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siyaman (plus one)

siyaman (n) jeepney's passenger seat can hold nine people per side

jeepneys are means of public transport in the philippines. it looks like the willy's jeep with the rear stretched back by several feet depending on how it was customized. passengers will enter from it's rear opening, much like a mini container van. then passengers will crowd inside on two long adjacent seats, which seating capacity depends on its length.

the problem: drivers force additional passengers to the seating capacity limit. more passengers mean more income for drivers and more inconvenience to the passengers. imagine seating on just half of your butt for the whole time of travel. i know: that sucks, big time!

the solution: nothing. in the philippines, there is no "solution". there's only "work-around". that's either you shout a the driver that it's not possible to fit another soul inside. or, you don't let anyone inside even if the jeep is still picking up passengers. another work-around would be categorizing jeepneys by seating capacity. unfortunately, i'm seeing bureaucracy's dark side creeping in. with those said, we can only stand back and figure out what lesson we can get from the situation.

the lesson: save up for your own mode of transportation because public transportation sucks.
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