A Jeepney Driver's Perspective on the Shift to Electric Jeepneys

I had the opportunity to interview a jeepney driver on the topic of Electric Jeepneys or E-Jeeps. I asked him what percentage of jeepney drivers are against the shift to E-Jeeps. He estimates that about 25% of jeepney drivers are for and 75% are against the shift. One reason why drivers are against it is the exorbitant price of an E-Jeep. He said that an E-Jeep would cost about 1.7 million pesos. Contrast that to a diesel powered jeep that would cost about 0.6 million. So an E-Jeep is about three times the price of a regular jeepney. He said that even after government's offer to help out by giving drivers a loan (which he says isn't really any help since they still have to pay the loan), it is estimated that a driver would have to save about 900 pesos per day to pay for the E-Jeep. Manong driver says that the average jeepney driver is only making about 1000 pesos per day. How can he live off just 100 pesos to feed his family? At 365 days a year, it would probably take about 6 years to pay for the E-Jeep, assuming a low interest rate on the loan.

But manong driver says that the estimated life of a Chinese made product is only about two years. Contrast this to Japanese made engines which they have proven to last about six years. And Japanese engines can be overhauled even after the six year period is over. But he is hesitant about Chinese made engines because he isn't sure if these can even be fixed if they conk out. This perception arose from his experience with Chinese made products like cellphone chargers which fail in a week while japanese chargers last about a year. So, if he's still paying for the original E-Jeep in a six-year period, and it conks out after two years, he's still left with a big debt, and has to invest in possibly another purchase just to keep on making a living.

Another issue that manong driver raised was the possibility of batteries running out of energy during the trip. The country still hasn't established a network of charging stations for E-vehicles unlike an established network of gas stations. So, if his batteries run out, he still has to either have the vehicle towed, or call for a battery replacement.

I asked him about the perceived advantages of the new technologies in E-jeeps such as having swipe cards for payment and having wifi and security cameras. I asked if the daily losses among passengers who don't pay was significant. He said it wasn't. So even if swipe cards guarantee a 100% passenger payment, you still have to worry about an additional technology failing - the card reader. If it fails, then it's another reason for you not to be able to earn anything on that day. He believes that cash is still better for transactions. We weren't able to discuss whether or not a driver's attention would be improved since he doesn't need to keep track of which among his passengers have paid anymore. But he raised issues about the E-Jeep doors not opening immediately if the passenger is swiping it for payment. For him, passengers are better off if they can get in and out of the vehicle quickly. He doesn't want to be penalized with obstruction by a traffic constable just because his passengers weren't able to ride immediately. Perhaps having designated jeepney stop points would address this concern, but not all routes traveled by jeepneys have these.

Wifi, for him wasn't an important feature for passengers. He said that passengers will only become more distracted with their phones, and this gives potential snatchers or holdapers an easier advantage. But the security cameras would probably deter these types of crimes or allow for the quick capture of perpetrators, assuming they don't destroy the cameras or the hard drive data records during the crime. Otherwise, these added techs mean added maintenance costs which probably means less profit for the driver or operator. Government agencies might also use these technologies as additional measures for compliance. Non-compliance means more penalty fees.

I asked him about the environmental impact of an E-Jeep compared to a diesel engine. All he knows is that an E-Jeep no longer has smoke emissions so it should be better for the environment. But I think shifting passenger vehicles to electric tech means putting an added strain on our electric companies that would impact the cost of electricity. As a country, we already have one of the most expensive electricity rates in Asia. Now, when E-Jeeps start consuming part of the energy allotment for households, that will quickly diminish capacity and reserves. But you can't build power plants in a day. So, brownouts or electrical outages might happen more, and electric bills will probably be more expensive.

There's also the matter of shifting a driver from a boundary payment scheme to a fixed salary. Manong feels that if they shift to a fixed salary scheme, there wouldn't be any incentive for a driver to work harder. And their take-home pay would end up being lower. But one of the reasons why manong decided to become a jeepney driver was the take-home pay. He used to be a salaried employee, working as a surveyor for one of the biggest engineering and construction firms in the country. But it turns out, as a jeepney driver, his earnings were about twice what he was getting when he was in the construction company. At the end of the day, the money he takes home to feed his family is more important than a job title or prestige of working for a big named company.

