By Lawrence Casiraya
INQUIRER.net

LIKE any “business” person, Mang Joel (full name Joel Gastorillo) thrives on having loyal clientele and trying to protect his turf.

I was able to persuade him to relax under the shade for an interview and he was kind enough to lend me a few precious minutes. In his line of work, every moment counts.

Each time a traffic light turns red is an opportunity to make a living.

He starts roaming Alabang-Zapote road as early as six o’clock in the morning and ends his day at about the same time in the evening. These days, he says, the biggest he earns in a day is P300, which entails a lot of running around chasing after motorists.

In between odd jobs, his primary source of living is selling cigarettes and candies on the street.

“Dalawang taon na ko nagbebenta. Minsan nakaka extra pero eto talaga ikinabubuhay ng pamilya ko. Dito na naming kinukuha pambili ng pagkain saka baon ng mga bata (I’ve been selling for two years now. Sometimes I get extra work but this is our main source of income, including allowances for our children),” he says.

I asked him what’s his secret so he could sell more and he tells me it all boils down to good vendor-customer relationships. Jeepney drivers are his biggest clients and he admits having to sell on credit sometimes (”Kala-kalahating kaha minsan (half a pack of cigarettes),” he says) to his patrons.

He also keeps to his side of the road, literally. Policemen, he says, are trying to limit the number of cigarette vendors to keep the road safe for motorists. Hence, he “shares” the road with another vendor but cannot sell to vehicles going the other way.

As he is about to get up and head for the road, I ask him if he himself is a smoker. He tells me, a bit jokingly: “Oo, pero bumibili na lang ako nun Mighty sa tindahan para makamura. (Yes I am but I just buy cheaper Mighty cigarettes at the store).”