Last night, I took a jeep from Edsa Crossing back to Kaletong. There is a jeepney terminal station in Crossing where all the loading passengers pay the 'jeep conductor' before they can step inside the jeep.
I paid my fare. In less than a minute, the jeep took off. We were several blocks away from Crossing when one of the passengers started talking in a loud voice.
He was a big man in his mid-forties, wearing a red t-shirt, shorts and sandals. I first thought he was talking to someone on his cellular phone. But as I listened to his monologue, it turned out he was begging for money.
The man loudly pleaded for loose change. He said he was hungry and that he had no money left in his pocket. The other passengers were silent, I could see they were annoyed by the man's presence and wished that he would step out of the jeep.
A couple of blocks passed and the man continued to whine about his situation. He continued to beg for money. The passengers seated near him were getting annoyed. Some were looking at the driver, hoping that he would reprimand the beggar or tell him to get out of his jeep. But the driver was obviously ignoring the man.
Another two blocks and the man began to cry. As he sobbed, he continued to lament about his cruel fate - how he lost his job and his family. I thought he would freak out and start physically harassing the other passengers.
The man continued to sob for a few more blocks when he finally stepped out of the jeep. Everyone was relieved that the man left.
I looked at him as he walked away. He was a big man and he could easily get a job. And if he didn't have any money, how could he have boarded the jeep? (Everyone had to pay the conductor before they boarded.)
As the man walked away, the driver began to cuss and shout at the man - "pa-iyak iyak ka pa diyan... bakla... bakla!!!" (You're still crying... you faggot.. faggot!) It seems that the driver finally mustered the courage to speak up against the beggar when he was outside the jeep.
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