The ‘kuliglig’ cab: Will it survive Manila’s imminent ban?

Starting December 1, the “kuliglig" — essentially a motorized pedicab — will be phased out of Manila’s streets, by the order of the city government. Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim had earlier issued Executive Order 16, which bans pedicabs, kuligligs, and tricycles from Ermita and Malate—the city’s traditional tourist districts—as well as Taft Avenue, Roxas Boulevard, and all of the city's national roads. EO 16 was initially set to take effect on October 1 this year, but following a spate of protests from drivers and transport groups, the implementation date of the order was moved to December 1.
Source of livelihood Kuliglig driver Wilmar Gravillo of Tondo estimates that there are over 200 kuliglig drivers operating in Manila. The kuliglig drivers have been opposing Lim’s plan to ban their utility vehicles, since it has become their source of livelihood as well as an important service for short-haul riders and cargo through the narrow streets of Manila’s older districts. Gravillo's own route stretches from Parola to Breakwater in Tondo. He says he can ply his route all afternoon on only P50 worth of unleaded gas. "Malaking pakinabang sa amin ito. Kahit sa mga pasahero, malaking pakinabang sa kanila [It’s a big benefit for us, and for passengers too]," he said, noting that kuligligs are cheap and allow commuters to avoid criminals who usually target pedestrians. "Hindi naman kami nakakatraffic e [We don’t cause much traffic]," one kuliglig driver told GMA News program “24 Oras", noting that their routes generally avoid major thoroughfares. "Itutuloy namin ang protesta," said another driver. Alternative transportation The three-wheeled kuliglig, unlike the pedicab, operates on an engine, so it is faster and less tiring for the driver. Many kuliglig engines, usually small-capacity 5-cc engines, are made in China. A complete assembled kuliglig unit costs around P40,000, whereas a typical tricycle built for passenger transport costs around P100,000. Because a kuliglig would not pass the Land Transportation Office (LTO) standards for a legitimate vehicle, kuliglig operators so far have not been required to secure registration and pay a licensing fee. Gravillo said he thinks kuligligs could replace pedicabs and tricycles. But it appears the Manila government thinks the three are just different varieties of the same pest. So now, hundreds of drivers of kuligligs, pedicabs, and tricycles across Manila are wondering what will become of their livelihood if the city government follows through on its threat to completely phase them out, reported “24 Oras." Nevertheless, judging from many not-so-successful efforts in the past to ban the jeepney — considered "king of the road" — from plying major metropolitan streets, the kuliglig might be able to subsist in Manila's streets for some more years to come. Humble beginnings Indeed, like the jeepney, a hybrid Filipino-American vehicle borne out of World War II, the kuliglig has its own utilitarian roots in recent history. The first kuligligs were farm contraptions, built with small Japanese engines used for hand tractors and small threshers in the early 1970s, which were more appropriate than huge American tractors for mechanizing rice farming. Typical Filipino ingenuity soon led to these engines being rigged up to serve as all-purpose hauling machines on flat or rolling farmland, serving the farmer’s transport needs between house and farm and market. They were called kuliglig ("cricket") presumably because the sound of their engines, heard from afar in the middle of the night in Central and Southern Luzon provinces, sounded vaguely like the sound of crickets. One local farm machinery fabricator that started in 1974 says that it sold its first machines under the brand name “Lakas Kuliglig." Similar machines were known as kubota in some areas after a popular brand of engine used to power them. Starting from intensive palay areas that had shifted from animal-drawn plow to hand tractor in the mid-1970s, the kuliglig as mode of transport gradually spread to provincial towns and ultimately cities. In Metro Manila, kuligligs reportedly began showing up around a decade ago in the alleys and back streets of Manila, centering in Divisoria, according to “24 Oras." The kuligligs were modified to be able to negotiate the area’s narrow and congested streets. The contraptions were originally used to haul heavy loads of vegetables and other products to and from the Divisoria marketplace, but have now also become a regular option for commuters, reported “24 Oras." Indeed, the kuliglig has come a long way. If the useful vehicle has continued to evolve and proliferate from its humble farm beginnings in the 1970s, perhaps it will take more than a city mayor’s order to put it out of business.—With Larissa Mae Suarez and Jun Verzola, GMANews.TV