So, as of this moment, manong driver feels that the costs outweigh the benefits of the shift to E-Jeeps. Hopefully, the government will listen to their ideas before requiring mandatory compliance. Their experience in their trade is also valuable and important. While it is important to maintain good business relationships with one of our biggest neighboring countries, let us put the needs and plight of our countrymen at the forefront of our decision-making.

Falafel Yo!

Falafel Yo! just opened a branch at SM North Edsa Annex. They gave away 1000 falafels worth 159 pesos each to commemorate the occasion. I spent roughly three hours in line since I got a number less than 500. But it was worth the wait. I took the falafel home and my family enjoyed it. Some gave it an 8 out of 10 while others gave it a 9 out of 10 stars. That's pretty good, considering I had to wait for a cab for about an hour and travel for another half-hour before finally tasting the falafel.

It reminds me of a SUBWAY sandwich in terms of some of the flavors. I thought that the falafel contained beef, but my sister told me it was made of chickpeas or fava beans, and not meat. This makes falafels great for vegetarians. Overall, I'm glad it tasted great. I would recommend it over your typical Turks shawarma since it is more filling (but also more expensive).

I hope that the quality of their product does not diminish with time. I've seen the likes of fast food restaurants like Kenny Rogers Roasters, Bon Chon Chicken, and Mang Inasal which initially have very good quality products become average or below average as the years go by. Blame it on cost cutting, and maybe on worker inconsistency (cutting corners in the preparation that ends up lessening the quality). Also, when there is an increase in the number of patrons, you usually see the quality go down because the fast food production line can't keep up with a high demand from customers. Falafel Yo! has a great product and it should try to keep it the same for years to come.

SMB Makes History With 4th Straight Philippine Cup

The San Miguel Beermen could have stopped trying when they were already more than 20 points down. They had a 3-to-1 lead in the series, and they could easily have quit, rested their starters and plan for the next game. But that mentality is what cost them their grand slam bid in 2017, and they have learned from their mistakes. Even though the starters were playing heavy minutes, they were still playing all out.

The three point shots were not falling for them. Even Jun Mar was missing from from point blank range and was being doubled and even triple-teamed just so he would give up the ball. Alex wasn't able to contribute anything. And the Magnolia Hotshots were pounding it both outside and in, with Paul Lee suddenly finding his stroke from rainbow country and Barroca, Dela Rosa and  Reavis helping out.

But the Beermen finally woke up in the 4th and in the same fashion that Magnolia whittled down their twenty point deficit in Game 1 of this series, the Beermen clawed their way back in the 4th quarter, with Marcio and Jun Mar taking advantage of every opportunity they could get. Magnolia was in the penalty, so SMB tried to get to the foul line as much as possible. And with Magnolia's limited guard rotation, SMB applied a full court press. This was amazing, again, considering that their starters were doing the press and their starters were logging heavy minutes.

And Arwind gave another heroic moment in his long history of heroic moments for the San Miguel franchise. SMB was down by 3 with less than a minute remaining. They wanted a quick 2, but the play was broken. Alex tried to go for a 3 but the ball bounced out, and Chris got it back by some miracle. He was at the 3 point line and he could have taken it, but SMB plays as a team that recognizes one another's roles. Arwind was at his favorite spot at the three-point line and between Chris and Arwind, the latter was at a better position to make the shot. And BANG! Arwind takes the shot that ties the game. He raises his pistol figured hand in triumph as the Beermen force the game into overtime.

And it had to take two overtimes for SMB to finally put this series away. Props to Magnolia who didn't let them get this win easily. Many will be looking on to the Commissioner's Cup to see how Christian Stanhardinger will affect the existing chemistry of the Beermen. He could be a bane or a boon. And you still have the import to worry about, too, how he will blend with the team. It is an interesting time, and perhaps an exciting time, too. Because with the Philippine Cup win, the current Beermen roster again has a chance at a grand slam - what I personally wish they would attain while their core is intact and as this team stays humble amidst their numerous accomplishments.

Magnolia Chases 20-point Deficit To Take Game 1

The San Miguel Beermen thought that Game 1 was in the bag. They had a 20-point lead after two quarters of play. Paul Lee of Magnolia was not producing his usual offensive output. And yet, Gio Jalalon and Ian Sanggalang kept on playing. And Coach Chito Victolero brings in the game changer - Rob Herndon, who shoots a couple of long distance bombs to help the Magnolia Hotshots erase the huge lead.

