SYMBOL OF LOVE Gregorio Laude, bless his heart, offers a stem of rose to his passenger. “I was thinking of ways to make the world better,” he says. —NIKKA VALENZUELA
Before dawn each day, Gregorio Laude goes to Dangwa, the flower market along Dimasalang Street in Sampaloc, Manila, to buy six to eight dozens of fresh roses of assorted colors. He then commutes to a Vito Cruz garage, rolls out his rented taxicab, and starts his shift in the traffic-plagued streets of Metro Manila.
The bunch of pink, white, orange and red roses is kept in a recycled plastic container next to the driver’s seat and is gone by the end of Laude’s shift.
The cab driver of 24 years happily hands out the blooms to passengers, tollbooth cashiers, fast-food crew and pedestrians he encounters in his long hours on the road.
Laude has been doing this since 2016, “whether or not there is an occasion.”
On Valentine’s Day last month, he handed over 100 roses to passengers. But to make the day extra special, he also brought along his wife’s 5-foot tall red teddy bear so passengers could hug and take a selfie with the stuffed toy.
Laude says the roses are a great conversation starter. Passengers often ask him the purpose of his gesture.
“I wanted to make people happy,” he said. “I was thinking of ways to make our world better. I could give [away] stuff like candies, but I figured I should give roses because it’s a symbol of beautiful things, like love.”
The 52-year-old cab driver notes that people’s faces light up when they get a rose. The passenger’s quick and happy change of mood is a sight to behold, he said.
Generosity
All of Laude’s passengers receive flowers. Men who are usually offered flowers are initially skeptical, asking if Laude is serious with his offer. Eventually, they take the rose and say that they will give it to their partners.
Laude once had a passenger who was celebrating his birthday. The driver gave him extra roses and sang him “Happy Birthday.” The passenger was so touched that he gave Laude a cake.
Such unexpected largesse is not uncommon, he said. An elderly passenger once gave him a chicken meal in return for the rose. Not that he expects anything in return, Laude said, but passengers often respond in kind to his generosity. So far he’s been offered crackers, sweets, water and even drive-thru fast-food meals.
Aside from offering roses, Laude distinguishes himself from most taxi drivers in other ways. For one, he doesn’t refuse passengers no matter their destination. Nor does he ask for extra fare for traffic-choked routes. He doesn’t use Waze either, as he has been navigating the metropolis for over two decades.
Laude’s gesture of offering roses isn’t limited to passengers either. When his cab is occupied and he sees commuters desperate for a ride, he stops and offers them roses instead. Even tollbooth cashiers get a rose whenever he passes the expressway.
“They are always standing and I know they are also tired,” he explained.
The affirmation works both ways. Laude recently put up a message board at the back of his seat so passengers can write their comments. The messages, which he reads after work, fill him with joy, he said.
Lately, he had to add more pages on the message board to accommodate the effusive testimonials that come from fellow Filipinos, foreigners and “balikbayans” expressing appreciation for his gesture.
‘Gift from God’
“After an exhausting day shopping, I felt better upon entering the cab. I hope we have more drivers like you,” one passenger wrote.
“Thank you for being a ray of sunshine to people who have personal troubles. You are a gift from God,” another note read.
“Thank you so much for the rose. This will always remind me that every kindness I receive I should pay it forward… Today has been most stressful; please continue to deliver bright days,” read another.
The messages relieve the tedium of driving, and more than make up for the diminished earnings of recent years, when there are fewer passengers because of the advent of ride-hailing apps, he said.
Giving back
Laude shells out P1,500 a day for boundary and another P1,500 for a full tank of fuel. For the roses, he pays P70 for two dozens on regular days, thanks to a flower vendor friend at Dangwa who gives him a discount. On holidays, when prices of flowers become exponential, he spends as much as P400 for the roses.
“It’s OK to shell out money as long as my passengers are happy,” he said. “Even when flowers are expensive, I really want to buy them because that is my ritual every time I drive.”
The roses may also be Laude’s way of giving back for all the blessings he has received. He teared up when he talked about his children who always welcome him home after a long day driving. Both kids are scholars, one studying to be a teacher, while another is in Grade 10.
But while he gives away roses to strangers, Laude always reserves a bouquet for his very supportive wife, Imelda.