The Hidden Cost Behind Every Food Delivery

Enzo Verzosa

Six years have passed since the streets first fell silent due to the lockdown. Back when the roads were empty, the familiar rumble of motorcycle engines became the backdrop of every Filipino household. 

Food delivery kept the food industry alive during a time when almost everyone was trapped indoors. From simple couriers, delivery riders became venerated frontliners– the undisputed heroes of the road.

Fast forward to the present day, the country moves forward, but a crucial question remains for food delivery riders: are they still the kings of the road, or have they become victims of a system left behind?

Lifeline of the Roads

To understand where things stand today, let’s take a quick look back.

After the first COVID-19 local transmission in the Philippines, Former President Rodrigo Duterte declared a public health emergency in the country on March 8, 2020. A week later, the entire Luzon island was placed under “enhanced community quarantine” to contain the spread of the disease.

For the first time in modern history, the country experienced a total shutdown of public functions, forcing widespread workplace closures, job losses, and strict movement restrictions that kept people indoors. Yet faced with the basic necessity to eat, Filipinos found a solution on their screens: with just a few taps on an app, food was delivered straight to their doorsteps.

This sudden boom in the food delivery industry proved how a niche convenience can shift into an essential service. More than a convenience for household consumers, it threw a lifeline to an industry– and a national economy–fighting to survive.

Commercial companies noted that online food delivery drove a surge in e-commerce adoption, which helped buffer the Philippine economy against severe revenue losses during the pandemic. Popular courier Grab reported a 70% jump in net revenue in 2020, driven by great demand for its food delivery business.

Furthermore, research from 2021 outlined how food delivery enabled restaurants to navigate the “new normal” by allowing them to expand take-away operations while complying with health protocols and drive sales through online channels.

Above all, food delivery created new income pathways for workers displaced by the economic fallout. Local and national agencies worked to streamline policies that support and regulate this rapidly growing industry. 

In Quezon City, for instance, the local government launched “PandaTODA,” which repurposed 500 displaced tricycle drivers into food delivery couriers. Initiatives like this provided a financial safety net for vulnerable families during the pandemic, while at the same time institutionalizing delivery work across cities.

Despite this, food delivery riders were the ones who remained disadvantaged in the very system they sustained, bridging struggling restaurants and isolated households together while absorbing the risks themselves.

High Risks, Low Rewards

Creating jobs amid recession is one thing, but ensuring those jobs offer dignity, fair value, and adequate incomes is another. This is the test that the Philippine food delivery industry has yet to pass.

Exequiel Busa Jr. was one of the food delivery riders who bore these heavy burdens. For him, surviving on the road meant a grueling 14-hour shift– from 5 am to 7 pm– just to take home around ₱800 a day.

“Yung mga needs medyo nakukuha namin, nakukuha ko through sa work ko, pero yung mga wants malabo.” Busa said in an interview.

His income was barely enough to cover his family’s necessities, monthly house rent, and regular motorcycle maintenance and amortization. He also couldn’t miss a single shift because that meant forfeiting an entire day’s income due to the ‘no work, no pay’ policy of their company.

The average salary of delivery riders like Busa breaks down to roughly ₱57 an hour and sits below the minimum wage in the National Capital Region (NCR). This harsh reality pushed many riders to speak out and demand fair compensation and better working conditions.

In 2021, Foodpanda riders in Davao City organized a two-day silent protest, logging off from their apps to rest amid plummeting delivery rates. But instead of opening a dialogue, the company responded by sanctioning the couriers with 10-year suspensions.

Addressing the issue, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said that classifying food delivery riders as regular company employees remains premature. Categorized instead as independent contractors by their companies, couriers operate outside traditional labor standards, denying them essential protection like hazard pay, health insurance, and separation benefits.

The House of Representatives previously pushed for a congressional inquiry into the working conditions of food delivery riders to establish clear platform obligations and protect workers from arbitrary penalties. Despite these calls, no legislative action was reported after the proposed investigation.

Meanwhile, DOLE announced that riders would be covered by the Labor Code if an employer-employee existed; otherwise, their rights would depend mainly on their contracts with the platforms. This stance, however, reinforced the legal grey area surrounding gig work, leaving delivery riders vulnerable to exploitation and systemic precarity.

As life returned to the streets and food delivery became a permanent staple of daily life, the fundamental struggles of delivery riders never truly disappeared– they just took on a new face.

The Pandemic Ended but the Struggles Didn’t

Following the pandemic’s economic shock, food delivery emerged as one of the country’s most sought-after avenues for employment. Driven by low barriers to entry, flexible working hours, and the promise of daily earnings, third-party platforms absorbed a massive wave of the workforce.

When malls and restaurants resumed dine-in operations, delivery growth moderated relative to lockdown peaks, but order volumes continued to rise and platforms expanded rider opportunities as consumer trends evolved.

According to a study by the University of Asia and the Pacific in 2024, ride-hailing and delivery services like Grab serve as major economic drivers of the country, with every ₱1 spent on the platform generating ₱3.42 for the national economy. 

While this massive contribution makes platform delivery seem like a lucrative side hustle, the affluence generated at the macro level barely reaches the streets. In reality, delivery riders remain caught between persistent systemic problems, worsened by new ones arising today.

Taking advantage of the industry’s demand, companies shift financial and enterprise risks onto riders while controlling their earnings and work allocations. Delivery riders are reduced to acceptance rates and star ratings, forcing them to endure extreme fatigue and road hazards simply to earn a living. 

During extreme heatwaves, delivery riders plead with customers for patience amid order delays, urging them not to leave 1-star reviews that directly affect the performance ratings they rely on to protect their livelihoods . 

“Sana unawain niyo po pag na-de-delay ang mga delivery mula sa mga online delivery apps, hindi po sapat ang benepisyo namin para tugunan kung kami ay magka-heatstroke,” said Norman Portes of the Coalition of Union Courier and Shippers Services PH in a forum.

Even with seemingly high earnings during peak periods, the stark reality of low net income remains among delivery riders, frequently dropping sharply after fuel, maintenance, and platform fees are deducted. 

This problem persists as oil prices surges driven by Middle East conflicts have drastically inflated fuel expenses, shrinking delivery riders’ already fragile profit margins even further. Consequently, a food delivery rider group recently condemned the lack of government subsidy for platforms and called for a wealth tax on the rich to fund fuel relief.

Compounding these financial struggles, riders face daily physical risks such as robbery, fake orders, and violence on the road. Last year, a delivery rider was shot dead in Pasay during a street mugging while out on a food delivery.

These recurring safety threats among riders have drawn regulatory scrutiny. Recently, DOLE met with digital platform companies to push for stronger occupational safety measures for their workers, following another stabbing of a ride-hailing driver in Cavite that sparked public outrage online.

Yet until now, genuine security remains out of reach for riders who absorb the true cost of our convenience.

Securing the Future of Platform Work

It can be said that the food delivery system is one of the few lasting benefits the pandemic left us. Yet, until policy catches up with the realities of the gig economy, the essential workers who kept the nation moving during its darkest days will continue to pay the price for development without ever reaping its rewards.

It is long overdue to guarantee protection and fair value among platform workers, not as a reward for their service, but as a basic right owed to the human beings who keep communities moving. In doing so, we ensure that delivery riders no longer carry the cost of growth alone, but finally share in the progress they make.