How drivers, families survive the two months quarantine

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

DAGUPAN CITY – Because of the two months quarantine by the government, motorized tricycle drivers and their families here have to stretch out their measly budget or stay with kin to physically survive.
 Hernan Cabunot, 26, said that the five thousand pesos he borrowed from a usurer he budgeted meticulously to buy foods for himself, his wife, and two small children from the duration of March 16 to May 15's  lock down this year. 
The two months quarantine ensued after President Rodrigo Duterte ordered it through the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF)  to avoid the contagion of the deadly pandemic Corona Virus Disease-19 (ConViD-19) to the people in Luzon. 
Major islands Visayas and Mindanao eventually were put under the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) by the IATF.

 This 171,271 populated (2015 Census) coastal city was cleared by the IATF from her classification as ECQ's area but the local government unit here still classified her as General Community Quarantine (GCQ).

EKE-OUT. A motorized trike driver in the Philippines ekes out for a living. Photo Credit: Philippine News Agency

 ECQ, according to IATF, refers to the implementation of temporary measures imposing stringent limitation on movement and transportation of people, strict regulation of operating industries, provision of food and essential services and heightened pressure of uniformed personnel to enforce community quarantine protocols.

GCQ refers to implementation of temporary measure limiting movement and transportation regulation of operating industries and presence of uniformed personnel to enforce community quarantine protocol.
“Iyong inutang ko nga binabudget ko na lang iyong para sa amin,” Cabunot told this writer in a telephone call.
He said beforer CoViD-19 spawned its deadly disease to people here and abroad  he earned a net of five hundred pesos daily.
Cabunot said he was not privy how other drivers survive the pandemic.
“Dito sa atin iyong iba nakakalabas pero ako hindi ako lumalabas kasi pumapasok din ang mga police dito e natatakot ako pero iba dito dirediretso sila bumabiyahi. Kanto kanto lang mula doon sa papasok dito tapos doon sa kabila doon sa palabas ng Malta doon sa bunga-nga”.

He said that since May 16, the start of the GCQ, he was back into ferrying passengers but business however was sluggish.
“Meron din kahit papaano nakakatulong din naman ako sa magdamagan. Bale puwede na rin iyang pambili bigas at ulam,” when asked how he eked out for a living..
He said the usurer who lent him in March 16 has not yet reported to work.
The lender lent through what he called colloquially as “5-6”  or twenty percent interest of the principal for sixty days and collect the part of the principal and interest every day.
“Hindi pa lumalabas siya. Baka maniningil iyan pag pumasada na lahat”.

 Manuel Rivera, 35, said that he did not ply his routes because he dreaded that his vehicle he rented will be impounded by the police if he would be caught during the two months ECQ.
He and his wife stayed with the latter siblings in Malabago, Calasiao town and piggy backed for the food they foraged in those trying times.
He returned to work here last May 16.
The downside however he has to settle for the intermittent number of passengers by picking up only one them for every trip as mandated by the new LGU’s ordinance here.
A passenger pays P10 for a short trip or those who are generous gave him P20 for each of them on that same length of the trip.
Rivera earned only P300 just like Cabunot who owned the vehicle. But he had to contend with the fifty pesos a day after he paid for the P100 for the gasoline of the tricycle and the P150 to the owner of the vehicle he called as “boundary”.
“Mahirap ngayon sir alas dos ng hapon wala ng tao sa palengke sa Galvan”.
What left him of the fares he saved to buy cheap fish like tilapia and a kilo of rice that cost almost P100 so he could add them with what the siblings of his wife provide on the dinning table.
“Pambili ng sira (viand) galunggong, tilapia iyong mura lang saliw (buy) ko”.
As of press time the CoViD-19 breakdown from the Philippine Daily Inquirer is 14, 035 confirmed cases, 3, 249 recovered and 868 deaths.
The IATF on May 16 eased some quarantine restrictions to allow more businesses to resume full operations.
Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said in a statement that the IATF issued Resolution No. 38, generally maintaining restrictions in areas under ECQ and GCQ but easing some prohibitions in areas under modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ).

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