Abstract

From 2014 to 2018, I travelled to the ten countries of ASEAN, and one of the things I learned is to accept a unified ASEAN heritage, including all of its cultural and political disparities. I remember the narratives from ordinary, marginalized people across the region, with whom I prefer interacting— transportation drivers, agricultural workers, fisherfolk, and other bluecollared workers—because I learn much from them. It’s a sentiment akin to that of Randy David, who, in his book, Understanding Philippine Society, Culture, and Politics (2016), highlights the value of cab drivers. Familiar with the geographical space and cognizant of their societyʼs surroundings (David 2016), drivers serve as gatekeepers to tourists and newcomers alike, the first to welcome, introduce, and converse with them.