Tags: Transportation
By KC Santos
MANILA CITY, METRO MANILA – The jeepney continues to one of the most popular symbols of Filipino culture and heritage. However, before the jeepney, the calesa ruled the streets as the “Hari ng Kalsada” (or King of the Road) during most of the 18th century.
Most people probably do not know that the calesa and the jeepney share a history, and in fact, the humble calesa can be considered the “grand daddy” of today’s modern jeepney.
The calesa is a two-wheel horse-driven carriage and riding in a calesa was a cheap yet leisurely way to go about back in the day. However, during the 1930s, modern vehicles and taxis started operating in the streets of Manila alongside the calesa.
In the same year, a resourceful Filipino developed the “auto-calesa” for those who don’t have the money to pay for the expensive taxi fares.
According to About Philippines, the “auto-calesa” was patterned from the DKW transporter, a car widely used and imported from Germany in the Philippines in the early 20th century. The vehicle was simply a carriage with a motor.
After a few more design tweaks, the locally-manufactured carriage was then marketed in Manila by the DKW-AC Company in 1932.
Despite serving its purpose, this auto-calesa was not very safe to use. After years of observing the vehicle’s potential, car dealer Bacharach Motor Company developed the auto-calesa even further by adding an “opening” in the rear of the vehicle, subtly resembling today’s jeepney.
And the rest is history.
Today, you can still see the jeepney and the calesa sharing the road on some streets in Manila, with the jeepney driver and kutsero at the helm.
Here’s an interesting trivia: According to literature, the miniature chrome horse statue found on top of a jeepney’s hood is a symbol to pay homage to the beloved animal that will forever be associated with the calesa.
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