NAGA CITY?From morning to noon every day, ?cochero? (coachman) Alvino Nogales, 59, and his horse ?Castańo? would take commuters through the busy Abella Street in Naga City amid throngs of tricycles and other vehicles, which could barely remind Nogales of the time when ?calesas? (horse-drawn carriages) were the popular mode of transportation in the city.
?There used to be a lot of calesas in the city proper and in some parts of the city, including Sabang and Dayangdang [villages], but they have given way to tricycles and pedicabs over the years,? said Nogales. ?Now the number of calesas plying Abella Street has dwindled to just 15.?
Nogales started working as a ?cochero? in the early ?90s. During those times, he said, the horse-drawn carriages were still preferred by most passengers going from the city to the neighboring town of Camaligan, Camarines Sur.
?There were more than 30 [calesas] then,? he said.
?Most people now ride tricycles, especially during the busy hours, so we earn little when there are occasions, or when the flow of traffic is bad,? he said. ?But luckily there are still those who choose to ride calesa from time to time.?
Calesa riders
Dennis Abejo, 30, said he had chosen to ride the ?calesa,? especially when not rushing. ?I have been riding calesas since my high school days and, like my parents, I have been used to riding them.?
Cecile Ibardolaza, 54, said a ?calesa? ride was cheaper.
?The fare is only P3, half the fare for a tricycle ride,? she said. ?Since I commute every day, I get to save P3 every day.
Ever since she and her family transferred to Barangay San Roque in Camaligan town in the early ?90s, she had been taking a ?calesa? ride not only to save money but also to breathe fresh air.
?Riding it is like being in a hammock. That?s why some mothers would intentionally bring with them their tots when riding.?
Eminda San Miguel, 45, said she would always let friends from other places have ?calesa? rides when they come to visit her.
?They always enjoy it,? she said.
San Miguel added that she preferred ?calesa? rides because it was environment-friendly. ?Calesas do not emit smoke and other air pollutants.?
Nogales said that sometimes riders were just boarding his ?calesa? for pleasure.
?Some are riding just for the joy of sightseeing,? he said.
Bread and butter
Nogales said that he was able to send his children to school by being a ?cochero.?
?I would earn from P100 to P150 a day then save P25 a day for emergency purposes,? he said. ?Sometimes, when there are occasions such as parades, my ?calesa? would get rented for as low as P300 to be part of the [pageantry].
?Incidental expenses include feeds for the horse so I set aside P60 a day for hay and molasses. (Molasses from Peńafrancia Sugar Mill in neighboring Pili town sells at P14 per kilo at the Naga City Market.) I also buy lubricant for the calesa?s wheels. Lubricant costs about P30 now.?
He said the price of horseshoe also had risen to P34 from P21. ?That is why, I am also affected by the price increases, though the ?calesa? does not consume petroleum.
?I also have to take good care of my horse. I treat my horse like it is my child.?
Castańo had been limping for a month because of a bad knee.
?I am thinking of letting my horse rest and swim on the river every day for about a month as therapy for the bad knee.?
Hard life
Ironically, Nogales has also been limping his way out of hard life.
?Life is difficult, but I am not giving up,? he said.
He knew he had to work hard so his family would have enough, especially this coming Christmas Day.
?More important than a sumptuous table is my family.?
He said he could not rely always on other people, much more the government, during rough times.
Abella Street is the only thoroughfare in Naga City plied by ?calesas? regularly, although it is most of the time congested due to the large volume of tricycles and pedicabs using the same route.
Nogales, however, is assured of his stay as one of the remaining ?cocheros? in the city.
Naga City Mayor Jesse Robredo said the city?s ?calesas? had attained an iconic stature. ?They have come to symbolize the city and have been part of the city?s history that I am for maintaining their existence.?
