They say it is the poor man’s taxi, they call it padyak, others call it pedicab, and we call it trisikad or sikad, it has the basic principle of having a three wheel and powered by human. Sikad is the mode of transportation wherever you go within the town of Cordova. For centuries, this has been visible in the town streets witnessing the changes of its landscape and progress. This human powered vehicle has been the partner of Cordovanhons in their daily lives, whether going to the public market or going to the schools or simply going to Day-as to witness the beautiful sunset and the view of Metro Cebu skyline.
The trisikad can be found everywhere in the country even in highly urbanized cities like Metro Manila but what makes the Cordova sikad different from others? While it may look comfortable, colorful, stable and safe as others do, Cordova sikad is powered by Cordovanhons who dreamed to have a better future. This people work hard to reach their goals and ambitions in life. They believed in their own selves to succeed and did not submit to other people to decide on what kind of future they wanted to have.
Noregim Goncer Degamo is a third year college student taking Bachelor in Teaching Secondary Education with majors in Biological Science. He comes from a family of six. His father died when he was still seven years old, his mother earns by picking sea cucumbers and selling it to the town’s public market. Their income is not sufficient to feed the whole family neither to sent one in college. However, Ronald never lost hope, when he reached on the sixth grade he applied for assistance and passed as a supported child by the ALLOUETTE FOUNDATION, a France based NGO who advocated child support especially to the indigent but deserving school children. On his first year in High School he took the Alternative Learning System examination. He passed and was accelerated to first year in college. He decided to get a degree in Teaching Education and enrolled in Cordova Public College. He never misses his classes and always participates in school activities, even in town. Just to earn money for food and his allowance, he drives trisikad going to school picking some passengers along the way at the same time he sells ice candy in campus, after his class he drives his three- wheeled service again bringing some students who wanted to go home. He often parks at the public market during the night waiting for passengers. He never quits, instead he is always positive that when he graduates, become a teacher and earned enough money, he will help his mother and his older siblings. He always believes that everyone should work so that God will help. According to him if people will not work for their future nothing will happen in their lives but the same as what it is and it will be forever. Noregim is just one of the many Cordovahanons who airs the same story. This hardworking young people in their trisikads are the symbol of hope for the town, an envy to other who has all the luxury but failed to neither help nor inspire others to succeed and make their home town proud.
Many foreign tourists were amazed with the ingenuity of Cordovanhons, their smile and brand of hospitality excelled and incomparable to others but one cannot over look when entering the town seeing many locals using their sikad not only for transporting people but also for their small businesses like selling bread, friend chicken, rice porridge, ripe bananas. Likewise, for enjoyment and past time on weekends they have a sikad race. They even accessorized their trisikads with colored cloths with authentic designs and speakers just to catch people’s attention. This might be very simple entrepreneurial acts but indeed this makes the towns economy more vibrant and with the help of this hardworking young people like Noregim who wants to be better and determined to reach their goals, everything is possible. Truly, the poor man’s taxi promises hope to Cordovanhons giving them smooth ride to progress.
No comments:
Post a Comment