ANGKAS IN CDO. Angeline Tham, chief executive officer of motorcycle-hailing company Angkas, tells reporters on Thursday (Feb. 20, 2020) that they are ready to operate again in Cagayan de Oro City after their petition was approved by the Department of Transportation. Tham was in the city to pay a courtesy visit to Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board Regional Director Aminoden Guro. (PNA photo by Jigger J. Jerusalem)
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – Motorcycle-hailing company Angkas is set to operate here amid opposition from transport groups threatened by the firm’s imminent expansion in the city.
Angkas chief executive officer Angeline Tham said Thursday they have complied with the requirements set by the Department of Transportation’s technical working group (TWG).
The TWG recently issued a guideline allowing bike-hailing providers Angkas, JoyRide, and MoveIt to operate in three pilot areas in the country – Cagayan de Oro, Metro Manila, and Metro Cebu – as part of the government’s viability study that ends on March 23.
Aminoden Guro, Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) 10 (Northern Mindanao) director, said the TWG has approved 3,000 units, or a thousand per player, to operate in Cagayan de Oro City.
Guro said Angkas has submitted the documentary requirements to the TWG.
Tham, who visited the city, said their bikers are "compliant and they have registered with the LTFRB, so we’re looking forward to joining in the study."
She said the operation of Angkas is not a new concept since the “habal-habal” (motorcycles-for-hire) has been existing in some parts of Mindanao for decades.
“What we’re doing is not anything different. What we are trying to do is professionalize the ‘habal-habal’ industry to make things safer, more efficient, (and) provide training and insurance to the bikers and passengers,” she said.
In a separate interview, Guro said his office would allow Angkas to operate as soon as they have inspected the motorcycle units to be used to ferry passengers.
Meanwhile, Luzminda Lalaine Escobidal, chairperson of the PN Roa Canitoan Transport Cooperative, complained that Angkas' operation would affect the earnings of local public utility vehicle drivers and operators in the city.
“We are paying millions for our fleet. How will we be able to pay for our units? We have invested so much,” Escobidal said.
She said her group and three public utility transport organizations have petitioned the City Council, manifesting their opposition to Angkas’ operation in the city. (PNA)
