Angkas gets 3-day TRO vs rider cap

MANILA, Philippines — The Mandaluyong City regional trial court has granted a three-day temporary restraining order (TRO) against a government policy that limits the number of Angkas riders in the ongoing motorcycle taxi pilot run.

In an order signed yesterday by acting Executive Judge Ofelia Calo in response to a class suit filed by Angkas riders, a 72-hour TRO was issued against the 10,000 cap in Metro Manila and 3,000 riders for Metro Cebu per company imposed by the technical working group (TWG) on motorcycle taxis.

The TRO restrained the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) and the Department of Transportation (DOTr) from implementing the revised guidelines on the motorcycle taxi pilot program, which limits the number of riders.

The court said the 17,000 accredited Angkas riders who were allowed to participate in the pilot implementation would suffer “grave irreparable injury as they stand to lose their jobs.”

“This proves that justice is on our side. We are only trying to make an honest living and helping commuters every day to get to their destinations fast and safe. Why should the government stop us? Why should our families go hungry? We are not doing anything wrong,” Rommel Villanueva, one of the riders who filed the petition, said in a statement.

In a social media post yesterday, the DOTr said it is determined to pursue the pilot implementation study of the motorcycle taxi service program to its conclusion and eventual recommendation to Congress amid ongoing “polemics and contestation.”

“The TWG, the body assigned to oversee the pilot study and develop the framework for the motorcycle taxi service, is fully committed to carry out this mandate, despite the many challenges and obstacles it is being confronted with,” the DOTr said.

“It is necessary that government, through the TWG, take direct action in ensuring proper regulation and implementation of this transport option, because the motorcycle taxi service is not just a ride-sharing business concept, but a transportation mode imbued with public interest,” it said.

The TWG said it would coordinate with the Office of the Solicitor General on what legal action to take next following the issuance of the TRO.

It said it has yet to receive the official copy of the TRO. 

“Whatever legal process we will have to go through, we, at the TWG, will always be guided by our respect and abeyance for due process of law. Our action and disposition will remain constant amid this new legal challenge,” it said in a statement. 

The TWG expressed confidence that it was on legal ground when it issued the guidelines for the motorcycle taxi service pilot implementation program.

It said the court that issued the TRO was the same court where Angkas obtained an injunction on the apprehension of its riders in 2018.

This decision was later reversed by the SC, authorizing the government to apprehend Angkas riders.

However, the government last year decided to initiate a six-month pilot run to study the viability of motorcycle taxis as a public transport.

The initial run ended in December but the TWG extended the pilot program for another three months but with new guidelines.

The new guidelines imposed a 10,000 cap for three participants to be engaged in the extended run, including new players JoyRide and Move It. – With Romina Cabrera