Enrico Briones fights to keep the art of jeepney signboards alive

In his humble rental in Cainta, 66-year-old Enrico Briones quietly applies elegant brushstrokes to rectangular Sintra boards. 

On one pile of boards pre-painted with hues of neon orange, green, and pink, Briones creates boxy letters with black acrylic paint to tie it all together. Meanwhile, his other boards take the shape of slightly slanted fiery red text placed against sunny yellow accents. 

Though they vary in style, they all say the same thing: jeepney routes — whether it’s Cubao’s Ali Mall, Pasig Palengke, Edsa Shaw, or Quiapo-España. 

For a chunk of his nearly three-decade career as a jeepney signboard maker, Briones would peddle these signs to passing jeepney drivers along Ortigas Avenue Extension, Valley Golf, and Estrella. 

These signs would automatically go on the windshields of the jeeps that would dominate the busy streets of Rizal and Metro Manila. Briones makes them bright and readable enough for Filipino commuters rushing to get to work or school — making it easier for them to flag down approaching jeepneys on busy streets. 

“Ito talaga ang hanapbuhay ko, nag-aalok ng signage sa kalsada (This is my livelihood, selling signages on the street),” Briones told Rappler. 

But Briones was first to admit that it had become a struggle for him to earn enough income since the COVID-19 pandemic and when the threat of jeepney modernization began to loom over him and everyone in the industry. Making signboards has always been honest work that he genuinely enjoyed, but he knew it would only be a matter of time before he would need to find other ways to make ends meet. 

“Ngayon, mahina na talaga e. Matumal na masyado. Pahirapan na. Swerte na ‘yung maka-P300 ka (Now, business is slow. It’s difficult. I’m lucky if I earn P300).” 

Lately, however, Briones has found a new clientele eager to keep his craft alive: ordinary Filipinos. And the unlikely catalyst for it all? Social media. 

All roads lead to art

Before Briones began sharing his work online, he had worked all kinds of jobs — from controlling the flow of vehicles as a traffic enforcer to helping build structures from the ground up as a construction worker. His love for art, though, never really went away. 

“Bata pa kasi ako, nararamdaman ko mahilig ako sa art. Kaya lang, inawat ako ng father ko. Sabi ko ‘‘Pag ako’y nag-college, gusto ko fine arts.’ Ayaw ng father ko. ‘Yung ganitong klaseng trabaho, gutom daw…. Ang nangyari tuloy, hangga’t andun ‘yung tatay ko, hindi ako makahipo ng lapis. Pero gustong gusto ko mag-drawing,” he recalled. 

(I already knew that I loved art since I was a kid. But my father stopped me. I said “When I go to college, I want to take up fine arts.” My father refused. He said this kind of work would just leave me hungry…. So, as long as my father was there, I couldn’t pick up the pencil. But I really wanted to draw.) 

When Briones lost his father in his 20s, he took it as a sign to realize his childhood dream of becoming an artist. As soon as he could, he took on a string of creative jobs — working as a comic illustrator sometime in the ’80s, a senior artist in an ad agency, and even an animator. 

But all roads led Briones to lettering, and eventually, jeepney signboard making, in a rather unconventional way. On one Undas, he and his cousins visited their late grandmother when they noticed that the text on her gravestone had become blurry and worn out. Right then and there, he challenged himself to do the touch-ups, remaining in the cemetery long after his cousins had all gone home. 

He found his way back to art. Before Briones knew it, he was already teaching himself how to do lettering, practicing for hours on end, flipping through art books, and watching tutorials. Now, he’s known as “Tatay Rico” to his beloved clients as a jeepney signboard maker. 

It was only in mid-2025, though, when he thought to share his creations on social media. He would prop up his phone, round up a few of his freshly made signboards, and record short videos of himself showing his work to his followers. 

It started out slow for Briones as he struggled to get more than 200 views on TikTok and Instagram. But he had been in for the surprise of a lifetime when one of his reels had suddenly crossed the million-view mark. Overwhelming support for his work started pouring in, until one day, a viewer suggested that he start making small keychains that resembled jeepney signboards. This would change everything for Briones, who got his first order immediately after he began offering it to customers. 

