CEBU, Philippines – At 11 am on Wednesday, April 15, the lines at the office of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) in Cebu City stretched all the way to the parking lot of Belmont Hardware Depot Cebu, a neighboring building behind the government office.

Most people in line were habal-habal (motorcycle taxi) drivers and their families waiting to get their voter registration certificates, a primary requirement for the cash aid being distributed by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in the provinces.

Rolando Bahelidad had already begun lining up to secure his voter’s registration certificate on Tuesday, April 14, but decided to go home due to the long line. He returned on Wednesday at around 7 am — waiting for his turn for up to four hours. 

According to those in line, the queue even reached Patria de Cebu on April 14, a kilometer away from the Comelec building. 

“Wa ko kaabot gahapon kay alas dose, tua paman [ang linya] sa pikas. Gutom naman kaayo. Ni uli nalang ko,” Bahelidad said. 

(I didn’t make it yesterday because by 12 noon, [the line] reached the other side. I was so hungry. I just went home)

In March, motorcycle taxi drivers in Cebu reported that their earnings had significantly decreased following the United States and Israel’s war on Iran that is causing massive price hikes. 

As a response, the national government began a series of cash aid distributions for the transport sector across the country.

Motorcycle taxi drivers have thus been securing identification documents even if it means standing in queues outside of government offices under the scorching summer heat and losing out on earnings by skipping work.

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Unlike Bahelidad, habal-habal driver Ernanei Billon decided to stay in the queue even it meant he only earned P100 that morning — barely half a day’s worth of work.

“Mu huwat nalang jud ko. Wala ko’y lain choice gyud og dili ko mu huwat, di ko ka kuha (I’ll just wait. I have no choice because if I don’t, I can’t receive anything),” Billon said. 

While details of the subsidy – such as the exact amount and the date of distribution – are yet to be confirmed, many drivers and family members have opted to line up in hopes of being included in the list of beneficiaries. 

Billon shared that he is not sure if he may even get the announced subsidy, but hopes to receive it in order to buy a sack of rice for his family. 

“Linya nalang, pamasin ba, kung naa man gyud gani [ayuda], pero wa pa man sad ko kadawat (I just have to line up in case there is, if there is any aid, but I haven’t received any),” said Billon. 

In addition to expenses on food, Bahelidad admitted that the rumored P3,000 to P5,000 subsidy they may receive will last long. The habal-habal driver currently earns an average of P300 per day.

“Di maabot usa ka adlaw [kung P3,000]. Ang magasto? Kadyut ra kaayo uy (The [P3,000] will barely last a day. The expenses? It’ll run out quickly),” Bahelidad said. – with reports from Gwyneth Antonio/Rappler.com

Gwyneth Antonio is a Cebu-based Rappler intern and a senior anthropology student at University of San Carlos.