Sei sulla pagina 1di 4

CNU-GDCE

Ethnography
Valenzuela, Rogeno Q.
Amante, Jenelyn B.
Bucog, Marie Claire C.

Tray-sikad

For our ethnography we chose to study the little community of traysikad


drivers whose life is centered just across the road where I am always passing for
school. For the purposes of this paper, I will call the location as the dan (referring
to a workplace) an I will also call the people from this article by other names so that
no one in any way can be offended or embarrassed. The main purpose of this
ethnography is to identify their own culture of the traysikad also known as the
sikad (foot pedaling) drivers.
As it is published by the OneCebu site, there is no specific origins of this
unique way of living traysikad. It was only known that it was used by some folks in
Tondo Manila as their means of living. The term traysikad has many equivalent
terms in some parts of the country. Pot-Pot in Samar because it uses a horn
sounded like a pot-pot as read by the locals. And padyak in the northern part of
the country (Luzon) which means to move by pedaling.
The dan in its abundance of traysikad drivers may sometimes reach the
temperature to almost 39 degrees of heat. This is where money is being provided by
the pasaheros (passengers)to meet the everyday consumption of the drivers. One
of the drivers said
ah bisag init kaayo dri sa dan ok ra. Wad-wad lang jud kai mao mani
among panginabuhi gud.
The dan is where people of different walks of life used to walk for a kilometer if not
in a wheel. There were also many establishments seen in a place which also attracts
by passers to stop by and may experience different services the place has rendered.
One of which is our traysikad. Just across the dan is a school where hundreds of
students are seen going in and out of the building. By its sides are restaurants and
food establishments where delectable delicacies are served.
My observation for these people and this place spanned over for almost a
month for I myself has been a part of this busy environment. One of these days I
pay close attention observing, studying, asking questions together with my group

mates. We have one the same reason of doing itto know and understand the
world they are in. The first thing that I took note of was about the drivers homein
which I ended up receiving a response like
taga dri kai arn dili na mi kinahanglan pa mobyahe ug layo para
motrabahodri mismo sa among lugar mi nagtrabaho
Somehow its a very reasonable one. Why go anyway if you can find a way to live
from where you are living. And as may be expected the job is only limited to the
number of traysikad to operate in a place. It might create chaos once the number
of sikad drivers may not be controlled, according to one of the sikad drivers Ive
asked.
The dan in a way may be considered a form of bureaucracy. Since there is a
division of labor, hierarchy of authority, and rules and regulations to all the drivers.
Pedro (not the real name) said that they are paying thirty pesos monthly to a Brgy.
Official in exchange of a permit to operate in the place. The official also
implemented rules for us to follow, he added.
While watching these sikad drivers for three straight hours, their
enthusiasm and interest to share their experience with us is incomparable. We felt
the warmth and empathy as if there is that long bond tied from among us. It is
obviously seen from their faces the satisfaction and happiness the simple
traysikad job gave them. However, if God permits they never had planned their
children becoming like them someday
mas nindut jud kung di lang sa pagpadyak makatrabaho akong
mga anakenough para sa akoa na makalampos ang akong mga anak
pinaagi ani
Filipinos, no matter how simple they are, always desire for a more comfortable,
decent job for children.
For this part of our study, we chose to interview also another traysikad
driver. A woman of age. We were surprised and amazed of her passion of the job.
She even told us she made it an income generating and at the same a health giving
practice. It helped her relieved from asthma that she had long suffered. Through

pedaling the traysikad, it gave her the stamina and endurance to hold back the
ailment, Maria (not her real name) said during the interview.
Every driver has his/her different beliefs and purposes of doing the sikad.
We even came to a point of knowing their techniques and rituals as they say, to
give good luck in their work with the human powered transit.
sa dili pako mutong-tong sa akoang traysikad kay dili jud nako
malimtan ang pagpanguros ug pag - amponagtuo ko nga naa
juy mugiya sa imuhang pagdrive ug feel nimo safe pud ka
While others even shared something that we didnt expect to hear
sauna nga lagyo among mga biyahe, amo jud padugoan ang
among sikad ug dugo sa kanding, aron dili maaberya dayon
pareho sa kanding nga dili dali magkasakit
These beliefs our folks have shared only proves that the Filipinos are really rich in its
culture and traditions they inherit from generation
Our next stop over another driver turned out to be fun and exciting. I could
see from his face the sweat of labor flowing down from his brown colored cheeks.
The smell surmounted due to his very physical, passionate labor. Behind all these,
the fashion and his style of capturing the interest of the people around is
astounding. He said that it might have been better if his sikad may have that
stereo just like the others. With paintings on its side, and some other ornaments of
arts.
For him, the simple sikad he rented for thirty to fifty pesos in a day is just
reasonable enough. Knowing that he can still save some after earning to an average
of three hundred to four hundred pesos in a day.
siete lang ang plete sa akong pasahero. Pero sa tibuok adlaw makaginansya
Gyud ko ug mga 300 to 400 pesos
No matter how simple life is, no matter how hard the labor would be, what is
important is you struggle and strive for survival. This, in a way becomes the
essence of living. To survive, we could think of the simplest ways yet decent
enough. We become more enterprising. Making use of something out of one thing.

Potrebbero piacerti anche