By Jennevy Cabiza, Arianne Nemenzo, Aljon Troy Requizo
Your sweat pours as the temperature rises. The heat is killing you. The caress on your arms down to your thighs excites you and the soft whispers in your ears drive you crazy. You press yourself hard on the body trapped between your thighs making sure that you are almost fixed to it. You stay focused but you forget everything along the way. Your grip becomes tighter; you don’t want to lose the moment. And just like anything done in haste, the whole act is over before you know it.
This is how it is riding motorcycle under the battering heat of the sun. Wind is its only relief as it kisses and touches in you. The ride’s rhythm makes you wonder what awaits you. Is it a pending collision, a machine defect, a dried-up-river road or an attempt of the motorcycle driver to make advances on you? In this case, wonder is an understatement because people at times become frantic and even speculative. To fall from the motorcycle is unfortunate thus, one must keep holding on to the seat no matter what. As what older people keep on telling us, riding the motorcycle is like putting one foot in the graveyard. The danger and its fun explain why one tends to be so absorbed by the ride that he or she forgets the road and distance traveled. It is only to realize the disappointing truth that one has arrived the destination. At this point, you must get off the motorcycle but definitely you’ll ride on it again and again and again.
In what they consider as the most livable city in the country – Davao City, this kind of ride is called "habal-habal." "Habal-habal" comes from the Bisaya word “habal” which means sex; a term commonly refers to the mating of pigs. Habal-habal is mainly based on the positions of pigs while mating – the boar on top and leaning on the sow’s behind. For some areas in Visayas, “habal” also refers to the extremely intimate position of two persons. Since in habal-habal the root word is repeated, people might take it literally as sex only in its diminutive form.
Actually, habal-habal is just a wee term used for a brawny vehicle but it should never be taken as a joke. It is not a laughing matter at all to take notice the intimacy of positions of the driver and the passenger, the touch and feel that arouses two parties but without the sexual penetration or the so-called “union of two bodies.” However in any way we see it, riding habal-habal is more than sex. This act is more daring, more adventurous and definitely unpredictable. It is pleasure in its own right.
However, habal-habals are illegal. Th
e City Ordinance No. 0189-06 series of 2006 states that single motorcycles should not be used as public transport units and drivers are not allowed to solicit passengers for a fee. In addition, all drivers and riders of all single motorcycles along the city streets and National Highway within the territorial jurisdiction of Davao City are required to wear helmets while operating or driving the said motorcycles. This ordinance also limits the number of backriders or riders to only one person. It also requires the riders to wear crash helmet or other protective head gear when riding on the motorcycles and not to allow minors less than eight years old to ride on the motorcycle.
Habal-habal is synonymous to accident. Because of the rough, steep, and narrow terrain that a habal-habal usually overcome, habal-habal became a favored vehicle of misfortunes and death. When riding habal-habal, expect to encounter accidents, especially when it is raining, the road is very slippery. Many people have met accidents and even worse, met Death on the road. What can you expect from a two-wheeled vehicle in which a wrong move – just one wrong turn on a bumpy road can be a very vital act that can bring one to final destination – death.
So, if habal-habal is like the “caravan of death and demise” why do a lot of people still let themselves be transported on this particular mode of transportation? The answer is pretty simple. For people, especially those who live in the mountains where the road is very challenging for automobile, habal-habal serves as their only way of transportation. Passengers greatly know the dangers of riding habal-habal, but they have no choice but to ride on these motor vehicles. Due to the limited number of jeepneys and other modes of transportation, habal-habal has become a necessity.
As diverse as the motorcycles they drive, habal-habal drivers are relatively distinct from each other. Habal-habal drivers smell different from other ordinary people. The stimuli coming from their natural beings will probably make your heads blow like an erupting volcano or a boiling water from a whistling kettle. These supernatural scents mixed with air crashes on your face causing suffocation. You could long for the grim reaper to take your life. Some of them smell like kids, baby powder scented with natural flowers blended with their stinky sweat. Some are like peeled red native onions and nothing could ever keep your tears from falling. Some seem soaked in concentrated vinegar. It is as if you were craving for something to eat. However, not all habal-habal drivers smell this horrible. But most of them do especially on a day where sun is at its peak. Their unique fragrance adds to the challenge and excitement of your joyride.
