Kalesa

A kalesa (Philippine Spanish: calesa), is a two-wheeled horse-drawn carriage used in the Philippines. It is commonly vividly painted and decorated. It was the primary mode of public and private transport in the Philippines during the Spanish and the American colonial period. Their use declined with the increasing use of motorized vehicles in the 20th century, until the kalesas stopped being viable in the 1980s. In modern times, they largely only survive as tourist attractions, such as in Vigan, Ilocos Sur.
Kalesas have other names based on the number of passengers they can seat. Small kalesas which can carry one or two passengers in front-facing seats are known as karomata or karumata. Larger kalesas which carry freight or up to six or more passengers in side-facing seats are known as karitela or karetela (also tartanilla in Cebu). However, these terms have become interchangeable over time. Four-wheeled carriages are differentiated as karwahe.
The kalesa looks like a two-wheeled inclined cart, and is drawn by a single horse. It is made from wood, metal, or a combination of both. The kalesa driver commonly called as kutsero (Spanish cochero) sits on the driver's seat in front. Both the driver and the passengers are enclosed by a canopy originating from the back of the cab. Kalesa had specific terminology for drivers. When a kutsero wants the horse to turn right, he says "mano" while he says "silla" to make the horse turn left.
Kalesas can be differentiated by the number of passengers they can seat. Small kalesas which can carry one or two passengers in front-facing seats are known as karomata or karumata (Philippine Spanish: carromata). Karomatas had the barest of conveniences and charged the lowest rates, which led to them being characterized as the "commoner's carriage". Larger kalesas that carry freight or up to six passengers in side-facing seats are known as karitela or karetela (Philippine Spanish: carretela). Karitelas were widely used by small businesses for cheap cargo transport. These terms have become interchangeable over time. In Cebu, karitelas are known as tartanilla. In modern versions, they can seat eight to ten people. They remain an iconic form of transport in Cebu City.
Large four-wheeled versions of the kalesa were known as karwahe (Philippine Spanish: carruaje); while drays drawn by carabao (usually used to transport cargo) were known as garetas or kareton (Spanish carretón).
Kalesa (from Spanish calesa) were first introduced to the Philippines in the 1700s by the Spanish. They became the primary mode of public and private transportation in the islands. They were manufactured by traditional workshops known as karoserya. The fodder used to feed the horses were known as zacate, the production of which was also its own significant industry due to the prevalence of kalesas.
Use of the kalesa continued during the American colonial period of the Philippines (1898 to 1946), where they remained the main form of cheap public transport. The American colonial government attempted to introduce rickshaws in 1902 to augment the public transport in Manila, but this was met with resistance by the unionized kalesa drivers (the cocheros) who characterized rickshaws as “making beasts of human beings”. As a result, rickshaws never gained acceptance in the Philippines.
The American colonial government also started the motorization of public transport in the early 20th century, introducing automobiles like jeepneys ("auto calesas") and buses ("autobuses") as well as the expansion of the Tranvía electric tram lines (operated by Meralco). These new motorized vehicles competed directly with the kalesas, and the motorized and horse-drawn sectors of public transport were often in conflict. New ordinances were created that restricted the movement of horse-drawn vehicles in favor of motorized transport. Despite this, the kalesas flourished well into the mid-20th century, due to their much more flexible routes, their cheapness, and the significant political power of the cochero unions. The political weight of the cochero unions was referred to in contemporary media as the "calesa vote" and was regarded as synonymous to the voting power of the lower classes. It included the low-income working class and small businesses who relied on the kalesas for both personal transport and delivery of goods. The "calesa vote" had a strong influence in elections, allowing kalesas to avoid most attempts at changing traffic regulations. In the late 1930s, there were still an estimated 7000 kalesas operating in Manila alone.
In 1939, the government proposed measures in a series of public hearings to abolish the kalesas to solve the worsening traffic problems they caused. The strongest proposal to emerge was the immediate buyout of the cocheros, with the possibility of retraining them as automobile drivers. This was met with mass protests from the cochero unions which led to the abandonment of these proposals. However, an increasing number of other measures were taken, including a ban on the creation of new kalesa terminals and bans on kalesas from entering certain busy streets or parking near markets.
During World War II, from 1941 to 1945, kalesas survived and provided much-needed services during the Japanese occupation of the Philippines. They were also still in use in the postwar years, but they were already in decline and had lost their previous political clout. More restrictions to road access by kalesas were introduced by the 1960s, restricting them to side roads. A few kalesas survived up until the late 1980s before becoming effectively nonviable as a form of public transport in Metro Manila. There were a few kalesas still in use as short-haul public transport around Binondo, Manila, in the 1990s to the 2000s; but they too were replaced by the 2010s with pedicabs, kuliligs, tricycles, and electric tricycles (electric rickshaw and mobility scooters).
The kalesa in modern times are largely only used as tourist attractions. Tourist kalesas are common in historical colonial-era sites in the Philippines, such as in San Fernando, Pampanga, Vigan and Laoag. Kalesas can also be found in Intramuros, where they cater to tourists and Binondo in Manila, as well as in Iligan, where decorated kalesas can be taken for a ride along a specific street.
Kalesas still being used as public transport survive in only a few areas of the Philippines. In Cebu, karitela-type kalesas, locally known as tartanillas, are still in operation, though they are gradually fading out. Kalesas are also still common as public transport in Cagayan, especially in Tuao, Tuguegarao, and other municipalities of the province.
Two modern motorized public transport vehicles in the Philippines are named after the kalesa: the jeepney, which was originally known as the "auto calesa" (or "AC" for short) from the 1910s to the 1940s; and the motorela of Northern Mindanao, a portmanteau of "motorized" and "carretela".
The colorful decorations of the kalesa was also inherited by the post-World War II jeepney. The horse hood ornament of most jeepneys is also a tribute to its kalesa predecessor.
Composer Ambrosio Del Rosario composed the original music and National Artist of the Philippines Levi Celério wrote the lyrics for a song entitled Kalesa, in honor of the vehicle.
An annual Kalesa Parade is held during the Binatbatan Festival of the Arts of Vigan City.