A group of transport workers has raised the alarm over the possible layoffs of thousands of partner riders due to a proposal to ban homegrown motorcycle taxi service provider MOVE IT from the government's bike taxi study.
Members of the United Motorcycle Taxi Community or UMTC protested the recommendation of the House Committee on Metro Manila Development Chairperson and Manila Rep. Rolando Valeriano to exclude MOVE IT from the program.
The group argued that the move was an "unjustifiable threat" to the livelihood of some 6,500 riders.
"Why is Congressman Valeriano killing jobs? Life is hard. Everything is expensive. We have families we need to take care of. If Move It is shut down and we lose our jobs, how will we feed them?" UMTC representative Romeo Maglunsod lamented.
On the other hand, UMTC representative Jet Cruz appealed to legislators to provide riders with more job opportunities by opening up the motorcycle taxi industry instead of limiting the number of players in the country.
"Motorcycle taxi bills are pending in Congress that could open the doors to more job opportunities, and we urge House leaders to prioritize this instead of paying attention to recommendations that would rob people of jobs and employment opportunities," Cruz explained.
According to UMTC member Amor Cañete Pilor, both commuters and riders benefit when there are multiple players in the motorcycle taxi industry.
"Of course on our part, we want to work with a company that can give us better wages and better benefits," Pilor said.
MOVE IT is one of three companies legally authorized to participate in the government's pilot study that provides affordable, safe, and reliable transportation to thousands of daily commuters.
However, a 14-page report by Valeriano hinted that MOVE IT's operations may have to be halted due to recurring queries about its tie-up with the popular transport network vehicle service in 2022.
The report, which was furnished to Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, stated the TWG should "study and consider all allegations and issues about Grab, which now owns Move It, including those raised during the hearing, such as overcharging and shortchanging."
In a joint statement, Grab and MOVE IT reiterated that both the Philippine Competition Commission and the Department of Transportation found the transaction above board.
"MOVE IT is open to any scrutiny, as long as it is a level playing field, and Angkas and Joyride subject themselves to the same level of scrutiny and high standards. MOVE IT must not be singled out as this is anti-competitive and discriminatory," the statement read.