Drivers of Lalamove, a delivery company, staged a “Black Valentine’s Day Protest” on February 14 before the company’s office in PITX, Tambo, Paranaque City. They expressed grievances regarding the exploitative delivery rate (percentage they get per delivery), its policies and other unfair agreements between them and the company.

In a Manila Today report, drivers receive a minimum of only ₱49 per delivery, a far cry from the ₱80 per delivery they earned in 2016. Lalamove even deducts a 20% commission per delivery while individual drivers bear the maintenance cost of the units.

Lalamove Philippines has operations in Metro Manila, Southern Luzon, Cebu and Pampanga. The company was founded by its current owner Shing Chow Shing-yuk in Hong Kong in December 2013. According to company information, it has at least 700,000 drivers and 1,400 employees worldwide. It has operations in Asia and Latin America.

Labor groups in the country, and even abroad, have long demanded that drivers or “gig or platform workers” be recognized as employees of similar companies, and be employed as regular workers.