IN an informal livelihood activity, lorded over by men, Maricel Bautista, a 50-year-old widow, and Analyn Narra, a 38-year-old single parent, demonstrate that it takes more than brawn to beat the demands of padyak (pedicab) driving along the streets of Intramuros, Manila. To prevail, they must radiate innate conscientiousness in their jobs that, they say, enable them to earn the trust of commuters inside the Walled City.

Bautista and Narra are among the 120 residents of the five barangay (villages) in the Intramuros district that are recipients of the P1.9 million Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) project that will enhance the existing transport service of pedicab drivers, catering to local and foreign tourists as well as public riders.