking and sexual violence,
06:47 I did that directly after graduation.
06:50 And then when the pandemic hit in 2020, and there was a nationwide public transport strike,
06:55 I went back to the sector to be active.
06:59 Not really go back because I never left, it's just that at that time,
07:03 as a woman who grew up in poverty, I have many pain points.
07:07 Not just transport, but also public health, education, sexual violence, etc.
07:13 So, that's what I did first, and then I moved to public transport.
07:18 Okay, so, in the modernization program,
07:23 one of the requirements of the government is to consolidate the jeepney operators and drivers,
07:31 just like your father.
07:34 What is your perspective on this?
07:38 First of all, did your father join a cooperative or corporation as required by the government
07:48 to have a franchise?
07:50 And what do you think is the status of this first phase of modernization?
07:57 Sir Javi, I want to tell you that my father was actually part of the first batch that was phased out.
08:05 So, I know that it's 2024 now, but my father lost his livelihood in 2017,
08:12 during that time of jeepney modernization.
08:15 His franchise was not renewed because his vehicle was not roadworthy.
08:20 So, I just want to make it clear to all the listeners that the first batch of phased out jeepneys
08:28 has not been happening ever since the government phased out jeepneys,
08:33 ever since it was actually passed as a formal policy.
08:37 So, it was not renewed from the start.
08:39 It's not just that it's not wide, but it did not start in 2023 or 2024, it started in 2017.
08:46 And for one year, my father was in a color room.
08:49 He was traveling illegally because of the color room.
08:52 He was traveling to destinations where there were usually no MMBA or police to arrest him,
08:59 and usually during rush hours when there was no shift.
09:03 Our jeepney was phased out in 2017.
09:06 And for one year, my father was in a color room.
09:09 He went home in 2018 when I was entering fourth year college
09:14 because there was no job in Manila before I graduated.
09:19 So, he was not included in the current consolidation.
09:23 I think many of our jeepney operators and drivers are the same.
09:26 But going back to your question, Sir Howie,
09:29 I think in the long term of things, there is a chance of reforming the public transportation system.
09:41 But I'm not sure if the first step should be consolidation.
09:46 The government is consolidating everything now,
09:50 but I'm not sure what routes are working.
09:54 There is no proper demand projection on how many units are needed for each route.
10:01 There is no clear capacity in LGU on how to plan their transport routes.
10:07 In short, consolidation is part of the reform, but I don't think it should be the first step in the reform.
10:16 According to the data of the Department of Transport, about 70% of operators and drivers have consolidated,
10:27 meaning they are now members of the cooperative or corporation as required.
10:34 I asked how about the 30%?
10:37 Aren't we going to lack public vehicles in the province?
10:43 I asked Secretary Bautista.
10:46 He said that 30% is not really necessary.
10:50 They also conducted a study showing that there are really too many jeepneys anyway.
10:58 So the 70% that consolidated should be enough to service the demands for commuting of passengers.
11:07 And with the 30%, there are many non-roadworthy jeepneys and other public vehicles
11:17 that should not be allowed to travel on the roads.
11:23 What is your opinion on that statement that there is no need for so many vehicles that have not been consolidated?
11:35 Thank you, Mr. Howie. And on the record, Secretary Bautista, that's a bit wrong.
11:40 The truth is that the queue at the terminals is too long.
11:51 There are many commuters who wait 3 or 4 hours in line to get a ride.
11:57 There are many commuters who go home at 12 midnight and have to wake up at 4 in the morning to get to their terminal at 8.
12:07 Because they are having a hard time in the queue, in the waiting time, in the travel time.
12:12 There is no need to study what Secretary Bautista is saying to show that there is a lack of public transport supply on the ground.
12:22 And you can see it in the commuter lines and in the everyday jeepneys and buses including buses and MRT.
12:31 Those are different transport modes. All of them are overcrowded.
12:38 And you will tell us as the Department Secretary that the supply is over.
12:43 No, the supply is not enough. He cannot answer the current demand.
12:48 Well, actually, of course, I asked him about that.
12:54 The lived experience of many commuters is different. It looks like there is a lack of supply.
13:01 However, he was saying that, along with modernization, the rationalization of routes,
13:08 if it is fixed, because there are routes that lack vehicles.
