George Royeca (right), co-founder and CEO of Angkas, is shown here at a December 2018 press conference. (INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO)
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine mass transport system must aim to achieve “inclusive mobility,” George Royeca, Angkas co-founder and chief executive officer, said in an interview on Monday on “Headstart,” a program at the ABS-CBN News Channel.
Royeca was answering a question by host Karen Davila about the future of Angkas and other transport services in light of the week-long transport strike that began on Monday, March 6.
“We need to provide options so that we have what you call inclusive mobility. We need to be able to give transportation options to everybody. People need different types, different modes of transport now,” Royeca said.
He acknowledged the importance of the jeepney modernization program, which is the subject of the transport strike. But he said it would have to be implemented properly to minimize the displacement of jobs.
He said that the government did show goodwill by extending the jeepney phaseout deadline to Dec. 31, but sound legislation is crucial.
“The legislation is important,” he said. “We really need to do that. We want to be able to minimize any type of displacement of jobs because, at the end of the day, that’s what our country is raring for. More jobs for everybody, for every Filipino.”
The Angkas CEO has been known to champion job creation and poverty alleviation by pushing for more livelihood opportunities for 18 million motorcycle riders and business mentorship for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).
To date, Royeca has provided over 30,000 jobs through Angkas.
Last Monday, the beginning of the week-long transport strike, Royeca assured the commuting public that Angkas would do its best to augment any transportation gaps as it is committed to providing a safe alternative transport.
Royeca said the company added about a thousand bikers and incentivized them to ensure they would be able to supply a surge in demand.
“I think we overprepared which is good. Towards the evening, the number of bikers normalized. There was still a little bit more demand, but it wasn’t as bad as what we would expect,” Royeca said.
The Angkas CEO reiterated that his fleet and the whole Angkas team would continue doing their best to get commuters safely to their destinations during the week-long strike.