Angkas protests 10,000-rider cap

MANILA, Philippines — At least 20,000 riders of motorcycle ride-hailing firm Angkas yesterday took to the streets to protest the transport regulator’s decision to limit its drivers from 27,000 to 10,000.

The government’s interagency technical working group (TWG), which is headed by Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) member Antonio Gardiola, has allowed two new players – Move It and JoyRide – to join the extended pilot testing of motorcycles as a mode of public transportation.

Gardiola said the move aims to ensure that the ride-hailing industry would not be monopolized by Angkas.

Angkas chief transport advocate George Royeca said the LTFRB’s move could affect over 17,000 riders aside from commuters.

Under the new policy, the pilot run would be extended for three months or until March next year.

While the guidelines put a 30,000 cap for the number of riders, the transport regulator mandated that it be divided equally among the three operators.

This means that Angkas’ current fleet of 27,000 riders would be trimmed down to 10,000.

“Thousands of Angkas drivers could be laid off,” Royeca said.

The interagency body said it reduced the number of Angkas riders to include drivers from Move It and JoyRide. 

Arnold Gonzaga, a rider for Angkas, lamented the decision of the LTFRB to cut the number of its drivers.

A father of two children aged 14 and nine, Gonzaga said he is relying on Angkas to support his family’s daily expenses. 

He said he usually takes home about P1,000 daily, depending on the surge of passengers.

Gonzaga said thousands of Angkas riders would lose their livelihood. 

Royeca hinted of possisble corruption in the “anti-competition” guidelines issued by the LTFRB.

 “I believe there are irregularities here,” Royeca told reporters.

The LTFRB said the exceeding number of drivers for Angkas could be absorbed by the other operators, but this was thumbed down by Royeca. 

“When you are forcing a driver to get out and reallocated to another, that is anti-competition. Yan ang ginagawa ng gobyerno,” he said.

Royeca said there is no rational behind this policy in deducting riders from one operator and then adding them to another. 

“We are already running safe. There’s no point to lower the cap to give way for other players,” he explained.

Angkas called on Congress to investigate the policy of the LTFRB.

He said the interagency body shut out the participation of Congress and other stakeholders.

“They want to rush these other players in three months? I say again, hindi po ito monopoliya, we welcome competition, but at the expense of the riding public, hindi po regulasyon ang ginagawa dito, corruption ang nangyayari,”Royeca told reporters.

“More than the timing, walang session ang Congress. Bakit merong secret meeting? Bakit nag-evaluate ang LTFRB mag-isa sa new players,” he added.

He said Angkas would comply with the ruling, but will exhaust legal remedies to defend their position.

Senators react

Senators cautioned the LTFRB about its decision to limit the number of Angkas drivers, saying it would lead to job losses.

Sen. Grace Poe, chairperson of the Senate committee on public services, welcomed the move of the TWG to extend the pilot testing of motorcycles as a “viable transportation option.”

“But then, we want to find out the standards and parameters used by the TWG. What’s the basis for the 30,000 biker cap for Metro Manila and 9,000 for Cebu, that will be divided equally among the three operators? What will happen to those who exceed the allocation of their company?” Poe said in a statement.

 She said the timing of the decision could mean dismal Christmas for Angkas drivers, and lack of rides for commuters.

Poe said she is supportive of the government’s efforts to find solutions to the worsening traffic congestion in Metro Manila, but the LTFRB should also take into consideration the welfare of the drivers.

 Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto said the move was “the saddest Christmas gift the government can give” to Angkas drivers.

“The gift of unemployment is the most heartless of all, the worst Christmas bonus, one that even Scrooge will not even dare think of,” he said.

 Recto said he supports to open the ride-hailing industry to competition.

“But this should not be at the expense of firing those already in the business, those who have invested their savings in motorcycles, those who have logged good safety records, those who have cultivated sukis who rely on them for their daily rides,” he said.

 Sen. Imee Marcos said the Department of Transportation is putting thousands of commuters in danger and motorcyle drivers out of work because it imposed guidelines without consultations from stakeholders. – With Paolo Romero, Ralph Edwin Villanueva