13:14 In other routes, there are too many vehicles.
13:18 If it is rationalized, the allocation of public utility vehicles should be enough and the supply and demand should correspond.
13:30 That is one objective of route rationalization.
13:35 The distribution should be fixed so that the public utility vehicles cannot be stored in one place.
13:43 And that was their promise since 2017.
13:47 And in the past 6-7 years that they committed a route rationalization study plan, the national government did not deliver.
13:55 So, sure, they can agree for the next years, but they are not delivering.
14:02 So, our question actually from the sector, from the coalition, and me as the son of a jeepney driver is,
14:09 why don't you do it first? If they have a 6-year route rationalization plan,
14:16 before they start consolidating and phasing out jeepneys.
14:20 Because right now, what I see, Sir Howie, they want to phase out jeepneys because for them, there is an oversupply.
14:26 But not really understanding which routes need more demand and less demand, or more supply and less supply,
14:33 and then doing the consolidation according to that.
14:36 I feel like they are doing it the wrong way and just trusting that after consolidation,
14:42 there will be a route rationalization after we phase out the old units.
14:45 So, when does that happen? Because they have been saying that since 2017.
14:49 And also included in the modernization, of course, the replacement of old models of jeepneys with new models.
15:02 What do you think and other advocates about this plan?
15:10 Replacing the traditional jeepney with so-called modern jeepneys, air-conditioned,
15:18 safer and more economical, less polluting. What do you think about the details of that plan?
15:25 The bare minimum, Sir Howie, that the transport commuters of the PUB commuters need is that they have vehicles.
15:35 So, if transitioning to modern units will decrease public transport supply and the commuters will lose their vehicles, it is not helping.
15:46 Modern units, later on we can transition to it, but it's not the first priority.
15:52 The first priority should be to reform and fix the system and then the units can follow.
15:58 Because even the government, I'm sure you've heard this probably from Ken Sir Howie,
16:02 even the government does not have the money to finance and subsidize.
16:06 So, their committed subsidy, all of our transport supply will modernize whether they want it or they don't.
16:14 So, even if we say that all the transport workers, okay, game, we're classed to modernize simultaneously,
16:22 the government still doesn't have the money to give at least 25% of the subsidy cost.
16:28 So, I'm not sure why they're so passionate about this when they don't have the money.
16:35 The government has no form of sufficient support to actually push the transport workers to transition.
16:42 Even those alone who are willing, it's really not enough.
16:46 Of course, you also agree that the public utility vehicle sector needs to be reformed.
16:53 So, what should be prioritized and how should it go?
16:59 I mean, we really need to modernize in transportation and so many other things.
17:05 So, what should we do?
17:07 The grievous mistakes, Sir Howie, I think that the government did is to try to modernize
17:15 and to implement a national program that they have no capacity to implement everywhere all at once in the Philippines.
17:22 From Basili, right? From Mula, Batanes, to Hulu, they want to implement everything.
17:28 When they have no budget for it, when they don't have staff and manpower to implement it,
17:32 when they don't have legal mandate, no budget to actually finance everything.
17:38 I think, Sir Howie, that whatever the government plans step by step, which I can discuss later, can happen.
17:44 But it has to start with pilot routes.
17:47 It has to start with pilot LGUs that, number one, are willing to help them implement the program.
17:54 Number two, that the cooperatives and the transport workers in those particular areas are willing to join the program.
18:01 And number three, that the government is willing to finance those particular reforms that will happen.
18:07 There are many parts of the PUDN, not just modern vehicles.
18:10 Terminal, accessibility, wheelchair ramps, and a proper commuter display system for people with a disability.
18:25 So, there are many processes and aspects. Why don't they try?
18:30 What we're doing now is, one aspect of it, let's be cherry-picked and implement it all over the country.
18:36 I think what would have been a good implementation, Sir Howie, and it's not too late to do this,
18:41 is to select pilot LGUs or pilot routes and implement the full concept of the PUDN modernization program.
18:48 Since that's the only budget that the government has now, together with service contracting program.
18:53 And then see how they can improve the implementation as they re-iterate.
18:58 So, we can scale up because the Philippines is such a big country.
19:02 It has such a complicated transport system because we are an archipelago.
