ANGKAS says it is not against the entry of new players in the motorcycle ride-hailing market. All photos by YUMMIE DINGDING

Motorcycle ride-hailing group Angkas on Tuesday reiterated its opposition to the “disenfranchisement” of 17,000 of its riders in addressing points that had been raised by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB).

Angkas chief transport advocate George Royeca said the group’s main issue is that the 17,000 will lose their jobs and means to feed their respective families.

While the 17,000 bikers could move to Angkas’ two new competitors, Royeca said in a statement that “forcing them to do so is not only anti-competitive but is also morally wrong.”

“We all know that the two new players have already started onboarding their own riders so there is no guarantee that our 17,000 bikers — all tried, tested and trained and currently earning decent income — will be absorbed by them,” he said.

ANGKAS has taken to the streets to protest the culling of 17.000 riders.

On Monday, Senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go branded as “fake news” reports that he owns one of the two new competitors of Angkas, JoyRide.

The LTFRB ruling cutting down the number of Angkas riders had been slammed by its critics as making room for the two new companies, but is also seen as a way to spur competition.

In the four-wheeled, ride-hailing segment, the takeover of Uber by Grab Philippines had been seen as resulting to its virtual monopoly of the sector, increased fares and commuters being at the mercy of the company and its drivers.

Royeca said Angkas sees “merit to keep the status quo” as their riders already have a “proven track record for safety while still allowing other players to come in.”

“On top of that, there could also be some safety risks,” he warned, pointing out that Angkas spent the last three years to build the infrastructure to monitor and manage a sizeable fleet.

“With due respect to the two new players, more caution should be exercised in ramping up their fleet of bikers. That is the prudent thing to do,” he said.

“The claim that we just want a monopoly is also misleading for we have never complained about the entry of two new players,” the Angkas officer said.

He said they are merely questioning the manner by which the decisions were arrived at without utmost transparency.

Royeca noted that even many government agencies such as the Philippine National Police’s Highway Patrol Group, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority and Congress had been left in the dark on the LTFRB decisions.

IT’S about 17,000 Angkas riders losing their jobs without guarantee of being absorbed by the two new players.

“Even the Philippine Competition Commission and the business community know that there could be no monopoly when biker-partners and customers are free to choose their providers,” he said.

He characterized the ruling as riders of Angkas being forcibly removed through government regulation to “give unwaranted advantage to the other players.”

“What we aspire for is simple. Yes, include as many new players as you want but please remove the cap per provider and make it a pool where bikers are free to choose where they want to be accredited,” Royeca said in a statement.