Going the extra mile: Zamboangueno retiree proves no one is never too old to hit the road
It is said that retirement is not the end of the road but the beginning of an open highway. For most people, it means embracing a whole new kind of life, one filled with exciting opportunities just waiting to be discovered. This was what exactly happened to Demetrio “Demet” Jumawan Baroro, a former company driver whose retirement paved the way for a better perspective in life. With no desire to stop working for his family, he is now a proud GrabTrike driver-partner based in the Sardines Capital of the Philippines.
“Bajare ang tawag sa trike na ito dito sa amin. Tricycle siya pero may maayos at matibay na bubong at katawan, mas sarado siya kung ikukumpara sa ordinaryong tricycle. Ito na ang hanapbuhay ko at masaya naman ako dahil sige-sige ang biyahe, tuluy-tuloy din ang kita ko (We call this trike Bajare here. It’s basically a tricycle but with a solid at strong roof and body, it’s also closed compared to ordinary tricycles. This has been my livelihood and I’m happy because the trips are nonstop, and so are the earnings),” the 64-year-old Zamboangueno said.
After retiring from the company which he served for 7 years, Demet initially rented a friend’s trike and drove it around the city but since he had to pay the daily boundary, there was not enough money to fend for their family’s expenses every day. Luck knocked on the Baroro household when Zamboanga City Mayor John Dalipe called all trike drivers and offered them the GrabTrike opportunity. For Demet, committing to this tricycle-hailing service is an exciting new journey, one that will change his family’s life for good. He borrowed his son’s motorcycle, signed up, and is now one of Zamboanga’s fleet of more than 100 GrabTrike drivers.
He shares that he is happy to be a GrabTrike driver – a livelihood opportunity that offers reliable and fair transportation options. “Mas maganda dito. Dati kasi ikot ako nang ikot para maghanap ng pasahero, sayang ang kita ko halos sa gasolina na lang napupunta. Kaltasan pa ng boundary, kulang talaga. Sa GrabTrike, kahit nasa labas o loob lang ako ng bahay, basta naka-on lang yung Grab app, ako ung hinahanap ng pasahero. Tuloy-tuloy ang booking (This is a lot better. Before I needed to drive around looking for passengers, gasoline expenses eat up most of my earnings. With GrabTrike, I can be inside or outside the house, as long as the Grab app is on, it’s the passenger that looks for me),” he said.
Even though Grab provides onboarding and app training, Demet, who isn’t very tech-savvy, finds the Grab app a bit challenging. Thankfully, his wonderful wife Veronica, who works at a sardine factory, comes to his rescue and helps him navigate the app every day.
“Totoo po yan, hindi po siya marunong sa cell phone. Kaya lagi akong nakasakay sa Bajare nya, kasama sa biyahe. Parang ako rin nagga-GrabTrike. Okay naman po sa mga pasahero, wala namang problema, naiintindihan nila. (That’s true, he doesn’t know how to operate his mobile phone. That’s why I always ride his Bajare, joining every trip. So, I’m like a GrabTrike driver as well. But it’s all good with our passengers, they understand),” Veronica also laughed. This husband-and-wife tandem can be seen traversing the nooks and crannies of the city, usually from 7:00am until 6:00pm, while lunch breaks and much needed rests are taken in between trips. “Nagbabaon kami ng kanin at bumibili na lang kami ng ulam sa mga karinderya. Maraming puno dito sa amin at enjoy kaming kumakain kami sa ilalim ng mga puno. Para makapagpahinga din sa may lilim. Kung maulan, naghahanap na lang kami ng masisilungan. (We bring rice with us and buy our viand from any roadside food stalls. We have lots of trees here and we enjoy eating under them, so we could also rest, protected from the heat of the sun. During rainy days, we just take shelter somewhere),” the ever-supportive wife shared. Veronica will be back working in the factory by February, and she promised to teach Demet how to finally use the app.
The couple’s genuineness and simplicity seem to attract them passengers who are generous with tips and treats thus, their trips are always peppered with generous tips from their regular passengers. “Lagi kaming nabo-book ng mga teachers, at laging nagti-tip sa akin yan, sobra-sobra kung magbayad, kahit pa isauli ko yung sukli. May isa rin kaming pasahero na nagtatrabaho sa ospital, laging nagpapa-drive through para bumili ng pagkain nya. Pero lagi rin kaming nililibre ng chicken o burger at nagbigay pa ng dagdag na pera. Hindi namin sila malilimutan. (We always get booked by teachers who tip us with extra money as add-on for their fare, even if I insist to give their change. We also have this passenger who works in a hospital, who always requests to drop by a fast-food drive through to buy food, but always treats us to free chicken or burger and gives us extra cash. We will never forget them),” they smiled.
Demet and Veronica find it hard to describe how Grab has helped provide them with their family’s daily sustenance as it’s always the simplest things that really matter to them. “Dati kilo-kilo lang kami kung bumili ng bigas. Ngayon nakakabili na kami ng isang sako (We used to buy rice by the kilo. Now we can afford to buy a whole sack)!” Veronica exclaimed. On his part, Demet is dedicated to taking care of his dependable GrabTrike, always making sure it gets cleaned daily, does its regular maintenance service and religiously changes the oil every two months to ensure safe trips around the city, with passenger comfort in mind.
Demet truly enjoys driving his GrabTrike and is determined to stay proactive in this new endeavor for as long as possible, defying the societal expectations often placed on seniors. “Kaya kung ako sa mga kapwa ko trike drivers, huwag na kayong maghintay ng pasahero sa tabing kalsada o kaya magpaikot-ikot, mag-GrabTrike na rin kayo. Mas malaki ang kikitain nyo, hindi sayang gasolina, makakatulong pa kayo sa pamilya nyo (If I were you, my fellow trike drivers, you don’t have to wait for passengers by the side of the road or roam around for nothing, just join GrabTrike. The earnings are much bigger, no gasoline is wasted, and you could better help your family),” he advised.
Just when Demet and his family thought that his retirement was a dead end, GrabTrike paved a new road ahead, giving him a reason for self-reinvention and providing him with a renewed sense of hope because right now, he knows he has so much to live on and so much to live for.
INQUIRER.net BrandRoom/JC
Read more stories here:
SMFI’s new building brings hope anew to school in Zamboanga
New Acer Copilot+ PCs portfolio are the fastest and most intelligent