Toughest Place to be a Bus Driver (Documentary Analysis)

Mendoza, Joanne Carla D.

Nievera, Kate Micah V.

Ramos, Jenalyn R.

ENGLCOM A52B

DOCUMENTARY ANALYSIS

            The documentary we watched is titled “Toughest Place to be a Bus Driver”. This documentary was primarily shot in San Andres located in the city of Manila, the most densely populated city in the world. It features a bus driver from London named Josh West who eventually met Rogelio Castro, a jeepney driver from Manila. The documentary “Toughest Place to be a driver, medic, fireman, etc.” is a BBC Two television documentary which features different professionals in the UK, who are either working or retired, to a completely different working environment in the same profession as they are. These people travel to a foreign country to work for ten days. This was produced by BBC, also known as British Broadcasting Corporation, which is a popular broadcasting statutory corporation in the UK. The BBC is known as the oldest national broadcasting organization and the largest broadcaster by employees in the world having 23,000 staff. It operates under a Royal Charter and a License and Agreement from the Home Secretary. It’s owned by the Government of United Kingdom.

The target audience of this documentary includes drivers all over the world as well as Filipino citizens. This concerns drivers all over the world since it is something that they can relate to because their fellow drivers were featured. Particularly, it shows the lives of two different drivers coming from different backgrounds. Filipino citizens are also affected by this documentary since it serves as a way for people to know how difficult it is to be living in a poor community.

            The purpose of this documentary is to show the reality of life of the people in slums, and to show how different the situation is in the Philippines and London. Through this video, and through the experience of Josh, we get to see that Manila is certainly the toughest place to be a bus driver.

            We saw Josh West, a bus driver from London, who was sent to the Philippines in order to experience how difficult it is to be a driver in Manila. He was constantly guided by a jeepney driver from the Philippines named Rogelio Castro. We saw how Josh took up a driving lesson in order to get the hang of driving a Filipino jeepney but experienced difficulties because of how different the vehicle is compared to what he usually drives which is an automated bus. Not only did he experienced driving a jeepney; he also saw how people in a poor community lives and how much they suffer. He left his comfort zone and immersed himself with others so that he can try and experience a life opposite to his even if it’s just for 10 days. He became truly attached to the family he was with and we saw how this experience affected him as a human being.

There is a huge difference between the vehicles, particularly buses, in London and vehicles in the Philippines. It is quite obvious that buses in London are highly technological and far more advanced than those found in the Philippines. It also shows how different the earnings are of Josh and Mang Rogelio. Josh gets paid more for an hour’s work than what Mang Rogelio gets for a whole day’s work. Mang Rogelio’s self built home measure 10 x 10ft and is home to people from three generations. With this, it seems like a driver in London lives a better life compare to that of a driver in the Philippines. One thing that Josh pointed out in the documentary is that – “If I was born here I’d be in the same situation as you. It’s just by chance that I was born in London”.

            The producer of this documentary used music that can touch the heart and clips such as the woman making “pagpag”, how there are many people living under one roof, and how one woman is unable to support her family because she has many children. Using these sort of clips makes it an appeal to pity as they make the viewers sympathize and empathize with the people shown in the videos. The life between a driver from London and a driver from Manila was compared and shown how different and opposite the lifestyle of these people are. The producer of this documentary was subjective and serious. It has shown the reality of life people in slums experienced even if it may be criticized by viewers because it only shows the bad side of Manila. The type of evidence the documentary uses is pathos mainly because it tackles many emotional issues. Despite the comfortable life experienced by many people living in the Philippines, it is still undeniable that the number of poor people is greater. A particular issue tackled in the documentary is the story of a woman selling “pagpag”, a type of food made from leftovers. It is saddening seeing the plight of these people who are working so hard but still stays in the same situation.

            The documentary serves as an eye-opener to the Filipinos and foreigners. Going out in one’s comfort zone may sometimes be a good thing since it makes us realize that there is a bigger picture outside our life. It is a heartwarming documentary which shows how tough it is to live in a poor community and makes a person think about how lucky they are to be able to live a life that is comfortable. Although we tend to help people in need, watching this makes us think that it is actually possible to do more and become better people so that the society can improve more. It had a great impact on our lives, that we have changed our views and perspectives regarding jeepney drivers. Before, it is unavoidable to get irritated to the drivers since they always try to carry more passengers when the jeepney is already full; but now, we understand that it is necessary for them to do this so they can earn money for their family and so that they can sustain their daily needs. Watching this video puts an imprint on our minds and hearts to always remember that we, us human beings, can be of a better help to others. We think that what we have isn’t enough, but seeing this video, it made us realize how we actually have a lot compared to those who are less fortunate. This documentary is certainly informative, letting the Filipinos know that difficulties are part of the reality of living.