The
eye-opening documentary, The Toughest
Place to be a Bus Driver, was produced in Manila, Philippines last February
2011. It was produced by BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) which is known
to be the world’s largest news organization that is responsible for the
gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs. The documentary mainly
talks about the local transportation system in Manila. It portrays the everyday
life of jeepney drivers on how they manage to sustain the daily needs of their
families as they battle with the chaos of the streets. The main purpose of the
documentary was to prove that the Philippines, specifically Manila is the
toughest place to be a bus driver. Also, it aims to inform the people of the
transportation system about the reality of life here in the Philippines. Undeniably,
the Philippines is the toughest place to become a bus driver, a difficult place
to live in not just in terms of transportation but also in many aspects of
life.
The documentary was produced for the Filipinos. It shows the
economic status that the Philippines is in right now. The situation is evident
that our country is still in the stage of progress. This should serve as a wake
up call for everyone especially the Philippine government for poverty still
exists up until now. The corrupt system and greedy politicians are also target
audiences because they keep the situation worst. Finally, the documentary is also
for the drivers and the Filipino people in general for they must be aware of
how dangerous the roads of our countries might be. With this in mind, they must
be extra careful whenever they are travelling.
The documentary was created to reveal the reality that we
cannot deny; congested streets, noisy surroundings, unmaintained public
vehicles, undisciplined citizens plus the pitiful situation of the Filipino
people living in poverty including the jeepney drivers. In the film, a British
man named Josh West was given the challenge to become a bus driver in Manila,
Philippines for ten days. As he started out his journey in this overpopulated
city, he met his Filipino host, Rogelio Castro, who warmly opened their home
for him and generously lent his jeepney. Josh first attended driving lessons
since some traffic rules may not be identical to the traffic regulations
implemented in London, his hometown. Also, as a supplementary lesson for him,
Rogelio himself also taught him how to be a driver and a conductor at the same
time. With this, Josh West was able to form a strong bond with Rogelio’s family
during his stay here in Manila.
When Josh started driving Rogelio’s jeepney along the roads
of Manila, he then experienced himself what it really means to be in such a
busy place. He witnessed drivers, private and public, ignoring the rules of the
road; cutting lanes, overtaking, and over-speeding. He was in state of shock
because in his hometown, such act is against the traffic law. Josh, together
with the passengers riding on the jeepney he was driving, got lost while
travelling in Manila because that there are too many curves and roads passable
for private and public vehicles yet there are insufficient road signs for the
drivers to follow. Unlike in London, where he faces not much problem about the
passenger count, traffic jams and vehicle maintenance.
Josh West’s eyes were also opened to the reality in Manila.
He was able to see with his naked eyes the poverty that many Filipinos
experience. Just like how his host manages to budget the income he earns to sustain
eight people in their house, he witnessed the kind of life they had; he was even
surprised to know that those eight people are sharing with just three bedrooms.
The families lack knowledge about family planning. As Josh passed by Tondo, he
saw both children and adult eating left-overs from the garbage bins or recycled
food, which is coined as “Pagpag” in the Philippines. At the latter part of the
episode, when he went back to London, he was able to reflect and compare what
life his country has and what Filipinos on the other hand are bearing.
The type of evidence used is pathos which pertains to
emotions. The film presented the actuality of life particularly the hardships
and problems that most of the Filipino people are facing. It touched the hearts
of the viewers since Josh went into immersing “out of the box” compared to his
normal life. It might be a totally different world for him but he
whole-heartedly embraced Rogelio’s life. He felt bad with himself how it is like
to live in Manila specifically as a jeepney driver. He felt the need of Rogelio
and his family in order to survive the challenges of life. Another is logos or logic. The documentary
film showed how two people having exactly the same job have totally diverse
lifestyles. It is an irony how a driver in Manila gets less salary while they
experience more hardships due to the situation in the Philippines compared to a
seemingly smooth job that a driver in London has.
One rhetorical device used in the film is comparison and
contrast. The producer used this style in several parts of the documentary when
the main character, Josh West, concludes about the life he has experienced
during his stay in Manila. This can be seen at the last part of the video; the
scene where he can finally say that the life he had in the Philippines was way
different from his life in London. The film also shows differences on the part
when he saw the kind of traffic and transportation system the Philippines have
and could not help but compare it to his hometown. Another pattern used is
cause and effect, mentioning the cause of traffic jam in Manila. The film shows
the main reason why we have congested streets, that is, disobedient drivers who
never abide by the traffic regulations.
The tone used in the documentary is sympathy. They presented
facts about the kind of living the Filipino drivers have. BBC explicityly shows
how tough it is to live and drive in the Philippines and how much public
drivers go through in order to survive everyday. Also, there are a lot of
emotional scenes conveyed in the documentary that emphasizes on the author’s
tone such as the part when Josh cried upon reflecting his experiences. Finally,
another slant used is the subjectivity of the author or producer since the film
just focused on the life of Rogelio and his family while they can also sneak a
peek on the life of Josh West so that the comparison will be more understood by
the viewers.
The producer used effective techniques to catch the attention
of the viewers. They included the flow of the whole script of the documentary.
The smooth flow and transitions of scenes made the documentary more realistic.
The part where Josh became a jeepney driver and then the producer shifts the
scene to Rogelio and when the Filipino poverty was shown proves this
observation in the documentary. It was a credible documentary film as well due
to the fact that they chose a person in the name of Josh West who is willing to
immerse himself into a life far different from what he has ever imagined. It
made its audience see the real essence of living in the Philippines
specifically in Manila. To conclude, the documentary is a thumbs up. It is
well-recommended for educational purposes because of the eye-opening thoughts
it leaves to its viewers.
