One morning, you're ready to pay the jeepney fare, only to be surprised that you’re the one being “paid.”
In the bustling streets of Davao City, passengers of one jeepney were greeted with a rare and heartwarming surprise: free rides, courtesy of longtime jeepney driver Edwin Recososa.
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| Photo courtesy: Dave Recososa via State of the Nation |
His reason was simple yet deeply moving: gratitude for his son Dave’s success in the November 2025 Civil Engineer Licensure Examination (CELE).
“Libre lang po ang sakay ngayon bilang pasasalamat dahil pumasa po ang aking anak sa Board Exam bilang Civil Engineer,” the signboard said inside his jeepney.
For Edwin, who has spent nearly 35 years behind the wheel, this gesture was more than a celebration; it was the fulfillment of a promise.
He had long carried the dream of giving his son a life far better than what he had growing up. As a young man, Edwin once aspired to become an engineer himself, but financial struggles forced him to set that dream aside. Instead, he devoted his life to ensuring that his son would have the opportunities he never had.
According to Dave, interviewed on State of the Nation by GMA News, he never expected his father to mark his achievement so publicly.
Yet the celebration felt perfectly in character for a man who spent decades sacrificing quietly, day after day, for his family.
For Edwin, the “libre-sakay” day was a symbolic way of paying forward the blessings he felt, and honoring a dream finally realized through his son.
Passengers boarded with smiles, touched by the sincerity of the gesture. Some offered congratulations, others encouragement, all sharing in the joy of a father whose pride overflowed far beyond the boundaries of his jeepney route.
In the end, the free ride became more than an act of generosity, it became a reminder that parental love often travels the longest, hardest roads, just to see a child reach the destination they once only dreamed of.
Congratulations, Dave and kudos to Edwin, a father whose journey inspires everyone he carries along the way!
— Noel Ed Richards, The Summit Express