19:06 There are many branches. There's Haval-Haval, there's Tricycle, there's Pedicab.
19:11 It's not like other transport systems that they want to follow.
19:16 Like Singapore, for example, our system is much more complicated and is very contextualized.
19:22 If you want to find a way to do it and reform the system, even if you say to change the units eventually,
19:28 you have to start with pilot implementation routes.
19:30 Even if we say three years, let's start in Cebu, Naga, Iloilo, Quezon City, or wherever you want to implement, go Davao.
19:40 When we talk about national policies that will affect the whole country, no matter what sector,
19:48 the government's lens, and like me, journalists and influential sectors,
19:57 our lens is Metro Manila.
20:00 So, these other conditions that you're talking about,
20:05 that there's a lack, overcrowded, there's too much traffic,
20:10 the services are really lacking for commuters,
20:15 that's the common experience of people in Metro Manila.
20:20 I'm just wondering, how true would that be everywhere?
20:23 Because you're not in Metro Manila, you're in Albay, and you're currently in Albay.
20:29 I live in the province now, I go to Metro Manila sometimes.
20:36 So, the situation is really different.
20:38 Are there places in the Philippines that you've heard of or you've actually seen
20:45 that are doing a good job in terms of public transportation
20:52 and can serve as a model and can be a good place to do these pilots,
20:58 so that our lens is not just Metro Manila and the problem of Metro Manila?
21:03 I think sometime back, Sinaga City actually passed a resolution
21:08 that they want to implement a service contracting program by the government.
21:12 So, part of the POVMP, just help us with co-funding it,
21:16 and then we'll implement it in the city.
21:18 And there are also those, I think Cebu and Quezon City under Mayor Joy
21:23 is implementing service contracting in their own terms as well.
21:27 So, there are willing LGUs already.
21:30 I think the National Government should open the possibility to make it happen.
21:35 So, for us, Sir Howie in Albay, actually no one here believes in POV modernization.
21:41 For us, for one, we don't have an MMDA, no one is catching us.
21:46 So, for us, the threat of POVMP is not as felt as compared to Metro Manila
21:50 where you know there's an MMDA that will catch you at the stoplight.
21:55 Here, there's no stoplight.
21:57 So, there's no grave threat.
22:00 That's why I was saying earlier, there are only a few billion government to implement it.
22:05 Why not invest even if it's 10 cities, just so we can start it.
22:09 And it's important Sir Howie because right now the government is facing strong resistance,
22:15 especially from the groups of Manivela and Quezon.
22:18 And those resistance are violent.
22:20 Those resistance are, you know, they're not unfounded.
22:23 It's hard to trust a regulatory body to implement a program that's good for you
22:28 when all this time all they've done is punish our jeepney drivers and operators.
22:33 And I'm saying it as someone who grew up in the sector.
22:35 I know that there are many events that are happening.
22:39 It's hard to trust them that they have our best intentions involved.
22:43 So, the goal is not to force them to go into the program because that's what the government wants, right?
22:48 We will go into the program regardless and let those who are left at the margins continue to be at the margins.
22:54 It is the end of the line for them.
22:56 I don't think that should be their response.
22:58 I believe that the transport workers know what's best for them and their families.
23:04 And if we show them what the future could be and we show them that you can trust this program,
23:09 they will come around.
23:11 You mentioned service contracting system in other LGUs.
23:18 Please elaborate on that.
23:20 Why are you speaking about that in positive terms?
23:24 Why is that a good system?
23:26 We grew up in a boundary system.
23:30 That's the system of public transport in the country.
23:34 So, as a lived experience, my father travels at 4 in the morning.
23:40 So, it's 8 hours from 4 am until I think 12 noon.
23:46 Just to reach the boundary.
23:49 That is his boundary.
23:52 And then he eats 12 to 1 and from 1 pm onwards, he only gets his actual income for himself and for the family.
24:00 I think he goes, his take-home is between P800 to P1,200 per day.
24:08 It seems so much more than minimum wage.
24:11 But how many hours does he travel?
24:13 He only sleeps from 12 am to 4 am.
24:15 He's on the road 19 to 20 hours a day to meet the quota.
24:21 And even then, people like him grow old.
