Finally, things has reached a climax in the saga of the Motorcycle Taxi issue that has had every commuter in Metro Manila and Cebu on the verge of their seats. Today, during the congressional hearing January 22, 2020, things finally got settled and cleared after the opening session in the hearing held by Congress after their Executive Session which lasted around 30-45 minutes.
Here are the announcements made after the meeting that was announced to the media present by the Transport Committee headed by Rep. Edgar Mary Sarmiento, which held an executive session with the committee members, the government regulators, and the three motorcycle taxi companies. The blueprint for the agreement, however, was discussed during a meeting between the DOTr, TWG, LTFRB, and the motorcycle taxi players the previous day.
“Sinigurado naming ang resulta talaga ay para sa kabutihan ng mamamayan, mananakay, at doon po sa tatlong kumpanya na kasama sa pilot testing,” Sarmiento stressed. “By that, siguro nagawa na namin ang aming trabaho, at binigyan natin ng lunas ang mananakay. Wala na po ang paghinto, tuloy na po tayo. Sana’y aanyayahain ko na pumunta tayo sa harap, magkamayan po tayo, kasama ang miyembro ng Kamara to move this country forward,” he added.
“We are very grateful to Sec. Tugade and Rep. Sarmiento for mediating for the impasse settlement. I am happy that everyone is now involved in the test run and will be working together towards the same goal,” Angkas Chief Transport Advocate George Royeca said. “The agreement to continue the test run that Angkas and the two other players struck with the DOTr, the LTFRB, and the TWG is an important win for the Philippines, particularly for the commuters and the bikers of all three motorcycle taxi companies,” he added.
“I am thankful to everyone who have been with us in this continued journey — the government agencies and their respective heads, the senators and the congressmen who understood the situation and helped us arrive at a consensus, the civil society representatives who passionately stood their ground, the bikers who were behind us all the way, and the commuters and passengers who prayed with us for a peaceful resolution to all this,” Royeca noted.
“I would like to particularly thank the Senate Committee on Public Services, led by Committee Chair Sen. Grace Poe, with the support of Sen. Ralph Recto, Sen. Win Gatchalian, Sen. Imee Marcos, Sen. Joel Villanueva and the other senators who have been monitoring this issue from the beginning, for their acknowledgment of the importance of motorcycle taxis in mitigating our commuters’ daily struggles. And, of course, Sen. Bong Go for bringing the matter to the President and recommending the continuation of the pilot,” Royeca declared.
“This is democracy at work. Everybody stepped in, courts were involved, the secretary, the executive branch, General Gardiola, and the other players in the private sector. So now, everybody’s working hand in hand. I think this is a testament to the success of the democratic process. We’re very happy with the result,” Royeca declared. “Our focus right now is to continue working with the government to make the pilot a success,” he added.
In a nutshell, there now be 45,000 rider slots assigned to Metro Manila, 9,000 rider slots to Metro Cebu and 9,000 slots assigned to Cagayan De Oro. If any of the participating companies in the pilot run ( Angkas, Move It and Joyride) cannot fill in their allowed quota of riders, then the slots can be realigned to any of the other 2 players, which it seems is the case for Metro Manila with Move it, giving way to Angkas for 5,000 slots which brings Angkas to 20,000 slots in Metro Manila, Move It with 10,000 and Joyride with 15,000. With that the TWG also stressed that any company offering the same services that are not part of the pilot run will be apprehended.
In this regard, it’s safe to say that the Filipino commuters finally won the day. But this battle is not yet finished. At the end of the pilot run, recommendations and data are to be presented to Congress that will help them craft the pertinent laws needed to be able to manage the Motorcycle Taxi Industry effectively and safely for all concerned.
