As I'm living at the UP Campus , I oftentimes took a ride either to UP TOKI or IKOT -these interchanged words are just the two circuits traveled by a passengers jeep that served as their respective routes .University students and staffs used these jeepneys traveling alongside the campuses as their mode of transportation from a remote building(office) going to another , yet as the time passes by ,this ride now injects an iconic symbols to this institution "ride with pride " for once upon a time a humble staff ,a great leaders ,and a noble man indeed had taken a ride in this simple jeepneys .
As we would know, all over places in the country its impossible that we can't spotted these vehicles rooming ,running around the streets , highways , public roads and yeah!even in the hillside of Barrios-there we can see jeepneys on the go.It trekked rough roads ,bumped street ,crawling muddy hills and even to climb a long and winding roads and an off road of an ascending clip just to reach the top of the mountains: I'll bet if you witness a trip to Antipolo, to Baguio or even to Tagaytay. And you can see an umbrella arrangement of passengers atop jeepney cargo compartment-as crowded seating and flamboyant decoration -unbelievable .Perhaps this could be considered and is well known as the most economical ride offered for the benefits of the public (masses). and become a part of our Filipino culture .
History:
So where did we inherit this indigenous jeepneys of ours? Well ,to some that don't know details of the history of this vehicle , they would considered jeepneys just a simple fabricated metal craft in the machine shop, and even wondered if there is"The Genius behind Pinoy Jeepneys" ?
The jeep was launched in the Philippine island by the American soldiers under the AWD (American War Department ) during the second World War.The custom built design that needs for this jeep was to handle punishment at any worst condition to which the vehicle would be subjected.This jeep could give also convenience to soldiers for their mobility and maneuvering counter to securely engage against their enemies in battle fields.It was no wonder that the American also address the design to supersede the design of a German Car/Jeep which was already deployed in the war ahead of time.The Jeep is expected for a combat geared that would be then deployed in the two most dangerous places to be assault by the American Troops in the history: Harbor at the Normandy (D-Day) and to the shore of Leyte -Philippine Pacific. The American War Department sought an automaker who could begin rapid production of a lightweight truck based on a prototype designed by the American Bantam(For those of you -who still don't know- they are the leading producer of mini car of the early 90's) BRC (Bantam Reconnaissance Car) 40. Willys Automaker's chief engineer by the name Delmar "Barney" Roos (an ex-Studebaker) saw a need to improve the firm's 4-cylinder engine of this bantam car( American Bantam) and his objective was brilliantly achieved .It took "Barney Roos"two years to perfect his engine, by a whole complex of revisions that included closer tolerances, tougher alloys.
World War II Troops mini Carrier (jeep)Design: Jeep/Jitney mobility
Engine = 4 upgraded to 8 cylinder
Power = 15Horse Power
Speed =4,400 revolutions per minute
Durations = 150 hours steady on combat w/o Failure.
Weight = less weight modified American Bantam model
Flywheel from 57 lbs to 37 lbs.
The share of Productions
Since the World War II was eminent then, The three contracted company to design and produce jeeps(US Military Car),were awarded to the American Bantam which pioneered the light truck and the original design of the body assigned to manufacture Jeep trailers (T-3). Willys the perfect innovator of engine for a real war car and Ford company, which could handle a massive productions of war units began in 1941 of manufacturing Willys MB known as "Jeep" and had 8,598 units were produced that year, and 359,851 units were produced before the end of World War II.
In total, 653,568 military Jeeps were eventually manufactured.
In total, 653,568 military Jeeps were eventually manufactured.
At the of the war (1945), American troops began to leave the Philippines, hundreds of surplus jeeps were sold or given to local Filipinos. The Filipinos stripped down and altered the jeeps to accommodate more passengers, added metal roofs for shade, and decorated the vehicles with vibrant colors and bright chrome hood ornaments.There are several Filipino fabricator that molded the evolution of the jeepneys that we had today to name a few: Sarao,Francisco, Amante and etc.
The modified jeep
The next modified jeep
The seal of the masses
Trivia:
There are some belief that the word "jeep" orignated in:
1) a phonetic pronunciation of the abbreviation GP, from "General Purpose", that was used as part of the official Army nomenclature.
2) To the first documented use of the word "Jeep" was the name of a character Eugene the Jeep in the Popeye comic strip, known for his supernatural abilities (e.g., walking through walls).
3)It was also the name of a small tractor made by Minneapolis Moline, before WW2.
4)Note:
Willys filed a successful trademark claim for the name, and some times if we would see photos of our grand father there you can see a type of Jeep and they called "Willys yan Jeep ko.."
Remarks:
Conclusions:
We should be proud of our symbolic cargo for the triumph it had on the war and the benefits that it gives for the Filipino masses.
Still to be edited....
