Decode Common UV Express Drivers’ Codes With This Quick Guide

Every honest-to-goodness worker knows that a half-full white van is heaven amid the heat and congestion of Metro Manila. And for those who take the UV Express every day, it’s no secret that drivers use cryptic codes when talking to each other over the radio.

Fortunately, some folks at reddit Philippines and a handful of Facebook groups have managed to decode what they really mean. Here are just some of the most famous ones we’ve found so far:

UV Express Radio Codes

Sniper/Cecil
n. A traffic enforcer stationed along Commonwealth Avenue equipped with a speed gun

Possibly a nod to one of the monsters of Ragnarok Online, a Sniper/Cecil is just hidden somewhere along Commonwealth Avenue, waiting for the next driver to break the highway’s 60kph speed limit.

Osang
n. Pegasus, a gentleman’s club along Quezon Avenue

Used to mark one’s location in the vicinity of the club on the corner of Quezon Avenue and Scout Chuatoco. Osang is a reference to ’90s actress Rosanna Roces, said to be an alumna of the bar.

Buwaya/Papa Nov
n. Officers of the Philippine National Police

With corruption marring their ranks, which includes extortion from erring motorists, it’s no surprise that cops are often referred to as “buwaya,” or Filipino for crocodile. On the other hand, Papa Nov is simply the phonetic alphabet of P and N.

Usok
n. LTO’s anti smoke-belching team stationed near the Lung Center of the Philippines

Call it a clever juxtaposition or a funny accident, but calling the anti-smoke belching team “usok” will prevent respiratory illnesses, at least among UV Express drivers.

Kilo
n. Heavy vehicular traffic

Whether they also call light traffic “gramo” escapes us, but what we know is that a kilo of basically anything is heavy for them, hence the term.

Kalamansi
n. Quezon City traffic officers

Quezon City traffic officers, in their green uniforms, are like a splash of calamansi on an open wound when drivers violate traffic laws in the city and get caught. Think of the city’s traffic police as a dose of vitamin C: they keep rude drivers at bay.

Kambing
n. Section of Commonwealth Avenue near Litex Public Market

The area of Manggahan/Litex on Commonwealth Avenue is known for one thing: rows of stalls selling goat meat

Sagada
n. Gil Puyat Avenue terminal of SM Fairview-Buendia UV Express line

If Sagada is somewhere up north and the end of the terminal is down south in Pasay, then how on earth did they come up with the term? The answer is pretty simple: “sagad” refers to the end of the route. This has nothing to do with the place where broken hearts go, believe us.

Alupihang bakal
n. España-PNR railway

We’d like to say that there’s a better way to explain the code, but it’s pretty much self-explanatory. Also, “alupihang bakal” sounds like a cool name for a, well, heavy metal band.

Load
n. Passenger

There are many ways UV drivers use the term “load” in context of passengers. “Upload” refers to loading of passengers, “download” refers to off-loading, and the cutest of them all, “pasaload” refers to the transfer of passengers to another UV service.

54
n. Highway 54, or what Edsa used to be called

The main thoroughfare was once a traffic-free road where you can easily cruise up to 60 kph without worrying that you might collide with another vehicle. However, like the UV drivers’ shorthand code, those days are long gone.

Sigarilyo
n. East Fairview Park Subdivision area of Commonwealth Avenue

After passing through “kambing” when you’re plying through Commonwealth Avenue northbound, you’re bound to encounter the area known as “Sigarilyo,” a reference to the streets of East Fairview Park Subdivision named after cigarette brands of the old and new.

24
n. Toll of class 1 vehicles exiting Cavitex’s Parañaque toll plaza

Just remember this code and you’ll remember how much these drivers pay for the use of Cavitex up to Parañaque exit. Who knows, it might come in handy once you drive your own car there?