strangers i meet on public transport
Manila is nowhere near being a walkable city, which is why there’s a certain sense of achievement when you arrive at your place successfully via public transport.
Doing it alone, going to a place you’ve never been to before could be Hercules’ thirteenth labor — to brave the scorching heat of the afternoon sun, ask strangers for directions, and miraculously get each instruction right until you reach your destination.
As sweat transfers from one elbow to another inside a jam-packed jeepney, you’ll realize how much Manila is unsurvivable without the help of strangers. You’d ask one to pass your fare to the driver, and another would shout “Para daw po!” louder when your own attempt wasn’t enough to elicit the vehicle’s halt. A stranger would scoot to the outer part of the seat so you, the last passenger to board, could rest your back amidst the compression of a thousand bodies. You’d give a single nod of gratitude, if not a verbal “thank you”, and think about the stranger. An incredibly rare feeling would hit — a little hope for humanity — because of a random act of kindness.
Inside trains, strangers would get up from their seats to offer it to you. This is not a very common occurrence, but something I’ve experienced once or twice while travelling to and from my university. Where a stranger — someone probably tired from work — would stand up and urge me — another stranger absolutely tired from school — to sit down. While I usually turn down their offer, I can’t help but think about the selflessness the act itself requires. Manila’s public transportation is ruthless. It demands patience, wit, and endurance. And yet, on a random Tuesday night, someone chose to forfeit their sought-after seat to someone they thought needed it more.
Maybe I’m over-romanticizing it. But we would not reach our destinations without the help of other people. This is true in Manila, and maybe in other places too. Each person we meet is a step closer to our stop. We may pause, rest, and ask for directions, but we will continue on our journey until it is time to go to bed.
I went to Katipunan by myself today for an appointment at Ateneo de Manila University. It was my first time going north, aside from a past trip to UP for academic purposes. As someone from the south, Quezon City feels like an entirely different country. There were more trees than in the urban areas of Taguig and Makati. Traffic unspeakable. Yet, strangers exhibit kindness all the same. I asked the driver inside a fully loaded jeepney where the stop for Ateneo was, and when he did not reply, four other passengers answered and gave me instructions.
Sometimes I become so overjoyed with the feeling of being alive, and warm, and connected with another living being that I feel like bursting. That was one of those times. I thanked the strangers repeatedly before taking off. A few minutes of walking later, I arrived at Ateneo.
This piece was originally posted on Substack on May 6, 2024 and migrated to BearBlog on March 19, 2026.