ILOILO City – Barkers have made an earnest appeal to the city government – do not deprive them of their livelihood.
“Maluoy man sila sa amon. Magutoman kami. Alang-alang man kami mang-agaw bag, mang-holdup (Have pity on us. We’ll go hungry. We don’t want to snatch bags or rob people),” said 31-year-old Jeffrey Gaylon of Barangay Bo. Obrero, Lapuz district.
During the administration of then mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog the city government gave barkers a livelihood assistance of P5,000 each. The goal was to keep them off the streets.
Drivers were then complaining of being harassed by barkers demanding payment for facilitating the boarding of jeepney passengers.
But the city government’s approach to the problem largely failed. Barkers never really left the streets and kept on challenging Regulation Ordinance No. 2014-194 that banned them.
Gaylon made good use of the city’s livelihood assistance although he did not stop plying this trade. He started a small business – hawking cigarettes and candies.
When he was able to save enough money, Gaylon bought a trisikad.
With perseverance and hard work, this barker for Lapuz district jeepneys on Valeria Street near Marymart mall was able to buy two more trisikads.
“Amu ‘ni nabulig sa akon sang gobyerno. Gamay nga kwarta napadako ko sa kaayuhan (The city government’s help wasn’t all for naught. I was able to make it grow through decent means),” said Gaylon.
He was quick to defend fellow barkers.
“Iban gani gahimo kalainan. Kami nagahimo sang insakto sa dalan (Others resort to crimes to make money. We barkers don’t),” said Gaylon.
Gaylon drives his trisikad from 1 a.m. to 7 a.m. After this he takes his post as barker on Valeria Street. It’s still good money, he said.
Gaylon said he could earn between P250 to P280 as barker / park attendant.
“Natipon ko na para kun maguba sikad may ikay-o ko (I save my earnings from barking. I use it whenever my trisikads need repair),” he said.
His two other trisikads were being manned by a younger brother and a cousin.
Gaylon welcomed the proposal of the city government’s Public Safety and Transportation Management Office (PSTMO) to legalize barking.
Barkers may be trained then accredited by the city government as dispatchers or parking attendants, according to PSTMO chief Jeck Conlu early last month.
But for this to be realized, the anti-barker ordinance must be amended.
Conlu later said he had scrapped the idea and would rather focus on “regularizing” parking attendants that are not covered by the anti-barker ordinance.
They are more in number compared to that of barkers, said Conlu.
Regulation Ordinance No. 2014-194 outlaws barkers – individuals who “call for, facilitate, induce or convince commuters to board a particular or preferred public utility vehicle such as a jeepney, taxi, van, and bus for the purpose of extracting an amount from the vehicle’s driver.”
Conlu said parking attendants could greatly help keep orderliness in parking areas.
“I-regulate naton ang parking attendants…they must have uniforms and identification cards,” said Conlu./PN
