Lazy Goy

People, especially if new to a specific place in the Philippines, tend to ride taxi cabs simply because they have no idea how to ride the PUJs or Public Utility Jeepneys. This is just normal and I for one am guilty of doing it the first time I was in Cebu City.

But if you have plans of staying in Cebu City for quite some time, it would be best that you learn how to commute to go around the city. Why? Because it is C-H-E-A-P-E-R. Of course this does not apply to those who always have more than enough money for taxi rides or to those who drive their own cars (though the latter can learn about the different routes of Cebu City while riding the jeepney).

This post is dedicated to those people who will be visiting Cebu and will be staying their for a long time. Contained here are my experiences and the methods I utilized to get used to public commuting in Cebu City.

Observing

As obvious as this may seem, I still have to put emphasis on this because people sometimes lack the knack of observing their surroundings and their environment. To learn how to ride the jeepneys you should observe your surroundings all the time and familiarize yourself with the different landmarks, street signs, jeepneys and other establishments.

While staying in your house/ apartment/ hotel etc., be sure to observe the different kinds of jeepneys that pass by the place. It is kind of easy to remember the route of the jeepneys since they have markers on top of the roofs (e.g. 14D, 62B, 13B, 11A). You only have to remember 2 numbers and 1 letter. Now, the best way to get familiar with the route of the jeepney you can ride it from its starting point to the end point and vice-versa.

Know & Remember

It is very important that you know and remember the street of the place where you are living in. If their are any famous landmarks near your place, then it would be best that you also take note of them. This is just a failsafe plan in case you get lost during your jeepney adventures.

Colon

If there is one thing I have learned and has helped me during my learning period is the spin-off from the saying, “All roads lead to Rome”. Well in Cebu City, “All jeepneys lead to Colon”… well almost. If by any chance you really and are totally lost and you forgot the street where you are staying, just ride a jeepney and get down at Colon. There is a big chance that your jeep going home will pass by that street. You just have to wait and look for the route number on top of the jeep’s roof (remember 14D, 62B etc.). In my 2 years of stay in the city, this tip has never failed to save me.

Terminologies

“Lugar Lang” - this is the term you use to let the driver pull over to the loading/ unloading lane. Saying “Para” won’t work as it will just fall on deaf ears. The drivers are usually not programmed to respond to that word.

“Palihug” - use this term if you can’t reach the driver and you already want to pay for the fare. You just stretch out your arm holding the money and say “Palihug” and in a split-second, some of your co-passengers nearer the driver will pass it for you. The terms “Paki” or “Pakiabot”, just like “Para”, have not been programmed into the drivers as well as the passengers so using them is futile.

“Pliti” - this can be used as a substitute for “Palihug”. This would also be the better to term to use when you pay for your fare instead of the term “Bayad”.

Learning how to commute in Cebu City is actually quite easy. You just have but to get first hand experience and a little bit of practice and it will come naturally to you in due time.