87-Year-Old Man Who Walks Daily from Pasay to Makati Longing for a Bike Finally Gets One for Free

Here’s some good news if you’re exhausted from all the bad news going around social media these days. 

A bike shop owner decided to make an old man’s dream come true when she gave him a brand new bicycle for free.

In a post on Facebook, the Carbs Motor and Bicycle Parts Shop in Pasay City said the old man, later identified as 87-year-old Carlo Samonte, frequently stopped by the shop checking out the bicycles. Often he would visit the shop twice a day, once in the morning before going to work, and another time in the afternoon before going home.

Samonte told the bike shop owner that he is a candy seller in Makati City. He used to ride a tricycle, but now walks there from his house in Pasay City every day. Which explains his interest in the bicycle.

Last week, a mountain bike the old man really liked became available, but it cost P4,500. Samonte said he only had P2,000 and asked if he could buy it for that price. Every day he would come back for the bike and ask if he could buy it for less than it’s actual price.

On Wednesday (June 3), Samonte asked again, only this time, the shop owner, Fe Carandang finally said yes. And he didn’t even have to pay the P2,000.

“Regalo na namin yan sa ‘yo (Consider that a gift from us),” Carandang told Samonte, which was captured on video.

In a report in the Philippine Daily Inquirer, the Carandang family decided to give the bike to Samonte on Tuesday night.

“We decided to give it to him as a gift,” Don Carandang, Fe Carandang’s eldest son, told the Inquirer. Naawa rin kami sa matanda (We felt sorry for him). He was really persistent and hopeful to get the bike. When he returned on Wednesday morning, we were very happy that he came back.” 

The Carandangs also gave Samonte a bike lock and a helmet.

As of Wednesday night. The video has been shared over 133,000 times on Facebook and flooded with thoughtful and grateful comments from users.

Carbs Motor and Bike Shop has also been inundated with inquiries about bicycles. Unfortunately, the shop said they’re out of stock of mountain bikes at the moment.