Also, these drivers also have their own standard rate of fare, no uniformity. Standard fare is based on their own understanding about the world. Their rates are highly dependent of their self-evaluation on their performance, styles, vigor and balance. Drivers take the initiative to demand additional amount and to give change. A not-so-adamant passenger would just have to wait for the driver’s hint. If the driver starts the engine and leaves, it is understood that what you’ve given is enough or even more than enough.
Riding habal-habal is an addiction that drowns you in pleasure without knowing it. It gives you the thrill and feeling of no boundaries. Danger as an essential ingredient of riding habal-habal has been long instilled in our minds. It creates an image of fear in the passengers but still they do not fret. It is as a matter of fact a source of a different kind of high that is more appealing to the young people and to those who still feel that years have never left them.
What entices people to ride habal-habal is its leaning to high speed. It is best suited for the fast-paced world we are living and this is basically how people perceive it. People tend to create this illusion of having their own time at their very palm. The power to fast forward and to slow down the world’s tempo seems possible. They also tend to use speed as a way out of the dragging and stressful day.
Try riding habal-habal that runs 120 kilometers per hour and it will blow your mind off. It's just like you were with the person with a special ability to travel in space with just a blink of an eye. It is as if there is a continuous clash of flesh and gushing air and as a result, leaving a part of your whole being, your consciousness, your problems and worries. This triggers the feeling of addiction, the dependency of riding habal-habal. One feels the detachment to reality. The existence of habal-habal is a gift in itself. There is the long-awaited relief that urges your hands to enjoy involuntarily spread out in the air. It causes euphoria, the kind that makes you look up the sky, appreciate its beauty even though it’s about to rain, and then you scream on top of your lungs “I am the King (Queen) of the world!” No one can stop you.
It is a race of your life only without any material prize or even satisfaction. There is no such thing in life as satisfactory and so does in riding habal-habal. Commuters couldn’t get enough of the ride like human beings in persistent search of life’s meaning. Thus, they will take habal-habal as means of transportation as long as they are capable of riding on it.
Riding habal-habal is more than sex, a means of transportation, and an addiction. It is a poetry of motion and a perfect reflection of life. Just like living life, one must go through the comfort, the obstacles and the nuances of the ride. Truly, habal-habal is a proof of Dabawenyo’s ingenuity. A clear example of how creative we are in paving our way to be able to reach our destination.
Your sweat pours as the temperature rises. The heat is killing you. The caress on your arms down to your thighs excites you and the soft whispers in your ears drive you crazy. You press yourself hard on the body trapped between your thighs making sure that you are almost fixed to it. You stay focused but you forget everything along the way. Your grip becomes tighter; you don’t want to lose the moment. And just like anything done in haste, the whole act is over before you know it.
This is how it is riding motorcycle under the battering heat of the sun. Wind is its only relief as it kisses and touches in you. The ride’s rhythm makes you wonder what awaits you. Is it a pending collision, a machine defect, a dried-up-river road or an attempt of the motorcycle driver to make advances on you? In this case, wonder is an understatement because people at times become frantic and even speculative. To fall from the motorcycle is unfortunate thus, one must keep holding on to the seat no matter what. As what older people keep on telling us, riding the motorcycle is like putting one foot in the graveyard. The danger and its fun explain why one tends to be so absorbed by the ride that he or she forgets the road and distance traveled. It is only to realize the disappointing truth that one has arrived the destination. At this point, you must get off the motorcycle but definitely you’ll ride on it again and again and again.
In what they consider as the most livable city in the country – Davao City, this kind of ride is called "habal-habal." "Habal-habal" comes from the Bisaya word “habal” which means sex; a term commonly refers to the mating of pigs. Habal-habal is mainly based on the positions of pigs while mating – the boar on top and leaning on the sow’s behind. For some areas in Visayas, “habal” also refers to the extremely intimate position of two persons. Since in habal-habal the root word is repeated, people might take it literally as sex only in its diminutive form.
Actually, habal-habal is just a wee term used for a brawny vehicle but it should never be taken as a joke. It is not a laughing matter at all to take notice the intimacy of positions of the driver and the passenger, the touch and feel that arouses two parties but without the sexual penetration or the so-called “union of two bodies.” However in any way we see it, riding habal-habal is more than sex. This act is more daring, more adventurous and definitely unpredictable. It is pleasure in its own right.