Magnolia did an excellent job rotating their men. They actually have more injured key players than SMB, and yet they have been able to pull off an upset. Props to Coach Chito Victolero. He is using the 3-big men defense used by Tim Cone against Jun Mar. This win just shows that the Hotshots are probably hungrier than the Beermen.

But this is just Game 1. I remember the time that the Utah Jazz beat the Chicago Bulls in Game 1 of their best of seven finals series. The Bulls bounced back after that and eventually wins the series in their sixth match. SMB has Championship experience. And they have actually been able to come back down 0-3. That is a feat that probably won't be repeated by this team, but they can always draw inspiration from that. And they had the lead in this game. If Coach Leo Austria probably utilized the bench players more, then the core players would have had more energy in the 4th quarter, the quarter that counts.

Utilize players like Lanete, Vigil, Herjuela, De Ocampo, and Agovida. Like Herndon, Coach Austria might just get lucky and get a huge performance boost from any of them. And with Ross at less than a hundred percent, Pessumal, Espinas and Rosser have to step-up. Any help that the core players can get would be welcome.

At this point, all SMB can do is learn from this loss, and move on to the next game. It should remind them not to be over confident against this Magnolia squad. It is a good thing this was not a knock out game but a seven game series. And it looks like it will be an exciting series ahead - a good thing for all the fans.

Lest the San Miguel Beermen Forget They are Dealing with Coach Tim Cone...

I'm a proud fan of the current San Miguel Beermen core. They are the only basketball team I know of who were able to come back, down 0-3 in a seven game series, to win. And they have been in a lot of battles where they were the underdogs, but they were able to win the game. The most recent example was Game 2 of their current semi-finals series against the Ginebra Gin Kings. They were down by double digits, but they battled back to force overtime, and win in the extra period.

But they are also dealing with my favorite PBA Coach of all time, Tim Cone. And Mr. Cone has proven in the past that even when the team he was leading was down 0-2, he and his team could bounce back. And that is what they are trying to do - convincingly winning Game 3 last night against SMB. Coach Tim is amazing at turning things around for a challenged team. We see in the series that his main big man, Greg Slaughter, is out due to injury, and yet he has been able to utilize Prince Caparal - while other PBA teams have opted to pass over this stretch big man. Under Cone's tutelage, Caparal could be the next Ranidel De Ocampo.

So, as an SMB fan, I hope they don't become complacent and allow the Gin Kings to come back. They should treat Game 4 as a do-or-die game, and remember that it was the Gin Kings who helped ruin their bid for a grand slam last year. (Gin Kings and Meralco, but at the end of the day, the Beermen were also too over confident and perhaps the loss is good for the ego).

SMB also has its share of injured players, Chris Ross most recently. I guess this is a side effect of lax officiating, so that players can get into a brawl more. But the PBA should also consider the long-term health of their super stars. If play gets too rough, there might not be good players for the Gilas program in the future if most are injured or if careers are ended.

So, SMB, if you are reading this, please prepare well for the Gin Kings in Game 4. A tied 2-2 series would probably end up in a semi-finals loss for the SMB Franchise due to a shift in momentum. So you'ld want to end the series early. Players like Arwind Santos should just focus on their game instead of playing the crowd. You don't want the added heat from Ginebra fans. And even if officiating isn't going your way, (since certain people have vested interests in seeing who wins), just play on and play your best. You are currently the best team in the PBA because you play as a team. And I am blessed to have seen this type of chemistry in your past games, and hope that you can sustain it until you cement your place in history with a grand slam. 

Is Terrence Romeo Still Good for Globalport?

After seeing how Terrence Romeo got into a shouting match with Coach Pido Jarencio in Globalport's do-or-die game against the Magnolia Hotshots, it is a wonder if Terrence Romeo is still good for the Batang Pier. If we learn from Kelly Nabong's experience with Meralco, Terrence Romeo is probably on his way out since teams might value respect for coaches than any individual player. Other Globalport players might also begin to think that Romeo runs the team instead of the coaches. And we see that Terrence was actually a liability during the dying minutes of the game when he made a dribbling error on a drive to the basket that could have cut down the Hotshots lead to two points.

