Jaime Mayor...honest "kutsero" of Luneta
Posted on Sunday, 27 December 2015
Jaime Mayor
…honest kutsero
of Luneta
By Apolinario B Villalobos
At dawn, from his humble home in Caloocan
He diligently pedals his way to Luneta
The same he does when he goes home at night
But all these he does with unpretentious
delight.
In Luneta, for years, he worked as kutsero
Guiding his tame horse, he fondly calls Rapido
Both of them braving the rain and searing
sun
Even
pangs of hunger as best as they can.
A typical Filipino, this guy - Jaime Mayor
For earning honestly, he could not ask for
more
With perpetual smile on his sun-burned face
He and Rapido,
in Luneta, strollers can’t miss.
One day, his honesty was put to a test
When a purse was left behind by a tourist
Whom he pursued just before she was gone
And who was amazed by such an honest man.
Tightly he was hugged and praised to
heavens
In a language that sounded strange to him
But just the same, these he took in stride
Though, his appreciation, he could not
hide.
He said, he is proud to be a Filipino
And proud that he lives in a beautiful
country
His modest knowledge of English, then…
Is always ended with –
“It’s more fun to be in the Philippines”!
(Jaime Mayor is a driver (kutsero) of a horse-driven rig (kalesa) in Luneta (Rizal Park) of
Manila. His average daily earning is Php200.00. This is carefully budgeted to
suffice for the needs of his wife and four children. One day he drove around
the park, four French ladies, one of whom left her purse in the back seat of
the rig. After finding it, he took time in looking for the group. The ladies
were surprised as they were not aware that one of them left her purse in the
rig. The amazed owner of the purse gave him a tight hug. On September 13, 2012,
the Rizal Park administration gave him a plaque of appreciation.
After three years, I finally met Jaime
Mayor. On December 27, 2015, a Sunday, while I was gathering materials for
blogging, I happened to talk to a rig driver if he knew Mr. Mayor. He
nonchalantly pointed to the rig that just passed by. I practically ran after
the rig up to its unloading station where he obliged some photo opportunities.
Mr. Mayor is among the rig drivers of
Castillan Carriage and Tour Sevices which is based at Fort Santiago. According
to Mr. Herson Magtalas, Checker/Operations Coordinator of the said agency, despite
the popularity of Mr. Mayor, he remained humble as the nationwide recognition
given him did not affect him a bit. He is still the same guy whom they knew –
unassuming, hardworking and a man of few words. Mr. Magtalas added that the
former Department of Tourism, Mr. Gordon gave him profuse praises, and the same
recognition was followed by other government officials. He was also given a
spot in a commercial, the earning from which helped his family a lot.)
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