AH yes, what do we do with a problem like that living relic on the streets, the iconic Filipino jeepney? It's been ages since it evolved from the Willys Jeeps left by American GIs in the Philippines at the end of World War 2. What used to be the workhorse of the US military during the war morphed into the workhorse of the Filipino public after recycling them into a 20-plus-seater, diesel-fueled chimera of galvanized iron sheets, puffing and huffing and belching smoke proudly on the streets a la folk and pop art on wheels.

Indeed, the government's response to the issue is, 'Let us modernize it!' Sounds good, doesn't it? After all, almost all commuters would welcome the chance to ride an electric minibus where they can see where they are going. Where female passengers are safe from creepy perverts. And where commuters won't get to inhale suspended particulates seasoned with so many viruses and bacteria.