Riding the habal-habal boom
Necessity, it has often been said, is the mother of invention. But which is the Philippine motorcycle taxi’s father: the inadequate public transport system or the poor enforcement of road laws?
A SunStar Philippines special report, which wraps up today, points out that the habal-habal used to be common only in mountain barangays beyond the reach of jeepneys and other public transportation. Now, however, they also serve urban areas, squeezing passengers through traffic-choked streets. But the risk habal-habal drivers and passengers face is serious.
In 2013, more than half (53 percent) of those killed in road accidents in the Philippines rode on motorcycles or tricycles. That was a much bigger group than those killed driving (14 percent) or riding four-wheeled cars and light vehicles (11 percent), the World Health Organization said in its report released in 2015.
That is partly a function of numbers. Registered motorcycles and tricycles outnumbered cars and other four-wheeled light vehicles by at least 1.24 million units in that year. (The Philippines, like Thailand, does not impose excise taxes on motorcycles. That, coupled with an increase in purchasing power, explains the dramatic increase in the number of motorcycles.)
But the high incidence of accidents among motorcycle riders is also a result of the failure to enforce consistently some basic rules like the helmet requirement and the prohibition against counter-flowing.
Most local governments have looked the other way, knowing that regulating the habal-habal could be a politically sensitive proposition. But the Cebu City Government is reportedly open to working with the Angkas motorcycle taxi service and building terminals for habal-habal units. This seems both a practical and constituent-friendly approach.
Without trains or other efficient mass transport on the immediate horizon, people will continue to ride these motorcycle taxis; officials might as well work with providers to make sure their drivers are well-trained and careful; their vehicles, safely maintained; and their rates, reasonable.
Yet this can only be a temporary fix. Communities, not just government officials, will need to keep pushing for a combination of solutions—including more investments in mass transport and better road design—to make our daily commutes safer.