The jeepneys? What are the more often good old big Jeep inexhaustible and variegated, true symbols antediluvian of Manila and of the Philippines, left by the american army in the archipelago. The excessively high cost of their repatriation to the United States had prompted the military authorities to get rid of it on the spot.

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Not a question for the local taxis leave from in case these huge machines without reacting to it. The addition of a roof for precipitation (or the heat) and to the inside of the two benches parallel, the more often face-to-face, was enough to transform them. They were most often built by Sarao Motors, one of the most important builders of these strange machines in the Philippines. But here, in the framework of a government plan, these vehicles older than 15 years - the paintings extraordinary, disco lights and rims chrome plated - must be replaced in the next year by "eco-jeepneys".

suffice to say that soon these jeepneys - which can sometimes show nearly a half-century on the meter - will be replaced by electric vehicles or vehicles with diesel engines less polluting. A well-intentioned attempt to fight against the pollution that may make it a little more sad in the streets of Manila. In 2003, the government had already limited to 175,000 the number of licenses of jeepneys, then in 2017 the president of the philippines Rodrigo Duterte said that the "jeepneys" had to adapt or die. A decision much to the chagrin of the painters specializing in this type of taxis as famous as the yellow cabs in new york, the london taxis or the tuk-tuks of thailand. A profession that is high in color at risk of shutting down. According to the AFP, In the 1980s there were up to 80 minibus to decorate each month . Today, only one or two. But, without a doubt the future jeepneys will also be decorated with as much fervour that the good-old predecessors.