Harabas!
by Oliver Carlos
The word “Harabas” was a cliché in the 1970s. I don’t exactly know which one came first- the word or the vehicle? But just the same, “Harabas” means something you use to do the dirty work. It’s something tough and can survive the harsh conditions it gets subjected to. So the word “Harabas” can apply to shoes, clothes, and vehicles.
The Harabas vehicle was a hit in its time. It’s cheap, durable, and perfect to serve its purpose- doing the dirty job. The vehicle had a Filipino-made shell and an imported GM engine. It’s like a jeepney, but smaller and more enclosed. My Dad used to drive one in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
The original owner of our Harabas was my maternal grandfather Francisco “Papang” Tamolang. He bought it brand new in the 1970s. It was orange with blue and white stripes on the sides. Even though it’s new, it wasn’t glossy. It doesn’t have aircon, and the windows of the Harabas do not help make the vehicle any cooler. A window was a pair of sliding glass panes, so you can’t really have a fully open ventilation. Only half of the window frame gets open for air to come in.
The seats of the Harabas were hard and one-piece per row. Sitting in the Harabas isn’t comfortable because the seat and the back support were angled at 90 degrees like church pews, and they were non-adjustable. They also don’t have much foam inside too. The 3rd row compartment was arranged like our modern FX, the passengers would be facing each other. The seats here had no foam, they’re only lauanette planks.
The hood was opened and closed by spring hooks, like a jeepney’s, and so the battery can be stolen if you don’t watch it in the parking lot. Papang just added a padlock for better security. Lastly, the shock absorbers were leaf springs, not coil springs, meaning, the passengers would have a rough ride like a rodeo. And oh! It doesn’t have power steering.
Although the our Harabas wasn’t that handsome and comfy, it was our family’s ever faithful traveling buddy. My grandparents would often bring it to their home province of Pangasinan. They also brought it to Cubao for leisure and shopping at the Araneta Center. Later, Papang had a poultry business, and the Harabas was used to haul a trailer in transporting chickens.
When my grandparents migrated to Canada in 1982, Uncle Felix inherited the Harabas. But later, he had an elegant white Ford Cortina car and a cool Ninja motorcycle, and so my Dad became the Harabas’ new caretaker. He used the aging but still strong orange vehicle daily to go to work in Forestry. We used it also for all our family’s trips on weekends and holidays. The Harabas lived a full life, serving us satisfactorily up to the 1990s.
Life would be impossible if nobody would do the dirty job. We cannot be all sitting pretty maintaining our elegance. Some people had to dip into the mud, get their hands dirty, and sweat it out. Somebody has to do the Harabas role in life.
This fact makes me understand Philippians 2 better. The apostle Paul explains what Jesus did for us. He’s the ultimate Harabas. Jesus left his glory in heaven, came down to earth, and died on the cross, for our good. He did the dirty job, so that we may be saved.
“Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death — even death on a cross!” (Philippians 2:6–8, NIV)
Paul pointed to the Harabas-type of job Jesus did for us. Jesus’ mission was a very big sacrifice on his part. But somebody has to do it, so he did it. He did it with all his heart, because he loved us so much. He didn’t care if he would all be bloodied up and experience extreme pain, and even death. All he wanted to accomplish was to give us eternal life by taking our place on death row.
How great is Christ’s sacrifice for us! Let us solemnly reflect on the rough and tough job he did for us.
