CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY -- The city council is likely to conduct a committee meeting with the Foodpanda management in Cagayan de Oro and its delivery riders to discuss various concerns raised by the latter.
Councilor Malvern Esparcia presented his special report containing various concerns of the delivery riders, who recently conducted a unity motorcade and silent protest to the company.
Esparcia said the group of delivery riders just wanted the company to reopen their hub in this city for them to raise their concerns and have personal responses directly from the Foodpanda management here.
“That’s the only thing they (riders) want. At least they can defend themselves if there’s termination, if there's a complaint. At least there’s someone and not just a robot, so that they don’t need to go to the app” Esparcia said in vernacular.
Chris Canizares, president of United Delivery Riders of the Philippines-CDO chapter, earlier said the Foodpanda hub, situated in Barangay Carmen here, has been closed since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Among their concerns, he said, were related to their daily earnings, healthcare insurance for delivery riders and other internal problems from the company such as glitches in the system – which can affect their daily earnings – and inappropriate suspension and termination.
However, councilor Jose Pepe Abbu, Jr. said that majority of the delivery riders’ concerns are corporate prerogative which the local government unit cannot impose on Foodpanda.
The only thing that the LGU can do, Abbu said, is to help and assist the delivery riders to bring their concerns to the said company.
“Maybe the prayer of the reporter (Esparcia) is that probably we can assist them (delivery riders) in asking the company to perhaps give these benefits and privileges to the delivery riders,” he added.
City council presiding officer Vice Mayor Jocelyn Rodriguez echoed Abbu’s comment, citing the LGU’s function as an overseer. However, she said the city government must provide help if it’s necessary.
“Even if they are under a corporation, for me, because our function is to determine whether they are safe and they are paid fairly,” Rodriguez said.
“Walay kaugalingon nga (They didn’t have their own) place. They will just sit somewhere sa daplin sa kadalanan (on the side of the street). I hope we can look into this matter because it’s not fair,” she added.
Meanwhile, councilor John Michael Seno expressed his gladness that the said topic was brought up as he also wanted to tackle the concerns of some Kagay-anons regarding the ‘unpleasant behavior’ of some of the Foodpanda delivery riders.
“Naka-receive pud ta nga usahay kining mga Foodpandas nato, pag magdeliver sila, naa kay ibayad, muingon sila nga wala koy sukli ana. Na dili nalang lugar suklian? (I also received that some of these Foodpanda , if they deliver, and the would pay, they would say they didn’t have change. So, we just don’t give the change?),’ Seno said.
Both Councilors Edgar Cabanlas and Joyleen Mercedes Balaba, on the other hand, commended all of the delivery riders for their dedication to service, especially during the height of the pandemic.
The issue has been now referred to the committees of public utilities; ways and means; trade and commerce; and labor and employment.
It can be recalled that the United Delivery Riders of the Philippines-CDO chapter, during the union's public launching at Brgy. Macasandig covered court on Jan. 30, had asked help from the city government regarding their concerns to the Foodpanda company.
The Manila Bulletin tried to reach out the management of the Foodpanda here using the contact information provided by Canizares but there was no response.
The said company also has yet to issue a statement on the issue.