Driven to inspire: How one man’s drive to help others ultimately transformed his own life
Today’s world could use a little kindness. It doesn’t cost anything, and it could positively impact lives. By carrying out a random act of kindness without expecting anything in return, we help others, and we also inspire them to pay it forward. Then one day, life will just surprise us with something that, in turn, could help us change our lives for the better, while inspiring people around us to do the same. This is exactly where the moving story of GrabCar driver-partner Gilbert (“Gibo”) Orale Gannaban begins.
Before he joined Grab (initially as a GrabBike rider-partner), Gannaban worked several jobs–in a real estate company, then in an events management company, and finally, in a conglomerate, where he was assigned to its ice cream brand. “Nagsimula akong magpa-part-time sa GrabBike nung 2016. May GrabBike pa noong panahon na ‘yon eh. Kalaunan, nag-resign na ako sa trabaho, at nag-full-time na ako sa Grab delivery, hanggang 2022, (I started doing GrabBike as a side hustle in 2016. There was originally a GrabBike then. Eventually, I decided to resign from my job and go full-time in delivering for Grab until 2022),” 38-year-old Gibo revealed.
It was during the course of his being a Grab delivery-partner, as well as right in the middle of the global health scare, when Gannaban met an entrepreneur who had an online food business, and who needed help for delivering her dishes to customers. Gannaban offered to service all her food deliveries—rain or shine—day in and day out. The two eventually established a healthy working relationship as they started sharing insights and their goals in life. Amidst his daily grind then, Gannaban dreamed of taking his livelihood a notch higher by being a GrabCar driver-partner.
Underestimating his positive impact on her boss, Gannaban sheepishly shared: “Nung na-open ko po kay ma’am ‘yung pangarap ko, siya na mismo ang nag-offer na sasagot muna ng kotse, basta bayaran ko sa kanya buwan-buwan. Sobrang natuwa po ako! Sabi po n’ya naging malaking tulong ako sa negosyo n’ya kaya kumita siya nang malaki kahit noong pandemic, kaya okay sa kanya na siya naman ang tumulong sa akin para kumita rin ako nang mas malaki. Doon ko po na-realize na kapag sincere kang tumutulong, babalik at babalik sa ‘yo ung biyaya (When I opened it up to ma’am, she offered to buy the vehicle for me, with the condition that I pay her monthly. I was overjoyed! She told me that I was a big help for her business, that’s why she still thrived even during the pandemic thus, she wanted to help earn more as well. I realized that if you sincerely help someone, blessings will have a way of returning to you).”
In 2022, Gannaban started driving his own GrabCar unit.
He admitted that with Grab, he has learned a lot, from how to appropriately treat every passenger and developing proper road courtesy, and obeying traffic rules, to being respectful not only to his fellow drivers but also to all commuters. Apart from that, Gannaban enjoyed the daily and monthly incentives he continually receives from Grab. “Natatantya ko pa ang kita ko sa araw-araw. Kapag quota na ako sa isang araw, puwede na akong umuwi sa pamilya ko,. . Dito wala akong boss at hawak ko pa ang oras ko (I can somehow estimate my income daily. If I feel I already reached my quota for the day, I go home to my family. Compared to those working in offices who are not allowed to go home early or report to work late. I don’t have a boss here, and I manage my own time),” he grinned.
Almost three years into being a GrabCar driver-partner, Gannaban proudly shared how he successfully put up a sari-sari store (small mom and pop store) for his wife Joanna, and how his earnings have helped him send his children to school, and secure their own house and lot in Naic, Cavite. “Nakakatuwa lang isipin na ngayon, kaya ko nang bilhin yung mga pangagailangan ng pamilya ko, pagkain namin sa araw-araw, mga gamit sa bahay na dati hindi ko naibibigay kahit nagtatrabaho naman ako noon. Kaya for life na po ako dito sa Grab. (I am happy knowing that I can now better provide for the needs of my family, our food daily, and some home furnishings, which I couldn’t seem to afford before despite having a job. I will stay with Grab for life),” he mused.
Blessed with an innately beautiful heart, there’s just no stopping Gannaban from inspiring and blessing others as he constantly shared his journey, helping people around him also reach their goals. “Mayroon po kaming samahan ng mga riders, lagi kong sinasabi sa kanila na sabayan nila ako sa aking mga pangarap para sabay din naming matupad ang mga pangarap na ito para sa aming pamilya. Hindi na kami bumabata, mas mabuting mayroon kaming mas maayos na kita, tulad sa Grab na subok na pang hanapbuhay. So far, sa 100 kami, 35 na miyembro ang nakumbinsi kong mag-GrabCar, at apat sa kanila ay nakapag-pundar na rin ng bahay, sama-sama kami doon sa Naic. (We have a motorcycle group, and I always remind them to have the same goals as mine, so we can reach our dreams for our families together. We’re not getting any younger and it’s better to have a stable income like this one from Grab, it’s a proven and tested livelihood. So far, out of 100 members, I have convinced 35 of them to join me as a GrabCar driver-partner, and four of them have also purchased their own houses in Naic),” Gannaban beamed.
Gannaban believes that the only way for blessings to multiply is to share it. Thus, he stands proud not only about what he has achieved for himself and his family but also because he has been instrumental in how his friends have likewise been blessed with the same abundance as he has. Looking back, he knew he had planted a seed of kindness somewhere, so he was blessed with a friend who helped him kickstart a better life. His journey doesn’t stop here, though, as he is spreading more kindness with the people around him, while continuously being a living testimony that, indeed, random acts of kindness go a long, long way.
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