Last March 22, my friend and I roamed the streets of Binondo in search of a cochero. She needed it for a project whereas I saw it as an opportunity to once again ride a calesa and have a Manila tour.
We met Mang Toto and his horse Petra. Although it has a name of a female, Petra is actually a male. I even joked with Mang Toto and told him he should have named the horse Pietro.
Mang Toto has been earning a living as a cochero since 1980. He used to earn P500 before but due to the increase in the number of tricycles in downtown Manila, at present he earns P300 on average. This daily earning is too small considering he sends to school six children, two of which are still in grade school. On lucky days though, he earns more when tourists abound.
His daily routine involves leaving the stables located in Caloocan City at 9:00 am. He travels for half an hour to get to Binondo. Once there, he waits for customers. At 12nn, he eats his lunch. Sometimes he has packed lunch with him and other times, he eats at an affordable carinderia. At 3pm, he takes his merienda break. He goes home at 5pm.
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| Mang Toto mixes Petra's food: palay husk, water, and sapal (soybean pulp) |
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| water with palay husk, clean water, and sapal |
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| Mang Toto feeds Petra. |
Curious about horseshoes, I asked him what he thinks about these. Is it painful for Petra? He answers no, and that the nails should come out to the other side of the hoof otherwise it can pierce the horse's flesh. How much does a horseshoe cost? P30 apiece without the nails. Does every foot have a horseshoe? No, only the front hooves have them. Does Petra eat carrots and sugarcubes? Mang Toto gives him honey instead, and says that Petra likes grass.
It was nice to know Mang Toto and Petra. I wish them all the best.
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