MANILA, Philippines — On January 28, a video of an Uber driver quickly went viral after he was seen eating meal from a plastic bag while juggling his Uber driver duties.
Kier Hairrie Roman, who booked the ride through Uber after he attended a church service, took the video around 11:30 in the morning and posted it online on January 27.
The Uber driver was identified as Teofisto Torres.
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Roman wrote that they were about to reach his destination when he noticed Torres eating his lunch in a plastic bag when the car was not moving due to traffic jams. He then asked Torres to take a break and stop driving so he could finish his meal properly.
However, the driver refused the kind offer and explained that he had to rush to his next passenger's pick up.
"Sabi nya okay lang daw, kasi may naghihintay pa daw na rider after ko. Sobrang naawa ako sa kanya habang sinasabi niya [sa akin] na priority niya ang mga pasahero kahit pa putol-putol ang pagkain niya," the post stated.
(He said that there's another rider waiting after our trip. I felt sad when he told me that passengers are his priority.)
In an interview, Roman told Rappler that he felt the sincerity and dedication of the Uber driver to his work.
"Bilang isang manggagawa, alam ko ang pakiramdam ng gutom sa oras ng trabaho, at 'di mo magawang kumain dahil alam mong may mga taong naghihintay sa'yo at baka magalit kapag 'di mo nagawa ang trabaho mo sa takdang oras," he said.
(Being a worker like him, I know how it feels when you experience hunger during work, and you can't eat right away because you still have work to do)
Roman posted the video to inform the public that some drivers are still doing their job well and even willing to sacrifice their time just to serve commuters like him.
"Magsilbing leksyon sana sa mga ilang nakikita kong post sa Facebook na may mga ilang nagtataray at mga nagmamaltrato sa mga Uber drivers sa mga simpleng dahilan. Isa lamang pong patunay na may mga sinaksakripisyo din silang mga personal na bagay para lang makapaghatid ng ligtas sa pupuntahan ng mga riders nila."
(I hope this serves as a lesson to everyone in Facebook who keeps on treating drivers harshly. This is a proof that drivers also have their own sacrifices just to serve their passengers right)
Below are some comments made by netizens who found the post inspiring:
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As of posting, the post has garnered 69,000 reactions and has been shared 14,306 times. — Rappler.com