MEMORIES: That Yellow Open-Sided Bus

Fresh from college, I worked as an illustrator and assistant editor of a national fortnightly newsletter for cooperatives, published by the Central Cooperative Educational Board. Having stayed in Manila the whole of my college years, I longed for my hometown Calamba, thus I commuted every day from Calamba to Manila. It only took 45 minutes to an hour and the bus fare was only 80 centavos. Thus I become a regular passenger of a yellow open-sided bus since 1966 to 1977 until I acquired my own car.

At the Calamba town plaza, commonly called “Banga,” a yellow open sided bus, marked Laguna Transit, regularly waits for passengers at around 6:30 in the morning. Calambeño employees working in Makati and Manila, commuting students studying in Manila universities, business persons buying supplies and trading their wares in Divisoria, took this bus regularly. Since Calamba then was a town where most residents know almost everybody, the bus was a living chat box. This is where you’ll hear the latest news in Calamba politics, social events, opinions, obits, jokes, and gossips. Thus, regulars were kept abreast with the latest goings-on in the town.

What is Liwayway and Bulaklak, a Tagalog language magazine featuring narrative prose, novel serials, and entertainment news, popular during the period, compared to the 45-minute Laguna Trans bus ride? Many love stories began in these bus rides, lovers’ quarrels, kisses and make-ups, business transactions, job referrals, long lost relative reunions, etcetera.

This yellow open-sided bus surely became a part of many lives and is kept until today in the museum of every once-regular-passenger’s heart.