A taxicab driver in Cebu City offers free ride on his birthday. Abdon Alcontin Verdida has done the generous act for seven years in a row.
Aside from marking his birthday, he said that the free ride serves as his offering to the Feast of the Señor Santo Niño.
Instead of receiving a birthday present, Verdida is the one giving away gifts on his birthday to his passengers.
Verdida celebrates his 59th birthday on January 12, 2026.
He spent the entire day ferrying passengers for free.
One of the passengers is Ann Aranton who shares in the reaction of other passengers: delighted but surprised that a person, like Verdida who cares about giving his time and resources for free, still exists.
In return, Verdida received from his passengers crisp praises and words of thanks.
Verdida announced his free-ride services through a tarpaulin posted on his taxi unit.
He is overwhelmed that he has fulfilled his vow to offer driving services for free on his birthday for seven years now.
Verdida’s generosity extends to giving away a certain sum from the extra P20 he would save daily for one year while he would gas up.
The cabbie is able to do the generous act for seven years in a row. Yet, he does not own the taxi unit. Rather, he is just renting the taxicab.
His family said that generosity is innate in Verdida.
He has a big heart, his family said.
Verdida may not have the riches that define a man of affluence, but he is wealthy at heart, and despite the odds, he thrives by keeping that kind of heart as he evokes in supplication: Viva, Pit Señor!
