Clang Garcia: The One-Woman Army Behind The Jeepney Arts Festival

In this article, we interviewed Clang Garcia, the avid jeepney lover who established the Jeepney Arts Festival and Jeepney Tours.

Written by Erika Anne Sulat

Once dubbed by Inquirer as the “Jeepney Queen,” Clang Garcia pioneered the Jeepney Arts Festival and Jeepney Tours as a way to create awareness of the jeepney and the dying jeepney artistry.

Her love for the vehicle started when she was young, reminiscing about the times when her friends would wait for the prettiest jeepneys to pass by before riding on them. Of course, these were the days when traffic wasn’t as stressful as it is now.

“Parang, kasi, pag makita mo rin yung artwork, it’s like a canvas. It’s like entering a museum. Dati, ha, ang gaganda ng mga paintings kasi. Growing up, [ang] ganda. You’ll feel so proud.” She states, while reminiscing about the spray-painted exteriors of the jeepneys back then.

She details how she adores the history of the jeepney, and how it was transformed from a war vehicle into something that represents the colorful culture of the Philippines, from the drab olive colors of the jeepneys to bright depictions of saints, family members, and surnames.

The Jeepney Tours

It was when Garcia started traveling that she conceptualized the idea of the Jeepney Tours. She liked the idea of being able to hop on-hop off from the hotel to other destinations simply by booking through the hotel. Garcia also thought it would be a great opportunity to promote the ingenuity and cultural image of the jeepney.

The project mainly catered to the international tourism market.They even partnered with WOW VideOke to entertain guests after the tour, as they traverse through the traffic. It was also her way to showcase the Filipinos’ love for singing, intertwining these two aspects of our cultures together. She mentions that some hotels were open to the idea, but some were also hesitant to let jeepneys in five-star hotels.

Despite initial resistance from some hotel managements, Garcia’s persistence paid off. One of the hotels that partnered with the Jeepney Tours was the InterContinental Hotel, which, according to Garcia, saw the value of the tours because at the time, they had a jeepney-themed buffet restaurant named Cafe Jeepney.

The Jeepney Arts Festival

Another project of Garcia was the Jeepney Arts Festival, where she gathered volunteers who could paint on jeepneys as part of a bayanihan effort to preserve the artistry.

The project was born out of her frustration with how plain-looking jeepneys have become overtime. Wanting to revive their vibrant identity, she managed to get sponsors for a venue behind the SM Mall of Asia–now site of the Conrad Hotel–where artists came together to paint jeepneys.

She also organized a press conference to draw attention to the event, and to her surprise, a lot of people came to support the event itself, and the Jeepney Arts Festival was also able to get some sponsors and media attention. The event reignited the Filipino passion for art and bayanihan.

Sustaining Passion

Unfortunately, the Jeepney Tours came to an end when Garcia was in the process of endorsing her franchise renewal to the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB). She was called in for a meeting to discuss new requirements in order to get a renewal.

“I was called for a meeting, and they said that there’s a new process for you to get a renewal. You need to have a minimum of 10 brand new units with Euro 4 engine, which will cost you about a million-dollar investment, and I don’t have that fund.”

The jeepney arts festival also ended when she lacked the funds to continue supporting the festival. 

“—You really need sponsors and support if you want to continue it. At the end of the day, it’s all about money. Passion is one, but you can also sustain it if you have funds.”

Garcia even had to ask for help to pay the jeepney drivers since she had to compensate them for their earnings for the entire day. She stresses the need to care for our jeepney drivers as they work grueling hours while earning very little without any insurance.

“It’s not just transportation; you need to protect the people driving it. If walang magdadrive niyan, wala. So, people have to take care of the jeepney drivers.” She mentioned.

While her projects may be defunct, Garcia still holds the same ideals and admiration for jeepneys as she did back when she spearheaded her jeepney projects. Throughout the entire interview, it’s apparent that she holds hope that someday her efforts will be continued.