On a Thursday afternoon, just after the lunchtime rush, a pack of motorcycles pulled into a narrow alleyway in a Metro Manila city. Their riders parked their bikes in front of a makeshift rest area.

The space resembled a typical “tambayan.” Equipped with a wall fan, and a water and a charging station, it was enough for the weary riders to rest and recharge before the “merienda” and dinner orders trickled in.

A former security guard, a factory worker, and a barangay employee were all brought there together by an app. Every day, they crisscrossed the bustling city, waited at their designated spots in restaurants and cafes, and brought food to customers right at their doorstep.

Rico (not his real name) joined GrabFood in 2019. The platform gave him a way out of his rigid and gruelling job as a bank security guard. (GrabFood is one of the more popular food delivery services in the Philippines and among those offered by the superapp Grab.)

Melinda (also not her real name) joined the platform, which gave her the flexibility she needed as a mother of two aside from its promise of better pay.

Another rider, Lara, was doing OK with her job in a barangay, but she got enticed when Grab came in. The idea of not having a boss was undeniably appealing to her.

Having no boss, the freedom to choose working hours, and the promise of a higher income have drawn Rico, Melinda, Lara and many more Filipinos to the growing gig economy.

The term “gig” used to refer to a band’s performance typically scheduled after work hours or on a weekend. Now it has expanded to a wide variety of tasks, often done through digital platforms 24/7.

Gig work is driven by a confluence of several factors. Customers—those who can afford—increasingly want convenience and services on-demand. Workers are seeking alternatives from the traditional 9-to-5 job. Companies aim to cut costs.

Digital platforms have bridged all these needs. They capitalize on this trend by connecting merchants like restaurants and cafes to customers. In between are the so-called gig workers.

In the gig economy, workers carry out task-oriented and time-bound delivery services without signing long-term contracts. This allows them to choose when and where to work, making it an ideal side hustle for those with regular jobs.

From October 2023 to June 2024, the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) interviewed dozens of workers for this report. The benefits are indeed undeniable for riders and drivers who treat this kind of work as a sideline to earn extra income in their spare time. But for many Filipinos, gig work is not simply a “raket”—it has become their main source of income.

This is a big deal especially when unemployment and underemployment persist. But because tech-driven services have far outpaced existing rules and regulations, workers are often disadvantaged.

Food-delivery and ride-hailing workers in the Philippines, whose daily routine is dictated by an algorithm, struggle with uncertain pay, indebtedness, and the physical toll of chasing incentives.

The risks of gamification

Lara, the former barangay worker, earned more than P1,500 the day before she was interviewed by PCIJ. For the 22 deliveries she made that day, she earned P1,372, plus P200 in incentives for making a certain number of trips, and a P20 tip, for a total of P1,592.

The minimum daily wage in Metro Manila was P610 at the time. At first, it would seem that Lara earns a lot, but after all expenses—gas, food, maintenance, etc.—her take-home pay could be lower.

In cases where they do earn more than the minimum wage, the riders complain about the gruelling 12-15 hours they had to hurdle.

For customers, it might seem as simple as thinking about what we want for lunch, opening the app, searching for a restaurant, choosing from the menu, and in a few minutes, a rider will be assigned to get your food for you. But there’s a lot more going on behind the scenes than we realize.

At the heart of these apps are algorithms that suggest merchants to customers, assign riders and drivers to passengers, and compute fares and incentives. This innovation makes things efficient and convenient for everybody. But it’s also intended to make money.

Our research shows that platforms like GrabCar, GrabFood, MoveIT, Joyride, and Angkas implement various incentive schemes designed to encourage workers to complete more orders and bookings every day. These incentives are offered on top of their standard pay, functioning as “bonuses” awarded to workers who meet specific delivery or ride targets—much like a game.

And because companies can restructure or reduce fares or for example, more recently, deduct the senior citizen and person with disability discounts from the workers’ pay, many workers really go for the app’s incentive program.

The implications are potentially serious. It could pose health risks and occupational danger to the workers and by extension, customers.

These incentive programs may also discourage workers from “multi-homing” or the practice of working on different platforms, which further limits their flexibility and earning potential.

Out-of-town drivers

Arnold (not his real name) spent two decades as an overseas Filipino worker. Now, he drives a GrabCar. The car is owned by his sibling to whom he remits a P1,000 “boundary” (a quota fee) daily.

Arnold is from Batangas, a province south of Manila. To save on costs and complete as many trips as he can, he sleeps in his car and goes home to the province only during Wednesdays, his coding day. There are others like him who by now already know most of Metro Manila by heart and the places where they can park their car and not get towed, take a bath, and rest.

Arnold says he is looking for a place to rent. The problem however is finding parking space too.

“Kasi mahirap naman tutulog ka nang sarap na sarap ‘yung tulog mo. Hindi na sasakyan naman eh, iiwan mo lang kung saan, ah, hindi safe. Para hindi ka rin makatulog ng, ano, hindi kagaya dito, kahit na, dito na, tulog sa kalsada,” he said.

Because he practically lives in his car, he gets to drive whenever he can. Admittedly, sleep is far from comfortable.

Arnold is able to reach his target income, including the P1,000 boundary a day. Not all drivers own their vehicle. Many drive other people’s cars and remit a boundary at the end of the day. Another setup is called “boundary-hulog” where a driver pays both boundary and “hulog” for the car so they get to own it after a few years.

