#SulitDeals, Pero Lugi si Rider? Ilang Pagtatasa Ukol sa Lumalaking Gig Economy sa Pilipinas

Abstract

Existing digital delivery platforms such as Grab, FoodPanda, Angkas, and Lazada brought comfort and ensured speedy services to its users. While they offered innovative service solutions, a more incisive analysis shows that these platforms create more harm than good. Work structures and its overall value are diminishing, and delivery riders are not getting decent pay, proper support, and actual benefits even if they are the main service providers in these platforms. This paper intends to examine various studies on platform or gig economies, and collate and analyze the issues that directly affect delivery riders. These findings will serve as foundations to develop policy recommendations designed to significantly improve the conditions of delivery riders, alongside a critical review of Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Labor Advisory No. 14-21. To this end, the study is hinged on the pandemic manifesto “Democratizing Work” by Isabella Ferreras — gigworkers should not be seen differently from traditional conceptions of work. As such, policies intent on improving the gig economy should be geared towards social justice and securing the rights of Filipino workers.