Philippines

Philippines consist of 7000+ islands, 100,000,000 people, 70% are below poverty line, 5% are very wealthy, 25% makeup the two middle classes (lower and middle), 10,000,000 are working abroad--just about every Filipino you talk to knows of  or has a friend or relative working overseas. The minimum wage in the rural areas is 250P ($6.75 CAD) per 8 hour day and 500P ($13.75 CAD) per 8 hour day in the cities.

15,000,000 people live in Manila.  It is made up of Metro Manila and several small Burroughs.  It is a city of polar extremes--dirty, smoggy, and smelly--but huge air conditioned malls (The Asia Mall would rival West Edmonton Mall.), nice homes next door to metal clad shacks, lots of people living on the streets (maybe an aftermath of Yolanda's damage in the southern Philippines).  This is similar to all large cities.  What you can't deny is the Filipinos resourcefulness and energy. They are friendly and helpful.  The tour guides tell us that when Filipinos talk about 'the little people', they are referring to the rural people and the small business owners/operators (trike operators).

The jeepney is the main mode of transportation in the cities, the villages, and between the villages.  After the war, a man was using a jeep to transport his family for shopping, school, etc.  As his family grew, he needed a larger vehicle.  He had his company stretch the jeep.  This became the first jeepney.  The name came from:  jeep for the vehicle and honey for his wife and family. The jeepneys are made at a plant in Manila.  They import rebuilt used motors (usually Isuzu) from Japan. The bodies are usually custom painted according to the owners' requirements.  He may list the names of his family, religious slogans,  etc.  

Other important methods of transportation consist of trikes (sidecars attached to small motorcycles), and buses.  In some instances the machine used to operate the paddle wheel for breaking up the rice paddies for planting was used to transport the family from Point A to Pint B in rural area. The paddle wheel had been taken off.

Touring around Marcos country for the next week with a couple of American families with ties to the Philippines is on the schedule.