My Opinion Matters An assertion is a strong opinion that one has about a topic. For an assertion to be reasonable, it must be supported by accurate citations which refer to evidence from reliable sources such as encyclopedias, academic journals, websites etc. From the author’s assertions about the jeepney, what details does she provide to convince the reader that the information is factual? What evidence is there to convince the reader that this is an opinion. Choose three statements from the passage, Jeepney- A Product of Filipino Ingenuity, and complete the Assertion Sheet below.
Jeepney – A Product of Filipino Ingenuity (Excerpt)
Carmen Guerrero-Nakpil
If one were looking for a symbol of post-
war Philippines, one could do no better
than the jeepney, which is as abundant
and as persistent as post-war
mosquitoes, and as much a creature of
improvisation1 as the post-war Filipino.
The jeepney, unique in the world, is a tiny
bus built by superimposing a shop-made
body on an army jeep. It holds, in addition
to its drivers, from six to ten passengers
and the most esoteric2decorating job on
wheels. Its body juts out way behind the
original chassis and when fully loaded, its
rear lists dangerously close to the
asphalt. It looks just as crowded when it
is carrying four as when it is carrying twelve people – as it often does when business
is good.
A jeepney is hardly without its painted signs. Beneath the windshield, the
lettering may read Divisoria-Mahal Ko-Pasig or Manila and Suburbs-Heart and Soul.
At the side is inscribed the name of the operator and an imaginative estimate of the
passenger capacity. On the steps are more letters: a flirtatious Kiss Me Not or a severe
Keep Distance. Jeepney signs are extremely responsive to fad and fashion. They are
allusive3, inspirational or romantic, being taken from movie titles, the name of
showgirls and actresses or slogans. They undoubtedly add piquancy4to the traffic
problem.
The jeepney‘s cramped interior has undergone an even more complete
transformation. Above the cracked and dusty windshield, there is usually a strip of
mirror, ornamented in the Venetian style, which enables its driver-conductor to keep
an eye on passengers who have not paid their fares. A central place on it is reserved
for an icon or print of ―Our Lady of Perpetual Help‖ or ―St. Anthony,‖ with a bunch
of dusty paper flowers or a garland of sampaguitas paying tribute to the operator‘s
favorite devotion. Anyone who has taken a ride in a jeepney will realize how necessary
it is to explore the intercession of the saints. The jeepney‘sikon is as traditional as the
chapel where bullfighters kneel before courting death. Having made his box to the
Divinity, the jeepney driver proceeds to be as bravo as a matador.
1) Assertion (statement that starts argument)
2) Reasoning (statement that supports assertion and explains why audience should believe it)
3) Evidence (statement that back up reasoning)
4) My Reaction (your own opinion on the author’s assertion)
