No online booking for habal-habal—for now

The proposed joint venture between the Cebu City Government and online motorcycle-booking application Angkas is a no-go.

The Cebu City Council has defered the approval of the resolution that would have authorized Mayor Tomas Osmeña to enter and sign a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the management of Angkas for a joint venture project. The MOA aims to use the Angkas system in providing motorcycle services to the city’s constituents.

Councilor Pastor Alcover Jr. questioned the propriety of the resolution especially if it is similar to regulating motorcycle-for-hire (habal-habal), which was earlier declared as inappropriate.

Alcover earlier sponsored a resolution that would regulate habal-habal operation in the city. It was not endorsed by the Council’s committee on laws. The habal-habal, although widely accepted, is still considered illegal.

“Are we in the culture of agreeing to illegal activities?” Councilor Jocelyn Pesquera asked, voicing her objection to the resolution sponsored by Councilor Alvin Arcilla. She explained that before one can operate public transportation, he should have a franchise from the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board.

Under the proposed MOA, Angkas was supposed to develop and launch an application that will be exclusively used for the project. Angkas will maintain and operate the mobile application including its updates.