Angkas, the country's largest motorcycle taxi provider, is ramping efforts to provide in-house financing for less privileged rider partners.

The innovative ride-hailing service is devising a package through which motorcycle riders can own their vehicles and save for a home, ensuring the Filipino spirit of bayanihan is alive for inclusive socioeconomic progress.

George Royeca, Angkas founder and chief executive officer, told Daily Tribune that the firm would be widening access to loans to low-income workers to get motorcycles and earn a living with the application.

"Only a few have availed of our loans so far. They are less than a hundred, but we want to expand this," he said during the Asian Innovation Forum that Daily Tribune is holding from 8 to 10 December, along with the fourth edition of the highly successful annual "Tindahan ni Tarsee" at Ayala Malls-Manila Bay in Parañaque City.

The forum gathers company executives, government officials, and owners of micro, small and medium enterprises or MSMEs to share strategies for achieving financial security and providing goods and services to the public.

The assembly is being held with Tindahan ni Tarsee, a bazaar featuring MSMEs products that allow their owners to use public spaces and other support for market exposure less the fees. 

Royeca said Angkas loan amounts vary depending on the price of the motorcycle, which may range from P80,000 to P160,000.

He said Angkas links interested motorcycle riders with partner firms to ensure they can earn an income immediately.

"We started offering loans this year for small amounts. But we are partnering with other firms, such as banks and motorcycle dealerships, to provide bigger loans," Royeca said.

Multipurpose livelihood source

Angkas also offers financial aid to riders wanting to start a small business. "We also help riders put up a small business like a carinderia, paresan or sari-sari store," Royeca said.

Through these efforts, he said, the lives of at least 50,000 low-income workers will be uplifted.

"Angkas has provided jobs to 19.2 million motorcycle riders. Most of them, or 99 percent, belong to the low-income class and informal sector," Royeca said.

"We will continue to help the small workers, identifying the needs of their families," he added.

One of these is owning their homes, which Royeca said Angkas is helping drivers with through the firm's literacy campaign on the Pag-IBIG Fund and its continuous communication with the government.

"In Angkas, we advocate for the welfare of the informal workers or those who lack government requirements and benefits," he said.

"Probably for the first time in the history of public transport drivers, Angkas riders now have Pag-IBIG housing fund contributions. We promise them they can have their homes in five years," Royeca said.

He said Angkas' success has been driven by its focus on "talented and hardworking" Filipinos who strive to build a better future for themselves and their families.

"Because of technology, we can provide a livelihood to the less privileged. But technology is only a tool. The key to our success is our recognition of the basic needs of the informal workforce," he said.

The recent pandemic placed a big burden on informal workers and small businesses, while poor and rich families did not leave their homes, afraid of being exposed to the virus.

Royeca said Angkas filled the need to sustain households, shifting from a taxi service to a delivery service anchored on bayanihan, the Filipino character trait he promised to perpetuate through Angkas.

"The first thing we learned from the pandemic is the spirit of bayanihan or collaboration. Businesses, along with the government, were focused on helping the public," he said.

Royeca said, "Opportunities will further abound for the micro, small and medium enterprises through partnerships with firms with certain advocacies."

This Christmas season, he said, Angkas will continue to provide enough motorcycle taxis to the public to ensure that Filipinos can participate in the holiday festivities and keep their familial bonds.

"We expect our bikers to spend their vacations in the provinces like the general public. But we assure the public of enough drivers during the holidays. We're always prepared," he said.

According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, the jobless rate in October fell to 4.2 percent from 4.5 percent the month before, the lowest in 18 years.

National statistician Claire Dennis Mapa attributed the positive development to increased hiring by firms like Angkas in preparation for the Christmas season.