24:24 So, Lolo Efren Malonga who is still driving Jitney and FTI terminal,
24:30 grow old to continue the same system because they don't have SSS, PhilHealth, Pag-ibig,
24:35 they don't have social security so they're stuck in the system.
24:39 Service contracting abolishes the boundary system.
24:42 So, the concept of ideal implementation in Surhawa has been done in different areas like Iloilo.
24:48 The government contracts a cooperative to run the route for them.
24:53 And then partially, the goods are subsidized.
24:56 So, it keeps fares affordable and absorbs the cost of fuel hikes because our taxes are for that.
25:04 While at the same time, paying our transport workers a decent wage, a living wage,
25:09 based on the kilometer run.
25:11 What's happening now is that they're struggling, they're overloading, they're ahead, etc.
25:16 It's because Jitney drivers have every incentive to get more passengers.
25:20 "Oh, there's a lot of passengers, they're still talking to each other."
25:23 So, that's what they do because you earn based on the number of fares.
25:27 But it has a higher possibility of vehicles leaving the terminals on time
25:32 because you are compensated based on the number of kilometers you run.
25:36 And the government subsidizes that services.
25:39 I want to clarify the current system because most people don't know this system.
25:47 They're just passengers.
25:48 The boundary system, most Jitney drivers, they are drivers for an operator.
25:56 The operator can own one or more Jitneys and then they have drivers working for them.
26:03 They just collect the boundary and then the access to the boundary goes to the driver.
26:12 I'm assuming that this doesn't include benefits.
26:18 There's no health insurance, there's no retirement plan.
26:24 Under this boundary system, you're like a freelancer.
26:28 That's the system.
26:30 That's right, Sir Howie.
26:32 And I think a lot of it is because what's happening is individual.
26:37 Individual transport worker, individual operator, and then each has their own system.
26:41 It's up to you where you want to go.
26:44 We're just looking for a route to get in.
26:46 It's up to us where we want to apply for a route.
26:48 And to be fair, Sir Howie, I know that the government is trying to fix it and their solution is consolidation.
26:56 But the problem is that there are too many individual transport workers and operators
27:02 and each route has too many drivers.
27:05 It's not the transport workers' fault.
27:08 It's because of the government's failure to actually project and plan the franchise application to our Jitney drivers.
27:16 Because we're just a few and we're being given.
27:20 It doesn't have a criteria that, "Oh, you know what? In Malabon, there's still a lack of Jitney drivers.
27:24 You can go to Malabon."
27:25 There's no such thing.
27:26 We're the ones who choose and it's up to us.
27:28 So under the service contracting system, you really need to be more organized.
27:35 The operators and drivers, you said that the cooperatives are the ones that are contracted.
27:40 So under this system, this is also included in the modernization program.
27:45 But you're saying that other LGUs are already doing this.
27:48 These cooperatives would provide benefits for the drivers.
27:52 They would be given maybe health insurance, a retirement plan, benefits.
28:02 They would be like freelancers.
28:04 Their income depends on the fare and hours and the number of passengers that they'll pick up.
28:12 Yes. I think, sir, how important to clarify.
28:15 Of course, that's an ideal system and we know over history that there are cooperatives, businesses, corporations, which violate labor laws.
28:23 So it's not going to be a perfect system.
28:25 But at least in this model, it's easier for government to regulate and enforce labor laws.
28:31 It's easier for individual drivers, for example, to demand social security to legal entities like cooperatives,
28:39 which they wouldn't be able to do with individual transport operators.
28:43 So where are the majority of Jeepney drivers now? There's no SSS.
28:48 None, sir.
28:49 My father retired. I walked the SSS this January.
28:55 He just got his number again.
28:58 That's how it is, sir. And my father is what? Turning 50 years old this March.
29:02 You know, when you say Jeepney, many Filipinos think of it as an icon and not just a public utility vehicle.
29:13 It's an icon. It symbolizes our culture, our country. It's part of our heritage, etc.
29:22 So some people react to the modern type of Jeepney that's being discussed.
29:31 Some people think of it as an aircon. The entrance and exit are on the side instead of the back.
29:40 The passengers are not facing the driver, the sectional driver, etc.
29:49 So there's a bit of sentimentality attached to the Jeepney.
