The proposed design solution of traditional jeepney by a group of Far Eastern University (FEU) architecture majors received an honorable mention in the 2021 Anthology Festival—Institute of Architecture and Fine Arts (IARFA) announced Sunday.

Third year students Andie Ayalde, Dan Paolo Villaverde, and Jeric Cobacha came up with a solution that would include the struggles of public utility jeepney (PUJ) members amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

‘Hingkayat,’ the group’s project name, derived from several looks of the said transportation within Northern and Southern part of the Philippines.

“It will spark curiosity sa mga passengers na masasabi nila ano kaya itsura ng jeep sa ibang lugar, ano kaya ang design (It will spark curiosity to the passengers, saying how does a jeep look like in other place, what is the design),” Ayalde told FEU Advocate.

With hopes of attracting commuters to ride it, Ayalde added that the revamped design features adaptability for the country’s growing community.

He said based on the proposal’s executive summary, “This project designed the traditional jeepneys equipped with different features such as ramps for accessibility, interchangeable seat planning for adaptability to the growing community of the Filipino commuters, enhancing engine performance by upgrading to Euro 4 engines, and incorporating snorkel and different technological advancements.”

Their summary included too the 'preservation features' that can boost the tourism department when the time that traditional jeepneys, the country’s King of the Road, will be 'less likely to be seen' due to the modernization program.

“This project balances out the concerns of the members of the sectors and the requirements provided by the government by implementing different upgrades and added features. These modifications from the engine and functionality is designed keeping in mind of the costs and the preservation of the king,” it read.

In preparation for the competition, the team spent two weeks on research before finalizing their plans with the help of their mentors—IARFA Dean Architect Raquel Baquiran and Architect Vanessa Cabiedes.

Ayalde also shared the challenges they had, “To be honest, mahirap mag-brainstorm nang hindi niyo nakikita ‘yung isa’t isa kasi ‘di mo mapakita through hand gestures ‘yung gusto mong idea and maliban pa dun nahihirapan din kami sa internet connection… (To be honest, it’s difficult to brainstorm while you don’t see each other because you can’t show through hand gestures the ideas that you want and aside from it, we’re also having a hard time dealing with internet connection).”

He then assured that his team wanted to have a submission entry that would be same of quality with the outputs that they produce for their architectural subjects.

Anthology Festival is an annual three-day event within the Philippines and Southeast Asia region that increases awareness on relevance of architecture and design in urban societies.

(Photos courtesy of Andie Ayalde, Dan Paolo Villaverde, and Jeric Cobacha)