30 Photos that perfectly capture everyday life in the Philippines【Photos】

We spent a day taking photos from the back of a pick-up truck in the Philippines. This is what we saw…

When we at RocketNews24 came up with the idea to capture every-day Filipino life through street photography, we knew we needed a unique perspective. So we rented a pick-up truck, put our reporter in the back of it and let her snap away for an entire day as she traveled around the city of Cebu. Photographing moving objects from an equally moving vehicle isn’t easy, but we hope you enjoy these candid shots nonetheless!

The first thing you’ll notice about any Filipino city is the impossible array of transportation on offer.

▼ Bicycles, the most basic mode of transportation, share the road with regular traffic.

Pedicabs transport children to school, take people short distances on side roads, and are used for transporting goods.

▼ A man loads a bag of rice into his pedicab.

If you’re going a bit further but still within town limits, you can catch a motorized tricycle where you either sit in the right-hand side car (seats four)…

…or, when the side car is full, you can hang on for dear life on the driver’s seat. No worries, you’ll fit!

▼ The tricycle driver moves forward and sits on the gas can to fit more customers on.

If you’re going longer distances, most people prefer the fully covered back seats of the jeepney that also offers hop-on, hop-off service.

Although when it’s full, you may have to hang off the back.

Then of course, there’s the public bus.

▼ So normal, meh!

Many people have their own motorbikes. This is convenient because you can put as many people on it as you deem will fit, and you can still carry plenty of things.

▼ There appears to be no helmet law either.

While in the U.S. your car may be your pride and joy, in the Philippines it’s more often your motorbike.

▼ This guy was happy to show off his riding skills for the girl sitting in the back of a pick-up truck with a camera.

If you happen to be lucky enough to have your own transport, be sure to dress it up as much as possible!

The roads are overflowing with vehicles, and rush hour can lead to grid-lock…

…and lots of waiting at traffic lights.

Vendors take advantage of stopped traffic to pedal snacks to drivers.

▼ A child vendor helps his family make ends meet.

If you’re stuck in traffic but you gotta go, no worries: there’s always an obliging wall near by.

▼ No need to be shy.

And if your car overheats, there are plenty of roadside repair shops.

Chickens are everywhere in the Philippines.

▼ The chicken symbol on a tricycle.

▼ Roosters tethered on the sidewalk–pets kept for cockfighting.

Chicken is a favorite meal served at roadside restaurants too.

▼ It seems like almost anyone can start up a restaurant.

Others set up a kitchen, offering home-cooking straight from the stove.

▼ This restaurant opens up onto the sidewalk.

Or you can go whole hog and eat at a “lechon” restaurant…

…where they roast pigs on a spit.

Or you can hit the fish mongers and vegetable vendors along the road if you want to pick something up to cook at home.

▼ All you need is a name, and a soft drink company such as RC Cola or Mtn Dew will give you a sign board.

And there are the night markets that thrive after the sun goes down.

And last but not least, fast food restaurants are often open 24 hours.

▼ Jollibee, the favorite fast food restaurant in the Philippines, specializes in chicken, not bees.

The Philippines is a very religious country.

If you look closely, you’ll see Jesus everywhere.

You’ll see lots of churches too.

But at the end of a long, sunburned day of taking photos from the back of a pick-up truck, all we can say is, thank God for cheap rum!

▼ Tanduay rum, distilled in the Philippines.

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