Sukli

Sukli (sook-LEE) - Davao City, Philippines 2020
Premium 260gsm Photo Paper Luster Finish - 20"x28"

The Tagalog word for "change," or the money returned to you after making a purchase. This photo of a jeepney driver holding cash while driving was taken in the southern region of Davao, Philippines, through the window of a moving taxi.

A jeepney is the most popular and iconic form of transportation in the Philippines—originally adapted from old U.S. military jeeps left over from World War II. With a top-to-bottom chrome body, custom graphics, names, accessories, and wide-open, doorless side and rear entry, a jeepney is hard to miss. What intrigued me was how the drivers place cash interlocked in the gaps between their fingers while they're driving—always ready. It looks like they have a lot of money, but in reality, it's probably less than $10 CAD, which is what they might make in a long day's work.

It was January 2020. I’d been in the Philippines for less than a week and had just arrived in Davao with my parents and extended family; we were probably on our way to the wet market. I had my camera in my hand and was seated by the back window, clicking away.

Everything is so fast-paced in the city, and driving looks like absolute chaos when you compare it to the West. Jeepney drivers are doing so many things at the same time:

• Looking for potential passengers on the side of the road
• Pulling over and waiting long enough for them to safely get in
• Keeping track of everyone who hops on
• Steering with their left hand while using their right hand to grab money from passengers
• Making change from the bills between their fingers while simultaneously fishing for coins on the dashboard
• Listening for people shouting their stops

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