29:55 That's why some people react to the new designs that are being seen.
30:01 You've been immersed in the sector. You're the son of a Jeepney driver.
30:07 Do you attach a similar sentimentality to the traditional Jeepney?
30:17 Are you just as sentimental as many about the colorful Jeepney, the horses on the hood,
30:28 the colorful signs, the names written on the side.
30:33 There's a whole Jeepney font, a Jeepney style of art.
30:39 Are the people in the sector sentimental about the traditional Jeepney?
30:44 It's huge, Sir Howie. But it's not because of the arts and culture that a lot of commuters
30:49 and heritage preservation advocates are advocating.
30:53 It's because a lot of them have had their Jeepney for their entire family life.
30:59 For example, Sir Howie, my father's Jeepney has a name. His name is my name.
31:05 It's a Raysel Hayaset. It's a long name.
31:07 We got his Jeepney. We loaned it on the day I was born.
31:13 My Jeepney was born on April 1, 1999.
31:17 We celebrate my birthday with that Jeepney.
31:20 Ever since, my past and his Jeepney are tied together.
31:24 All of my graduations, except for my college graduation, our service is Jeepney.
31:30 We experienced being in the parking lot because it's Jeepney and it's a formal event.
31:36 But it's always Jeepney, our service.
31:38 The only reason it didn't happen in 2019 is because it was phased out.
31:42 It's not allowed to travel on the road even if it's private.
31:45 So there is a lot of sentimentality.
31:47 I think that's also the reason, Sir Howie, why there are Jeepney drivers like my dad
31:51 who were phased out.
31:52 Instead of selling the initial offer of the government with a scrappage fee of P80,000,
31:58 way back in 2017, P80,000, my father, even though we were very close when we were in debt,
32:04 he would not sell the Jeepney for a scrappage fee of P80,000.
32:08 When he went back to the province, he drove from Manila to Bicol.
32:12 We were there with that Jeepney.
32:14 It carried coconut, banana, and copra.
32:18 That's what a Jeepney does.
32:20 For him, that's his lifetime partner.
32:22 He's a partner in taking care of the family.
32:24 That's true with many of our transport workers, especially those who went to Manila.
32:30 So wait, that Jeepney is still running because you said it's as old as you are.
32:35 So it's an old vehicle, but it's still running.
32:39 Correct, because there's no MMDA in the province.
32:42 It's still up to you.
32:44 Even new vehicles break down, you can't use them anymore.
32:48 But yours is still running.
32:51 Yes, Sir. It carries rice.
32:54 Okay. Interesting.
32:56 Of course, it's also good to have your father's Jeep to maintain it for it to last that long.
33:02 My mom is jealous because she feels that the Jeep is more expensive than my mom.
33:07 That's part of Sir Howie.
33:11 I want to emphasize Sir Howie about the province because I think that's where a lot of the resistance is also coming from.
33:17 My father loaned us in 1999 to buy a Jeep.
33:21 It took us seven years to pay off that loan completely.
33:24 But Sir Howie, a lot of the people in the province sold their land to the province so that they could afford a Jeep when they moved to Manila.
33:33 So for them, the sentimental value of that Jeep is so great.
33:38 And you can't just face it out just because.
33:41 That's the reason why the resistance is so strong.
33:44 And for the sake of my father, until third year college, my father lived in a Jeep.
33:51 He didn't rent an apartment because we were so close.
33:54 The rent for his apartment was just given to us by my parents.
34:00 And he's not alone. In the terminal, he lives in a Jeep with a roof and a floor.
34:05 There are a lot of them. And many of them, Sir Howie, are from the province.
34:09 Their families are from the province.
34:11 Wow. Your stories are so beautiful. It's so touching.
34:15 We want to thank you for your time and for sharing your stories and your explanations.
34:22 Haya Bendana, son of a Jeepney driver, and now a valedictorian, and now moving for the Jeepney driver sector.
34:30 Long live, Haya.
34:32 Thank you, Sir Howie. Thank you.
34:34 Hi, I'm Howie Severino. Check out the Howie Severino Podcast.
34:38 New episodes will stream every Thursday.
34:40 Listen for free on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and other platforms.
34:45 [♪♪]