Habal-Habal Versus Angkas: A Critique of Disinformation

(Continued from previous article)

In Section 3 of House Bill No. 6909 by House Representative Raul Del Mar, he stated that “For the purpose of this Act, motorcycle-for-hire known as habal-habal or angkas shall denote any motorcycle that will carry passengers, goods and other small cargo for a fee as a common carrier…” Further, Mayor Tomas Osmeña strongly stated that he supports for the legalization of ANGKAS. According to him, “just because something is illegal doesn’t mean it’s wrong… it is wrong for ordinary hard-working people to be turned into criminals. If Angkas is illegal, then it should be made legal. The law should adjust to people’s needs.”

The pronouncements of Mayor Osmeña and Congressman del Mar gives the impression that Habal-Habal and ANGKAS are the same. In fact, it can be safely stated that nowhere in our local dialect we describe ANGKAS as Habal-Habal. The common understanding when someone mentioned Angkas is the CTA/TNVS for Motorcycle rather than the Motorcyle-Taxi. This is a dangerous thing to ponder because it gives ANGKAS as a trademark an undue advantage for free advertisement. We are a victim of Free-Ride Dilemma on this matter.

Hence, it is one of the roots in my opposition with the pronouncements of the City Mayor of Cebu and Congressman del Mar.

III. Mayor Tomas Osmeña is not the hero of habal-habal drivers but a promoter of Angkas business.

Considering the premises presented earlier, we can make the conclusion that Mayor Tomas Osmeña is not the hero Habal-Habal but for the promotion for ANGKAS as trademark of DBDYOC, Inc. in CTA/TNVS for Motorcycle.

In my honest opinion, while the Mayor Osmeña may give the defense of good faith by being mistaken to use the operative term “Angkas” for Habal-habal but it cannot absolve him due to the fact that in 2017 he implemented maximum tolerance not to apprehend thereof. This matter must be clarified for a lot of Cebuanos and our friends from the media did not consider the danger of lumping terminologies that could indirectly redound as an undue advantage for a certain corporation.

This is one of the moral obligations in media practice to properly avoid Free-Ride Dilemma for corporations that seek marketing comparative advantage. Thus, I am submitting this humble short critique for the clarifications of the issues surrounding between Habal-Habal and ANGKAS.

Jun Alcover Jr.

Councilor

Cebu City

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Not a member of GSIS Board of Trustees

This refers to the article entitled “In defense of Secretary Silvestre Bello III” in the column of Atty. Josephus Jimenez What Matters Most, which was published in The FREEMAN online on 13 January 2019.

We would like to correct an oversight in said article that referred to Secretary Silvestre Belo III of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) as a member of the GSIS Board of Trustees. Secretary Bello is not a member of the GSIS Board of Trustees. The current members of the GSIS Board of Trustees are Chairman Rolando Macasaet, Vice Chairman and GSIS President and General Manager Jesus Clint Aranas, Wilfredo Maldia, Atty. Carlo Antonio Almirante, Jocelyn de Guzman Cabrera, Lt. Gen. Alan Luga (AFP, Ret.), Dr. Kahar Macasayon, Al Hadj, Anthony Sasin, and Nina Ricci Ynares-Chiongbian.

Thank you for your time and attention, and hoping this rectification finds space in your paper for the benefit of your reading public

Very truly yours.

Margie A. Jorillo

Vice President

Government Service Insurance System