It was a welcome change for Briones — who could no longer spend long hours under the scorching sun out of fear that his health issues would act up. Now, he spends most of his time painting orders indoors, even going on to expand his catalogue to custom jeepney signboards (P125 to P300), acrylic and Sintra board keychains (P40 to P50), and ref magnets (P50 to P75). 

Traditional art lives on

While Briones would still get occasional business from the jeepney drivers he’s built rapport with over the years, he’s become rather popular among the social media users who would come across his videos.  

Much to his initial surprise, his signboards have reached places far and wide — from Canada and the US to Germany and Australia, fueling his fascination with the rise of jeepney signboards for personal use. Clients would usually send him photos of his work displayed in their homes, and it’s what pushes him to keep going despite all the challenges. 

There was a twinkle in his eyes when he recalled an instance when a young artist reached out to him in hopes of learning how to make signboards himself. Upon seeing his Instagram profile filled with photos of intricate art pieces, Briones was puzzled.

“Sabi ko, ‘Anong gusto mong matutuhan sa akin e mukhang ako magpapaturo sa’yo,” he joked. “Sabi niya, ‘Hindi po, ‘tay, gusto ko po ‘yung ginagawa ‘nyo.”

(I said, “What do you want to learn from me? It looks like I’m the one who should be learning from you.” He said, “No, I love the work that you do.”) 

With printed signs now becoming the norm, Briones expressed his fears over the art’s inevitable decline. He had floated the idea of saving up to buy a printer to get with the times, saying that if people were asked to choose between something printed or something handpainted, they would immediately go for the former. But his customers themselves had assured him that his work was special. 

“Naiipon ‘yung nagpapagawa sa Instagram kasi ang tagal gawin ng mano-mano sa kamay. E kaya lang, ‘yun ang gusto nila e, para authentic daw (The people inquiring about commissions on Instagram has piled up because it takes a while for me to manually paint everything by hand. But this is what they like, because apparently, it’s authentic),” he shared. 

Persevering through it all

From the start, Briones’ jeepney signboard business has been a one-man show, and it hasn’t been easy. He takes orders, paints them, hands them off to delivery riders, and drops them off at the nearby courier all on his own. 

His vision isn’t as good as it used to be, and he says his control of the brush isn’t as nimble as before, but he soldiers on, all so he has something to take home to his wife and son. Often, from early in the morning until late at night, he remains hunched over a lineup of signboards, keychains, and ref magnets he needs to ship out in time so he can ask the customer for the rest of the payment. 

Sometimes, a single 10-by-21-cm signboard takes an entire day to complete, and he only charges P125 for it. “Kung ako sesweldo nang arawan, talo, kasi [P125] lang ang halaga nito. Tapos ando’n ‘yung labor ko, ando’n na ‘yung materials (If I earned a daily income, I’m at a loss, because it only costs P125. It already includes my labor and the materials I use).” 

Still, Briones is hesitant to raise his prices. Another customer asked why he was selling his work relatively cheaply, even though everything is made by hand. His clientele was the first thing he thought of.

“‘Yung mga nagpapagawa, masasaktan din sila sa presyo. Ayoko naman ng gano’n (The people who commission me will also be hurt by the prices. I don’t want that).”

Despite all the hardships Briones has experienced, what has never changed — and will never change — is his genuine love for his craft. 

“Naeenjoy ko rin naman ’to dahil hilig ko rin yan. Minsan, hindi ko na nga iniisip ‘yung kita. Kasi malaking bagay sa tao ‘yung mayroon kang pinagkakalibangan (I still enjoy this because this is my passion. Sometimes, I don’t even think about how much I’m earning. Because it’s a big deal for a person to have something they have fun with),” he shared. 

Asked why the art of traditional handpainted jeepney signboards was important to him, his answer was quick: it’s a huge part of Filipino culture. 

“Hangga’t maaari, hindi mawawala ‘yan kasi part na ng kwento ‘yan. Kasi umpisa pa lang no’n, kasama na yan sa mga naging tatak ng Pilipino, (As much as possible, it won’t go away because it’s part of our story. Because from the beginning, it has already been a part of the mark of the Filipino people).” 

And so, for as long as the culture lives on, Briones will continue to paint. – Rappler.com