Driver elicits Facebook likes for acts of kindness

THE ACTS of this 25-year-old GrabCar driver has caught the attention of the chief of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB).

Not for a traffic violation, but for the young driver’s philanthropic acts, which went viral on social media and earned praise from netizens after one of his passengers wrote about him on Facebook.

On Monday, no less than LTFRB Chair Winston Ginez “shared” the post of netizen Gelica Manuel Tulauan, who had written about her experience on Sunday evening as a passenger of Carlo Santiago Diaz of transportation network company (TNC) GrabCar.

Tulauan, who was on her way from Gateway Cubao to Tondo, Manila, said that while they were cruising on Pedro Gil Street on the way to Roxas Boulevard, Diaz suddenly stopped along a sidewalk.

She felt “paranoid” at first, but Tulauan later realized that Diaz had gotten off the vehicle to give a bag of food to a homeless old woman sleeping on the wet cement.

In their ensuing conversation, Tulauan learned that such charitable acts were routine for Diaz, his girlfriend and friends, such as when Diaz celebrated his birthday.

“He went on telling me how he and his friends would chip in money to buy and cook meals they would give out to homeless people on the streets. They also give used clothes and blankets, because as he said, that’s what they need especially now that it’s chilly at night,” Tulauan recalled, in her post.

“Everyday that you drive, you will see them at night sleeping on the sidewalk. Most of the time hungry, but they just sleep their hunger away. So we thought of doing this. So we can at least help fill their stomachs even for just one night,” Tulauan quoted Diaz as saying in Filipino.

An impressed Tulauan went on to quote Diaz as saying: “We thought, why should we wait for the government to do something, if we can do it ourselves?”

“These people belong to the current generation of Filipino youth, and look at what they’re doing: Making a quiet change one meal and one piece of used clothing at a time,” Tulauan mused. Expressing her gratitude to Diaz, Tulauan noted: “People like you restore my faith in the goodness of humankind, so continue doing what you’re doing.”

As of press time, Tulauan’s post has garnered more than 200,000 “shares,” more than 143,000 “likes” and more than a thousand positive comments—mostly for Diaz and his friends.

These include LTFRB chair Ginez, who likewise expressed his admiration for the 25-year-old driver from Mandaluyong City.

“The acts of kindness and mercy of Carlo Diaz and his group are truly admirable, especially now that we are celebrating the Jubilee Year of Mercy. It is clear proof that today’s youth are not only responsible in their chosen livelihood but socially conscious. We encourage other drivers of public utility vehicles to emulate Carlo’s kindness, especially to their own passengers,” Ginez said in a statement.

As Ginez shared Tulauan’s post on his own Facebook wall on Monday, the LTFRB chair noted that Diaz deserves the LTFRB’s Drayber ng Bayan Award.