Silver, gold, platinum

With GrabCar, drivers can reach higher tiers—silver, gold, or platinum—based on the number of rides they complete. The higher the tier, the lower the “kaltas” or the commission Grab deducts from their earnings, with the standard rate being 21%.

A driver needs to make 450 rides a month to reach platinum, the highest tier; 400 for gold, and 250 for silver.

Food delivery has a similar incentive scheme. In rider parlance, they call it “butas.” On their phone screens, there are round icons that can be unlocked by earning gems. One ride earns 10 gems. The more rides they take, the more gems, the higher the incentive.

In 2019, the riders interviewed said they could easily earn P800 in incentives a day. But Grab has changed this scheme several times. The same number of rides would earn them a lower amount now.

Riders also try to reach a higher tier to earn other rewards such as insurance, which at the time of the interview, was provided to those who have gold and platinum status. Similar to GrabCar, workers first enter as members, and can then move up to the silver, gold, and platinum tier. To reach platinum, a rider must make 480 rides in one month.

“Mangyayari hindi ka na matutulog kasi isang buwan, 480 rides,” Rico said.

“Ako po sa personal, ilang beses ko po naranasan na tumatakbo po ako, minsan hindi, nakaidlip, nasa gutter na po ako,” Carlos said.

“Saka minsan, minsan nga, pag nagbibiyahe ko, naka-pikit lang ako yun,” Lara said.

“Pinipilit na bumiyahe para mahabol yung… target na incentives. Yung gems,” Rico said.

Now, the riders said this number is hard to reach especially if they serve an area outside the most busy cities like Makati, for instance.

Grab: ‘Safety first’; Joyride, Angkas: mum on issue

PCIJ reached out to Grab about the incentive program. We asked how the company ensures that the app’s algorithm does not cause harm or encourage behavior that might pose risks to its workers.

Grab said it has always prioritized passenger safety.

“… we have implemented several measures to safeguard our drivers and passengers. Our platform includes features that monitor driver activity and prompt breaks if prolonged driving hours are detected. Safety features are part of our commitment to preventing fatigue-related incidents,” Grab said in writing.

Grab also said that it “continuously assesses and evaluates the safety records of our drivers to ensure that only drivers with excellent driver safety records are allowed to service commuters.”

PCIJ also asked the company if it has tested these kinds of incentive programs and their potential impact on workers before implementing them. For instance, does the company track the number of hours workers spend on the road?

According to the response: “Our incentive programs are designed with the well-being of our driver-partners in mind. We regularly review and refine these programs to ensure they promote safe and sustainable driving practices. While specific operational details are confidential, we assure you that our policies are aligned with the industry’s best practices and regulatory requirements.”

Angkas had initially entertained our request for an interview but did not grant one eventually.

Joyride has not responded to a similar request as of press time.

Fairwork Philippines findings

A 2023 study published by Fairwork Philippines, a project led by the De La Salle University with the Ateneo de Manila University, University of the Philippines Diliman, and partners from the University of Oxford, reflects PCIJ’s findings.

The report evaluated Angkas, Borzo, GrabCar, Grab Food and Grab Express, FoodPanda, Joyride, Joyride Car, Lalamove, Maxim, and TokTok, and how these platforms meet the five principles of “fair work.”

The five principles of “fair work,” composed of fair pay, fair conditions, fair contracts, fair management and fair representation, were developed through an extensive literature review of published research on job quality and meetings at UNCTAD and the International Labor Organization and in-country meetings with local stakeholders.

The table below shows what each principle corresponds to. A platform is awarded a first point if evidence suggests that it does meet the condition. The second point under each principle can only be awarded if the first point for that principle has been awarded. If there is no verifiable evidence available that meets a given threshold, the platform is not awarded that point. A platform can score a maximum of 10 points.

Only GrabCar, Grab Express, GrabFood, Lalamove, and Angkas managed to earn points but even these are too few for the workers in these companies to be considered as receiving fair work.

While these platforms offer workers the opportunity to secure their families’ needs in the context of poor employment alternatives in the country, they face “multiple occupational health and safety risks” daily on the road, along with shortcomings in terms of basic safety protections from accidents, illnesses and death, the report found.

Similar to our research, Fairwork Philippines found that “(g)ig workers tend to stretch their working hours to secure more gigs to earn what they need to remain afloat amid fluctuant rates, opaque pay structures, rigid ratings, and increasing competition.”

In addition, the report emphasized that workers are compelled to do this not only as a “free” choice, but also due to unfair or predatory pay and incentive structures. “The lack of measures to protect workers’ safety heightens their vulnerability, and the absence of safety nets implies that any sudden inability to work redounds to livelihood insecurity,” the report said.

Inherent ‘asymmetries’

According to a Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) research, the problems encountered by the riders and drivers are caused by “asymmetries” inherent in many apps or platforms.

These asymmetries give rise to “structural inequalities,” where companies—like Grab, Angkas, Joyride, and FoodPanda—benefit the most. Followed by merchants—like our go-to restaurants and cafes—and then, us, the customers.

At the bottom would be workers, who also grapple with having the least information and understanding about how things work on the platform such as how fares are calculated, why they are getting pick-ups that are too far, how to contest low ratings, resolve disputes, address account suspension and termination.

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