For many, the daily commute is somewhat like a ritual. It conditions people to get ready for work, be it by hailing a cab, sitting in a bus, in transit via train, or riding the king of the road in the Philippines—the jeepney.

Racing the highway with its flashy designs, ear-pounding sound, with "manong" driver behind steering wheel, the jeepney has definitely earned its royal title. Everything about it screams "joyride." Just listen to Hotdog's "Manila" song. While being in it is always an adventure, we have got to admit that the experience isn't always fun. And we aren't just talking about being stuck in traffic.

With most of the country's workforce still following a work from home setup, many may have forgotten what it is like to take public transportation, particularly fighting for a seat in a jeep. Here to remind everyone of what it's like to commute to places in our pre-pandemic time is this short film making rounds online.

Aptly titled "Yuko," the featurette takes viewers on a ride going through everything Filipinos dread about taking the jeep. With its title translating to "duck" and "stoop" in English, the film certainly brings out the worst scenarios that'll give you that uncomfortable feeling. As of writing, the now viral video has garnered 161.3K likes on TikTok and 28K shares on Facebook.

Written and directed by young filmmaker Jude Matanguihan, the short film is based on his own experiences riding the jeepney.

"I studied college in Manila but I'm originally from Batangas," he tells Manila Bulletin Lifestyle. "Every Friday, I would have big bags to carry as I go back to the province, and it was a hassle. That's where the idea came from."

Jude worked on the script in 2016 after graduating college. In 2018, he and his team worked on the passion project. And believe it or not, it wasn't his main intention to make a viral video out of a jeepney ride. The film is more of a creative flex for the young filmmaker, or as he puts it, a way to find his voice.

"'Yuko' is the first film I let go for the first time and focused instead on my voice as a filmmaker," he says. "It was a creative exercise to get to know my point-of-view by following my instincts. At the back of my mind, maybe, I wanted to create a movement to give the Filipino icon an update. But that was not my intention."

The process of shooting it was also quite experiential for him and his team as they were all cramped inside the vehicle. But what gives the movie an added claustrophobic effect is the vertical filmmaking touch. Jude was influenced by the rise of Instagram TV during the time they're shooting it. And the 9:16 frame puts scenes in a tighter view, which makes perfect sense for them to apply it on "Yuko."

An immense amount of effort had been put to finish the project. But of all the things they did, it was the bird's eye view shot of the jeep that was especially challenging. Failing to find a jeepney with a removable roof, Jude and his team shot the scene in a basketball court and used CG to enhance its look.

A graduate of multimedia arts, Jude is not new in handling the camera as he has worked with artist TJ Monterde and JC Santos for their music videos. In 2018, Jude released a short film on Viddsee dubbed "Luisa and Guada," a comedy about women in their 70s trying to meet new people online. Music is also part of his creative journey being a singer-songwriter himself (Check them out here). The artist also dabbled in food entrepreneurship, co-owning Okimoru milk tea shop, which opened this year in Cainta.

"If you're a filmmaker, not being able to create a film due to lack of equipment, gears, and manpower is never a reason," he says. "Script is the magnet. If you have a good text, you can always find a team and the materials you need."

Watch "Yuko" below.

Film credits:

Dir.: Jude Matanguihan

AD: Myles Capareda

DP: Marco Limjap

PD: Princess Jamille

PM: Lance Cohuangco