However, habal-habals are illegal. Th
e City Ordinance No. 0189-06 series of 2006 states that single motorcycles should not be used as public transport units and drivers are not allowed to solicit passengers for a fee. In addition, all drivers and riders of all single motorcycles along the city streets and National Highway within the territorial jurisdiction of Davao City are required to wear helmets while operating or driving the said motorcycles. This ordinance also limits the number of backriders or riders to only one person. It also requires the riders to wear crash helmet or other protective head gear when riding on the motorcycles and not to allow minors less than eight years old to ride on the motorcycle.Habal-habal is synonymous to accident. Because of the rough, steep, and narrow terrain that a habal-habal usually overcome, habal-habal became a favored vehicle of misfortunes and death. When riding habal-habal, expect to encounter accidents, especially when it is raining, the road is very slippery. Many people have met accidents and even worse, met Death on the road. What can you expect from a two-wheeled vehicle in which a wrong move – just one wrong turn on a bumpy road can be a very vital act that can bring one to final destination – death.
So, if habal-habal is like the “caravan of death and demise” why do a lot of people still let themselves be transported on this particular mode of transportation? The answer is pretty simple. For people, especially those who live in the mountains where the road is very challenging for automobile, habal-habal serves as their only way of transportation. Passengers greatly know the dangers of riding habal-habal, but they have no choice but to ride on these motor vehicles. Due to the limited number of jeepneys and other modes of transportation, habal-habal has become a necessity.
As diverse as the motorcycles they drive, habal-habal drivers are relatively distinct from each other. Habal-habal drivers smell different from other ordinary people. The stimuli coming from their natural beings will probably make your heads blow like an erupting volcano or a boiling water from a whistling kettle. These supernatural scents mixed with air crashes on your face causing suffocation. You could long for the grim reaper to take your life. Some of them smell like kids, baby powder scented with natural flowers blended with their stinky sweat. Some are like peeled red native onions and nothing could ever keep your tears from falling. Some seem soaked in concentrated vinegar. It is as if you were craving for something to eat. However, not all habal-habal drivers smell this horrible. But most of them do especially on a day where sun is at its peak. Their unique fragrance adds to the challenge and excitement of your joyride.
Also, these drivers also have their own standard rate of fare, no uniformity. Standard fare is based on their own understanding about the world. Their rates are highly dependent of their self-evaluation on their performance, styles, vigor and balance. Drivers take the initiative to demand additional amount and to give change. A not-so-adamant passenger would just have to wait for the driver’s hint. If the driver starts the engine and leaves, it is understood that what you’ve given is enough or even more than enough.
Riding habal-habal is an addiction that drowns you in pleasure without knowing it. It gives you the thrill and feeling of no boundaries. Danger as an essential ingredient of riding habal-habal has been long instilled in our minds. It creates an image of fear in the passengers but still they do not fret. It is as a matter of fact a source of a different kind of high that is more appealing to the young people and to those who still feel that years have never left them.
What entices people to ride habal-habal is its leaning to high speed. It is best suited for the fast-paced world we are living and this is basically how people perceive it. People tend to create this illusion of having their own time at their very palm. The power to fast forward and to slow down the world’s tempo seems possible. They also tend to use speed as a way out of the dragging and stressful day.
Try riding habal-habal that runs 120 kilometers per hour and it will blow your mind off. It's just like you were with the person with a special ability to travel in space with just a blink of an eye. It is as if there is a continuous clash of flesh and gushing air and as a result, leaving a part of your whole being, your consciousness, your problems and worries. This triggers the feeling of addiction, the dependency of riding habal-habal. One feels the detachment to reality. The existence of habal-habal is a gift in itself. There is the long-awaited relief that urges your hands to enjoy involuntarily spread out in the air. It causes euphoria, the kind that makes you look up the sky, appreciate its beauty even though it’s about to rain, and then you scream on top of your lungs “I am the King (Queen) of the world!” No one can stop you.
It is a race of your life only without any material prize or even satisfaction. There is no such thing in life as satisfactory and so does in riding habal-habal. Commuters couldn’t get enough of the ride like human beings in persistent search of life’s meaning. Thus, they will take habal-habal as means of transportation as long as they are capable of riding on it.
Riding habal-habal is more than sex, a means of transportation, and an addiction. It is a poetry of motion and a perfect reflection of life. Just like living life, one must go through the comfort, the obstacles and the nuances of the ride. Truly, habal-habal is a proof of Dabawenyo’s ingenuity. A clear example of how creative we are in paving our way to be able to reach our destination.
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