The Gilas fan in me is saying they should keep Romeo. Terrence was incredible during one Gilas Pilipinas game where he kept the game close for the country with successive three point shots. But Terrence is also getting old, and has yet to prove that he can give Globalport a championship ring ever since he was drafted in 2013. Five years is a long time to prove your worth, and maybe Terrence will win a championship eventually, but I don't see it with Globalport.

Globalport was actually doing pretty well during Romeo's absence. The team was gelling with Stanley Pringle, Jonathan Grey, Kelly Nabong, Gabaini, Taha, Elorde, Teng, etc. But with Romeo in the rotation, a lot of these players ended up with limited minutes. With Romeo on the floor, the offence has to run through him, and therefore becomes predictable. Disrupt Romeo's play, and chances are, he will be forced to pass to another player who isn't really ready since he was already expecting Romeo to go for the basket. With other players on the floor, play is well distributed and the team is more dangerous if scoring is balanced and the opponent does not know who to guard.

But if Romeo were to be traded, which team would want him? And who would he be traded for? Right now, the best team I can think of that would benefit from Romeo is Kia. They need a star player on that team, someone they can lean on during crunch time. But who can Kia give up for Romeo? I'd probably trade for Jackson Corpuz, Glenn Khobuntin, Rashawn McCarthy and Reden Celda. If I can get multiple players for Romeo, I would.

The next team I can think of that might go for Romeo is Phoenix. Wright for Romeo, since their both guards on Gilas. But with Louie Alas' system, I don't think Romeo would thrive since his play is usually made on the fly.

Blackwater might also want to trade for Romeo since they are lacking a star point guard. But who would the Elite give up for Romeo? Maliksi perhaps? (Since he is in a spot conflict with DiGregorio) I don't think Globalport would go for Pinto. Globalport could always ask for Eram and finally get a legitimate center, but Eram is probably the franchise player for the team, and is even in the running for Most Improved Player this season.

TNT might want to try a Jayson Castro or Roger Pogoy for Romeo. But Pogoy and Rosario are probably the team's future. And they have also recently acquired Jericho Cruz. What TNT actually needs is a post presence.

So, I don't really know if Romeo will be traded. I just hope he doesn't end up in a different league. We've seen players who thought they were too good for their team in the past end up flushing their PBA careers down the drain. A player should always stay humble because after all, they all age and get old and are usually outlasted by the team. And a single injury could end a player's career. To have a legacy, to be remembered by the fans on a good note, that should be a player's motivation in the PBA.

Transfer Multiple Photos from Alcatel U5 to Windows 8 Laptop

For some reason, Windows 8 wasn't recognizing the Alcatel U5 Smartphone when it was being connected to any USB port even after swapping USB cables.

There's also the option of transferring files from the Alcated U5 to your Laptop via Bluetooth, but I haven't been able to do this for multiple files after the devices were paired. So, I kept looking for a multiple photo transfer solution.

Device Manager was showing the Alcatel U5 under Portable Devices with a yellow question mark. This means that the device was not properly recognized.

Tried updating the drivers automatically by searching online. It found an MTP driver, but was saying something about an INF error.

Looked for an alternative solution and found a video which was recommending that the MTP USB driver be installed manually from the C:\Windows\inf folder.

Changed the browse directory option and then chose the "Let me pick a list of drivers on my computer option".

Was looking for an MTP or MTP USB device option but initially, there were none. If you see a bunch of numbers with a USB icon, try that. I guess I got lucky. The next time I tried this option, it now gave me two options, MTP and MTP USB device. Choose MTP USB device.

If all goes well, you should now see the Alcated U5 as a portable media device along with your drives on Windows explorer. Right click on it and select import pictures and videos. There are settings which you can configure to streamline this process, but basically, what happens is the PC searches all the android phone folders and directories for all photos and videos and imports these to the computer. I initially found 1000+ pictures on the phone, and this might seem inefficient. But if you are using the same directory on your PC to store all photos, you can skip copying duplicates the next time you go through the process. Yes, searching through all the photos the second time or nth time around is inefficient, but it should only import the new ones.

Personally, I still prefer the old way of going through the DCIM folder and only selecting the photos that are new based on the date they were created. But this wasn't possible in my current situation, thus the workaround above. Hope it helps you out.