Have you ever experienced being in a rush and there’s no jeepney going to your destination? Or being in a jeepney stuck in traffic for hours?

That’s an everyday scenario for commuters—students included—all over the country. It’s this chaotic scene that inspired one man to do something to help the students in his municipality in Bulacan.

It’s early in the morning and on the busy road of Sta. Maria, Bulacan, chef Roel Cruz’s white pickup truck is parked in front of his seafood restaurant. Attached to the back of the vehicle is a small tarpaulin sign: “Free Ride to BulSU. For students only. Departure 6:30 a.m.”

The sign is an open invitation for students of Bulacan State University (BulSU)-Main Campus in the City of Malolos to hop into his pickup truck for a free ride to school. BulSUans have been accepting the offer with gratitude.

Traveling to and from school consumes a lot of time for Cloei Garcia, a BulSU student who lives in Sta. Maria. “Kapag walang jeep, mga isang oras akong naghihintay pero naranasan ko na ’yung two hours na naghintay. Bukod pa ’yun sa biyahe. Kadalasan three hours ’yung both biyahe at paghihintay. Para ka na ring lumuwas [sa Maynila],” she said.

Each morning, four to five students get a ride from Cruz, saving time and money usually allotted for their fare.

“Minsan, para makapagpasaya tayo ng tao, hindi natin kailangan umisip ng mga [malalaking] bagay. Sometimes simple lang at nasa paligid lang natin. Even if you have a lot of resources but don’t know how to use it, it wouldn’t be enough,” said Cruz, who runs the restaurant Unlimited Crabs and Prawns by Chef Roel in Malolos, and who also studied at BulSU before taking up BS Hotel and Tourism Management at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, United States.

Humble beginnings

Cruz, who is from a fishing-dependent family, worked hard to achieve his dreams. He traces his humble beginnings to an islet in the coastal area of Malolos called Barangay Namayan. “Mangingisda muna ako noon. ’Yung mahuhuli kong isda, ’yun din ang ibebenta ko para magkabaon at makapasok sa eskwelahan,” Cruz said.

Money was so scarce he couldn’t even afford to ride public transportation to school. He frequently missed his classes but he made sure that his grades didn’t suffer. The young Roel excelled academically despite the obstacles in his life.

“Naranasan naming ’yung isang lata ng sardinas paghahatian namin ’yun sa buong maghapon. Kapag may konting kita, nagiging corned beef ’yun tapos lalagyan lang namin ng repolyo para kumasya,” Cruz said.

The road was rough for Cruz and life was a series of ups and downs, but after years of perseverance, he finished his studies.

Failure after failure taught him the greatest lesson of his life: to look back where he started. The seafood that gave his family a means of livelihood when he was young would give him his life’s greatest achievement too—his restaurant.

“We know exactly what to do with crabs and prawns, dahil ’yan ang kabuhayan namin dati. Iyan ang buhay at nagpaaral sa amin,” he said.

His restaurant offers unlimited crabs and prawns served with sukang paombong for less than a thousand pesos. He now has three branches in Sta. Maria, Malolos and Dau in Pampanga. Cruz is reaping the fruits of his labor and he is sharing his blessings with students by giving them free rides.

“Binigyan tayo ng Diyos ng mga biyaya, ibig sabihin kailangan nating gamitin ito para makapagpasaya ng iba,” he said.

Free ride

It was because of his restaurant business that he was able to buy his cars. And, Cruz said, his cars would be useless if he’s the only one riding them. When he saw students queuing in terminals to ride jeeps, he came up with his “Free Ride to BulSU” idea.

In the beginning, students were hesitant to accept the ride, unsure whether they could trust Cruz’s motives. So Cruz decided to post on a community Facebook page of Sta. Maria. A couple of weeks later, students started to ride with him.

Free rides aren’t the only thing Cruz has offered BulSUans. He helped two students finish their studies by supporting them financially. He also accepts students to work part-time in his restaurants so they could earn money for their studies. And he plans to build a culinary school to help those interested in cooking and restaurant management.

“Naranasan ko ang hirap ng pagiging estudyante. Ngayong nandito na ako sa kalalagyan ko, I need to share my blessings with others. Masarap sa pakiramdam na may napapangiti ka,” he said with a smile.

Cruz isn’t safe from hate on social media, though. Some netizens call him “rapist” or “kidnapper” and some say “tatakbo siguro ’yan sa eleksyon.” He shrugs it off, saying that he cannot please everybody. He said that if someone approached him and told him that what he is doing is unjust or wrong, he will stop.

“Sinisigurado kong safe ang mga sakay ko. Sa NLEx (North Luzon Expressway) kami dumadaan para maaga rin sila makarating sa school. Tapos sa loob ng school ko sila mismo binababa para alam kong safe sila,” he said.

Cruz said that as long as he knows that what he is doing will benefit others, he will continue to do it.

“Kung ano ’yung alam mong tama na makakatulong din sa iba, gawin mo. Kung paano ka makakatulong sa simpleng bagay, gawin mo. ’Yan ’yung magiging way para magkaroon tayo ng magandang community. That’s where you would find happiness,” he said.

At the end of the day, Cruz folds the tarpaulin sign attached to his pickup truck. Then he waits for the next morning to help students get to school again. —CONTRIBUTED