Undergraduate thesis.

The study delves into the everyday realities of jeepney barkers. Through a qualitative exploration, the study captures their voices, examine the hardships they endure, the social stigma they face, and the determination they hold to support their families and communities. The findings aim to shed light on the dignity of informal work, and negative stereotypes. This study humanizes the role of jeepney barkers and emphasizes the need for their contributions to be acknowledged and respected in a more equitable urban society. The study employs a phenomenological approach and conducted semi-interviews with 6 jeepney barkers in Paranaque that includes their everyday experiences. This study has concluded a total of three themes; (1) Navigating precarity: The lived realities of jeepney barkers in Paranaque, why people work jeepney barkers in Paranaque, from socioeconomic counts to be personal motivation. (2) The invisible backbone of urban mobility, exploring their daily struggles, economic hardship, job-related stress, and social stigma. (3) Resilient social intelligence and resilience in building respectful relationships and managing the emotional demands of their work. The study challenges negative perception, highlights the dignity of informal labor, and calls for more inclusive urban policies that acknowledge and protect the rights and contributions of workers in the informal sector. By amplifying the voices of jeepney barkers, this research fosters empathy and opens space for meaningful discussion on labor,poverty, and human dignity in the context of urban mobility.