On the Road in Imus: The Everyday Hustle and Income of Tricycle Drivers
Presented by
Dacillo, Jefrey R.
This research aims to provide perspective on the daily lives of our tricycle drivers in Imus,
Cavite.
Driver 1: "Owner ako. Ako kasi yung tamad na tao eh, binata pa kasi, pero sa isang araw na
biyahe, nakaka 600-700 [pesos] ako, pero hindi pa rin sapat, sa taas ba naman ng bilihin ngayon,
lalo na kung may pamilya ka? kailangan doble sipag ka, pero katulad ko na binata, sapat lang,
pang bayad ng bills."
Driver 2: "Ah, ako quota ako. kumikita ako ng 400-600 [pesos] sa isang araw, 250 roon
boundary ko, sa ganon, natutugunan ko naman pangangailangan namin sa pang araw-araw namin
pero kailangan, diskarte at sipag lang din."
Driver 3: "Ako owner nitong Tricycle ko, kaya okay lang yung kinikita ko sa isang araw,
walang boundary. Depende pa rin sa araw kung magkano ang kikitain ko sa isang araw, meron
kasing araw na mahina, meron namang malakas, katulad ngayon nakaka 300 [pesos] pa lang ako,
malayo layo pa para maka 500 [pesos] manlang, pero natutugunan ko naman mga
pangangailangan namin sa araw araw, sapat din para sa pamilya. Sipag at tiyaga lang talaga."
Driver 4: "Quota ako eh. depende sa pasahero kung magkano kikitain ko sa isang araw. Minsan
500 [pesos] pero minsan wala o mababa kasi may mga lugar na baha. Natutugunan naman
syempre, kasi iniisip ko mga anak ko, baka magutom o nagugutom, kailangan dumiskarte pa
rin."
Driver 5: "Ako kasi, quota ako, kumikita ako minsan ng 500-600 [pesos] depende kasi sa
biyahe eh. Sa awa ng diyos natutugunan naman, pero minsan kulang pa kasi matumal yung
biyahe, minsan kasi ganito dahil maulan di makabiyahe."
From the responses of our Tricycle Drivers, we can determine insights about their daily lives,
earnings, and the challenges they face. Based on their responses, here are the datas i have
gathered:
*Income range:
- They earn 300-700 pesos per day.
- The amount they earn varies on the factors they face. For example, the owner, quota, franchise
system, weather, and the amount of passenger they had per day.
- Drivers who owns their tricycles seem to have more flexibility than those who are quota and
franchise. But may also face inconsistent earnings because of passenger demands.
*Challenges on their daily lives:
- One of the challenges they face is the High Cost of Living. With their income, they have to
double their work effort just to have a sufficient amount of money to support their families. They
fell that even with an average earning of 300-700 pesos, it's still not enough to cover all their
expenses.
- Unpredictable earning is also one of their challenges, they say, not every day is the same, there
will be days that the passenger demands are low and high.
- One critical challange they face is the weather condition. The second and fifth driver mentioned
that weather conditions such as rain and floodings can negatively affect their ability to earn
money.
*Work ethics:
- All of the drivers mentioned the importance of "sipag" and "diskarte". They all say that they
need to keep working hard and adjusting to circumstances, whether it’s figuring out how to find
passengers during slow days or pushing through bad weather.
- Their sense of responsibility is top notch. Several drivers pointed the well-being of their
families as the driving force behind their hard work. They said "kailangan lang talaga doble sipag
ka" concluding that the pressure to provide for their families is a common motivating factor.
In conclusion, the daily lives of our tricycle drivers on Imus, Cavite, reflects both "sipag" and
"diskarte" or in english "diligence" and "resourcefulness". Despite earning between 300-700
pesos daily, the increase in cost of living and unpredictability of their income, leaves our tricycle
driver to think that their earning is still not enough to cover their family expenses. Whether they
own a tricycle or under the quota system, these drivers face a constant balancing act between
hardwork and external challenges such as weather, unpredictable earning, low passenger
demand, they still continue to provide for their families, this highlights, the need of support from
local authorities and the community to ensure that these essential workers can sustain their
livelihood and secure a better future for their family.