‘Habal-habal’

Iagree with Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma about the need to be “kind” and “practical” in reviewing the ban vs. the operation of motorcycles-for-hire, specifically of Angkas and habal-habal. “I believe that it should be restudied and approached with a more humane heart,” Palma said.

Angkas is the attempt by some people to upgrade the operation of habal-habal into something more acceptable and safe. With the use of an online application akin to that of Grab and Uber for four-wheel vehicles and the rules that are put in place, like motorcycle drivers required to bring with them an extra helmet for the use of their passengers, Angkas is definitely an improvement over the habal-habal.

Of course, motorcycles are not the best vehicles for public transport especially on the matter of safety and comfort. But in a setup where mass transport is lacking and the number of public utility vehicles is limited, motorcycles serve a purpose. The same is true for, say, multicabs, tricycles and even trisikads. Multicabs, instead of the jeepneys, are the king now in the metro suburbs.

There was a time when government officials talked about the phaseout of the jeepneys and clamped down on the operation of habal-habal and trisikads, but nothing happened much because the setup in which the operations of these small vehicles thrived has remained.

That is why I don’t think those “beeps” or buses pretending to be jeepneys would succeed. The reason why public transport in the country can’t provide the comfort like those in rich countries is mainly because in our case the cost of operating public utility vehicles needs to be kept at the minimum to ensure return of investment. I expect the operation of those “beeps” to eventually end up like those of jeepneys: without the airconditioning units and other accessories.

The reason why motorcycles-for-hire proliferate is because of the easy availability of motorcycles, plus they are cheap. Almost anybody can buy a motorcycle or get this via installment and once you have it you can already earn from it either as Angkas or habal-habal driver.

In places where four-wheel vehicles are virtually non-existent, motorcycles are even rebuilt to accommodate more passengers and cargo. In Camotes, a platform made from wooden boards is placed on the rear seat to expand the seating capacity from only two to a maximum of four, even six. It was called “Skylab” because it became popular after the US space station Skylab crashed to the Earth after reentry in 1979.

The operation of the habal-habal used to be limited to the mountain barangays but in Cebu City, government officials got so lenient they allowed the habal-habal to operate even in the plains. Thus the sight of them soliciting rides from passengers standing on the sidewalks has become common. When the operation of Angkas was allowed, it was also common to see motorcycle drivers stopping on the side of the road and fiddling with their cell phones.

Since they are needed, why won’t Congress legalize their operation? If not, then find ways to improve our public transport setup.