Angkas says sorry for alleged defiance, bullying amid possible blacklisting

Motorcycle ride-hailing firm Angkas on Wednesday apologized to the government for supposed "defiance" and "bullying" after authorities threatened to blacklist the company due to alleged violations of guidelines for the pilot study on motorcycle taxis.

"Ako po ang humihingi ng pasensiya sa nasabing defiance or bullying. We were just too passionate," Angkas chief transport advocate George Royeca said in a press conference in Quezon City.

On Tuesday, the Department of Transportation’s (DOTr) inter-agency Technical Working Group (TWG) said the Angkas could be blacklisted by the time that the motorcycle taxi operations are legalized due to its alleged violations.

According to the TWG, it found that Angkas was allegedly operating in Cagayan de Oro City and General Santos City, which are not included in areas identified by the government for pilot study.

The inter-agency body has identified Metro Manila and Metro Cebu as areas where motorcycle taxis can operate during the initial six-month and three-month extended pilot studies.

"We need to settle our differences," Royeca said.

"We are now working with the riders in Cagayan, GenSan," he said.

The TWG and Angkas have locked horns since the inter-agency body imposed an overall allotted cap of 39,000 registered bikers  to be shared equally among the pioneer and new players JoyRide and Move It.

Angkas has decried that around 17,000 riders out of 27,000 in its fleet will be disenfranchised with the TWG’s cap.

"I just like to reiterate that hindi ito away ni Angkas at ng government pero at the end of the day, the goal is to provide efficient transpo for Filipinos," Royeca said.

Last Dec. 18, 2019, the TWG extended the six-month pilot run of motorcycle ride-hailing operations for another three months, with the inclusion of the two new players.

The pilot run involving motorcycle taxi pioneer Angkas was previously scheduled to end on Dec. 26, 2019.

The extended pilot study runs from Dec. 23, 2019 to Mar. 23, 2020. —KG, GMA News