Sidewalk barber sees opportunity amid Covid-19 pandemic

A 44-YEAROLD sidewalk barber plying his trade on foot in Manila has been gifted with new equipment after his story went viral on social media.

Every day, barring heavy rain, Joseph Dante, equipped with a pair of ordinary scissors and a broken motorcycle side-mirror, gives haircuts as he walks the 4.2km route from his home at Baseco compound, a former dockyard near Manila’s port which was turned into a squatter resettlement area in the 1970s, to Kalaw Avenue near Rizal Park in the capital’s entertainment district.

He charges 30 pesos (about RM2.50) for a haircut, which he does on the side of the road al fresco.

He wears a mask and gloves due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

“Some cannot afford to pay the full price but that’s okay,” said Dante, a high-school graduate who learnt haircut from his brother.

A construction worker, Dante lost his income after President Rodrigo Duterte imposed a lockdown in the entire main Luzon island in midMarch to stem the spread of the coronavirus.

At least 7.3 million Filipinos lost their jobs as the unemployment rate surged to a record high of 17.7% in April due to the economic slowdown triggered by the lockdown.

Dante said he relied on people’s generosity for financial or food aid while staying at home with no work with his wife Che-che.

On June 1, the government decided to ease the quarantine restrictions in Metro Manila and several provinces in the country in a bid to gradually restart the economy.

“At least we can now move more easily. Before, it was difficult to move around due to the many checkpoints set up by the government to ensure people stay at home,” he said. Dante, whose story was widely shared on social media, earned him sympathy and new equipment.

Dante’s story caught the attention of Marco Pascual, the president of a barbershop chain called Bruno’s Barbers.

The chain donated to Dante personal protective equipment and barbering tools, including a brand new scissor, razor and even alcohol.

“Someday, I’d like to set up my own barbershop,” he said.