27.II.2004; pict. S. Snoeck
| Nederlands | Path: Home / Country list / Children in depth / Children in the Philippines |
Children's Crossing Signs in the Philippines |
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| Negros, Malapla, II.2003; pict. S. Snoeck | Tadian, Mountain Prov., N.-Luzon, 27.II.2004; pict. S. Snoeck |
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| Our first find probably is the work of a local craftsman. The panel is special in several aspects. (1) The circular shape: most signs in the Philippines are triangular. In general, round signs are rare except for India. (2) The presence of dashed double lines: if present, lines tend to be uninterupted (find other dashed lines in Gambia). (3) Both persons are of the same sex. Where in some countries this could be an illusion caused by the school-clothing (e.g. Argentina, the older French signs) that clearly isn't true now. Although the leftmost person wears trousers, the body has a female build. (Find a sign with two boys in Vietnam.) | Few countries feature such a rich diversity in children's
signs. Two main influences are at work each giving birth
to its own group of designs : (1) the European kind and (2) the U.S.A. type of warning. |
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| Albuquerque, Bohol, 28.XII.2003; pict. K. Mortier |
Ayala Alabang, Muntinlupa City, II.2003; pict. S. Snoeck |
Alaminos, Laguna, Luzon 23.X.2003; pict. S. Snoeck |
| The European design is probably most common and certainly
shows most variation in its drawing. The drawing is a bit static, the
gender signals are clearly present and the signs therefore remind us of
the most common design in countries like Belgium
or Spain. It happens that a European drawing is applied on a rectangular board; the reverse (an American design on a triangle) isn't found yet. |
Notice how the second and third panel together bring a message. They tell us Trust our system. In time your grown-ups (the boy still wears short trousers though) will walk between the lines. |
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| Batangas IV.2003; pict. S. Snoeck |
Batangas IV.2003; pict. S. Snoeck |
Batangas IV.2003; pict. S. Snoeck |
| Roadsign adepts will notice that
the pictures shown fall apart into two main groups : (1) a design where the girl is the leader and (2) a drawing where the boy is the boss. It's the equivalent of a fight between Great Britain (the U.K.-group explained) and Continental Europe to gain influence. |
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Some of the European type roadsigns are peculiar because they show children with bald heads. Philippine pupils dress for school with the shortest possible hair-cut. The shape of the sign is not important, we've seen the feature on both triangular and rectangular panels. I wonder if our Monsieur Jean (coiffeur) will go as far as selling this in his salon. |
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| Ayala Alabang, Muntinlupa City, II.2003; pict. S. Snoeck |
Suyo, Ilocos Sur, N.-Luzon 27.II.2004; pict. S. Snoeck |
Rosario, Batangas, Luzon 04.XII.2003; pict. S. Snoeck |
| Rectangular boards with a European drawing do exist, but more often the U.S. type of design is applied. While we've found many variations in the European type, the artist has almost no freedom with the U.S. design of the warning sign. The general composition is measly. The Children crossing is illustrated with two individuals closely resembling the people normally seen on pedestrian crossings. | Although the Mc-Donald-panel states School zone,
our man in the street, strangely enough, couldn't find any school nearby.
More important however is that several of the rectangular signs with U.S. design are sponsored. This could explain the rise of the American features (diamond, colours, adults). The local authority probably had to compromise! |
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| Tagaytay IV.2003; pict. S. Snoeck |
Tagaytay IV.2003; pict. S. Snoeck |
Silay, Negros 03.I.2004; pict. K. Mortier |
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Our man in Manila drew my attention to an article in the Philippine STAR (published January 30th, 2003). After a study showed that Filipinos are ignorant of traffic rules a decision was taken to the construction of more over- and underpasses and to put up more pedestrian signs in Metro Manila. The pedestrian signs will be pink. | |
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Asked "why pink, instead of the usual red?", the secretary of the Department of Public Works and Highways replied because it is more attractive to the eyes. Good news for collectors, that is. | |
| 30.VII.2012; pict. H. Parmentier | Ayala Alabang, Muntinlupa City, II.2003; pict. S. Snoeck | |
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| Silay, Negros 07.I.2004; pict. K. Mortier |
Silay, Negros 07.I.2004; pict. K. Mortier |
Sta-Cruz, Laguna, Luzon 23.X.2003; pict. S. Snoeck |
| Direct import from Germany | A sign from the Mediterranean group. |