Life is rarely a easy voyage. It can all the time be peppered with irritating detours, difficult roadblocks, and surprising stops. However typically, if you cease pressuring your self and simply really belief the method, your desires—in no matter form or kind—will someway navigate their approach again to you. This explains the life story of Leopoldo, or “Boy,” who as soon as put his dream of changing into a seaman apart. A longtime GrabCar associate based mostly in Iloilo Metropolis, he has despatched his sons to good faculties. Now, he’s a content material father of a seafarer, proud that his son resides the life that he as soon as needed.
“Pagka-graduate ko sa maritime faculty, hindi na ako nagpunta sa Manila para mag-apply bilang seaman dahil magastos. Kahit matulog ako sa Luneta okay lang sana kaso magbabayad ako sa software, bibili pa ng pagkain sa araw-araw, pamasahe, wala akong ganoong funds panggastos. Wala rin akong kakilala o kamag-anak sa Manila, kaya kinalimutan ko na lang ang ambisyon kong maging seaman sana. Pero pleased ako dahil di man naabot yung gusto ko, a minimum of naigapang ko ang pag-aaral ng anak kong seaman na ngayon. Kaya parang natupad ko na rin ang pangarap ko (After I graduated from maritime faculty, I not pursued making use of in Manila. I may sleep in Luneta, that’s not an issue however I wanted to pay for the applying, purchase my meals each day, transportation, I didn’t have that funds. I didn’t have a buddy or relative in Manila, so I made a decision to forego my ambition to be a seaman. However I’m pleased as a result of though I didn’t obtain what I needed, I’ve despatched my son to highschool, and he’s a seaman now. So, someway, it’s like I’ve additionally achieved my dream),” Boy defined with a smile.
Boy began as a taxi driver in 1991, a time when taxis didn’t even have air-con, as he would recall. After 5 years, he resigned from the taxi firm and shifted to driving a passenger jeepney, following a preferred Jaro-CPU metropolis route. Nevertheless, he couldn’t stand the visitors, warmth, and dirt that got here along with his each day journeys, so he determined to return to being a taxi driver as soon as once more. When Seize was launched in Iloilo Metropolis in 2015, Boy—a hardworking driver on the taxi firm—was allowed to enroll his unit as a GrabTaxi. That is when his life took the proper flip as a result of since 2022, he already drives his personal GrabCar unit!
“Nakaipon ako ng pang-downpayment sa kotse dahil sa pagga-GrabTaxi ko. Kahit hulugan itong kotse kada buwan, subsequent yr matatapos na ako rito. Dahil sa GrabTaxi at ngayon sa GrabCar, nalipay gid ko nga wala na ako ga-boundary adlaw-adlaw kay might awto na ko (GrabTaxi has allowed me to saved sufficient cash for a downpayment for a automobile, and though I’m nonetheless paying this, I shall be performed with the month-to-month funds by subsequent yr. Due to my stints with GrabTaxi then, and GrabCar now, I’m so pleased to lastly say that I don’t do each day boundary anymore as a result of I’ve my very own automobile!” the 63-year-old Ilonggo driver gushed.
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Boy continues to be in disbelief about how a lot he’s now incomes from being a GrabCar associate. Other than buying his personal car via his laborious work and dedication, he was additionally in a position to ship his sons to highschool, and each are employed now—one in an equipment retail retailer and the opposite, a seafarer for a world tanker. Along with his earnings, he has additionally established a small sari-sari retailer enterprise for his spouse and purchased a parcel of land in Oton, a city that’s roughly a 15-minute drive from Iloilo Metropolis. Definitely, these are issues he can solely think about having then.
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“Malaki talaga ang tulong ng Seize para sa driver na tulad ko. Marami kaming incentives Bale maliban sa kita ko sa araw-araw, might further earnings pa agad ako month-to-month dahil sa dami ng incentives. Binibigyan pa kami ng further voucher sa Generika. Yun naman ay binibili ko ng upkeep kong gamot (Seize can be a huge assist for drivers like me. They provide a whole lot of incentives.So, other than my each day earnings, I nonetheless have a further earnings month-to-month due to the varied incentives. We’re even given vouchers for Generika drugstore, which I take advantage of to purchase my upkeep medicines),” he shared.
Because of this Boy treats his livelihood with further warning and care, treats his passengers with utmost respect, and maintains the cleanliness in his GrabCar unit. Whereas he grinds tirelessly, as he works from 7am till 7pm, he certain is aware of tips on how to follow work-life stability. “Walang coding dito sa Iloilo, so araw-araw ang biyahe ko. Kapag Linggo, naglalaba ako kaya ang byahe ko after lunch na, at tuwing umaga, sabay kami ng misis ko nag-a-almusal at nagkukuwentuhan. Tapos, araw-araw din, umuuwi ako para mananghalian sa bahay kasama asawa ko, mag-siesta nang saglit bago bumiyahe uli (There isn’t a color-coding for autos right here in Iloilo, so I get to work each day. Throughout Sundays, I do my laundry, so I often drive after lunch. Within the morning, my spouse and I discuss over breakfast, and I do go residence for lunch together with her daily, then nap, earlier than going again to work once more),” he defined.
For Boy, driving for Seize is greater than only a livelihood, it has turn out to be a lifestyle and being a part of a crew, as he proudly shared how he cherishes the camaraderie he and his fellow drivers have, and the way they help one another via powerful days. “Sila din ang mga kasama ko midday nung nasa GrabTaxi pa lang ako, at halos lahat kami might mga GrabCar items na rin. Naga-buligay kami diri, bisan sa mga recommendation kag encouragement (They’re the identical group I had once we had been nonetheless doing GrabTaxi, and virtually each certainly one of us have our personal GrabCar items now. We assist one another right here, even with recommendation and encouragement),” Boy smiled.
He’s trying ahead to buying one other unit as quickly as he can save up sufficient funds. He additionally sees himself being a GrabCar associate 5 or 10 years from now, or a minimum of whereas his lifetime will bless him with good well being: “Tani palawigon pa sang Ginuo ang kabuhi ko kay ma-Seize man ko gihapon hasta san-o nga masarangan ko (I hope the Lord will bless me with a protracted life as a result of I intend to work for Seize so long as I can do it),” he added. Boy is one proud GrabCar associate as a result of his livelihood offered him with the chance to offer for his household, purchase belongings and a property, and an opportunity to have his son relish the dream he as soon as wished to satisfy.
“Sang una, ginapangamuyuan ko lang nga makatapos ako mga bata sa pag-eskwela,” he shared, his face lit up with pleasure. “Pero sang nag-drive ako sa Seize, nalab-ot ko pa gid ang mas madamo pa nga handum (Earlier than, all I prayed for was to have my kids end faculty. However after I began driving for Seize, I achieved much more desires).”
So, for those who occur to e-book Boy’s GrabCar, or for those who see this acquainted face driving across the streets of the Metropolis of Love, please take a second to recollect how his humble life story has carried a torch for every of us to see deeply. He’s a residing reminder that life might hand us a whole lot of roadblocks alongside the best way, however these detours don’t imply dead-end; they’re redirections. They pave the best way to lovely locations we will solely dream of. And identical to him, all we’ve got to do is to simply belief the journey and embrace the journey.
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