AGIG economy is a free market system in which temporary positions are common and organizations hire independent workers for short-term commitments. The term

“gig” is a slang word for a job that lasts a specified period of time. Traditionally, the term was used by musicians to define a performance engagement.

Yes, we are now looking at the upsurge of the gig economy. The younger generation seem to favor this form of employment where they can dictate the kind of work they do, the number of hours they wish to do this work, and to some extent, the amount they should get paid for this work.

But this kind of employment system, if we can call it that, is not new to the Philippines. Even before the advent of digital technology that spawned this gig economy, Filipinos have had their own version of it.

Take for example sari-sari (variety) store owners, or your ambulant vendors, and for the purpose of this piece, tricycle, taxi and jeepney drivers.

Filipinos have been doing this kind of “informal jobs” since I can remember. Maybe, an example are those rickety calesas pulled by a cow packed with bamboo-based products?

What happened is that technology finally caught up and now made these gigs a formal form of employment.

The biggest benefactor of this gig economy is the public transport sector.

Except for bus drivers (but many do perform their jobs only at peak hours), jeepney and tricycle drivers have always been gig employees. They go out and take passengers at specific times of the day and do other things on their “off hours.”

Of course, the system is quite tedious for these drivers because they do have to continuously ply their routes when they are on the road to get their passengers and their fares.

But with the advent of ride-hailing apps, this form of public transportation took a different tangent.

What used to be a difficult part of the day, commuting to and from work or school, has become so much easier and, if properly performed, convenient.

The first to be affected are the taxis when Uber and then Grab came into the picture. The convenience of simply tapping a phone screen and waiting your ride at the comfort of your home was heaven for many commuters.

But this was deemed only applicable for those who have a higher scale of pay.

However, technology and Filipino creativity being what it is, we suddenly find ourselves with motorcycle taxis. Tricycles cannot travel outside of the limited area they are to operate but with ride-hailing apps for motorcycles, Filipinos found a cheaper way to travel.

Pioneered by Angkas and joined by MoveIt and Joyride, the “lower salaried” employees of our society now had their version of mobile phone-based ride hailing apps.

Seventy-percent, more personal and faster than cars due to our traffic situation, motorcycle taxis have now become the “sakay ng masa” as one group of commuter advocates would put it.

The thing about this new gig, motorcycle riders on transport network vehicle service or TNVS do not have to be on the road all the time too. In fact, as MoveIt told us, their riders have the freedom to choose what time of day they want to work.

The system does not have a boundary, the biggest disservice public transport owners have levied on our drivers. It operates on a commission system where the ride hailing app charges a fixed amount for their mobile phone application services that riders use to book passengers.

Angkas said their riders usually hit the streets at 5 to 9 in the morning and 4 to 9 in the afternoon. MoveIt and Joyride say the same.

This means the riders also have time for their families and their personal activities even while earning an average of P1,000 a day.

This gig has now become a popular job for the younger generation, allowing them a revenue and also the free time they so demand.