US Ambassador MaryKay Carlson, entrepreneur Joey Concepcion, Angkas founder Angeline Tham, First Lady Liza Marcos, and Trade Secretary Alfredo Pascual.
MANILA, Philippines — Born in Singapore but dedicated her life to helping improve Filipinos’ everyday commute and providing livelihood opportunities to thousands of Filipino motorcycle riders, Angkas founder Angeline Tham was awarded as one of Go Negosyo’s Inspiring Filipina Entrepreneurs.
First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos led the awarding ceremony, Go Negosyo Founder Joey Concepcion, U.S. Ambassador MaryKay Carlson, and Trade Secretary Alfredo Pascual.
Tham received the special award for Public Transport Advocate for her invaluable contribution to innovation and technology by establishing the ride-hailing app Angkas and advocating for safety regulations for motorcycle taxis.
“Being recognized as a public transport advocate means that, you know, the work that we’ve done in Angkas for our bikers and commuters has really been tremendous. And being a woman supposedly in a man’s world, I just wanna tell women entrepreneurs out there: Do not let any stereotypes hold you down,” Tham said.
The Angkas Founder was also invited to speak at the Go Negosyo’s Women Entrepreneurship Summit 2023 wherein she discussed her journey in the male-dominated tech world.
Tham said the most important thing about being in tech is the openness to adapt quickly.
“I think what has helped me in tech is really knowing that whatever is relevant today and what I do today, may not be relevant tomorrow. So for me it’s always looking for a better way of doing something. I may be the boss but then there’s a guy who has a better idea than me. I’m open to listening to it and applying it to see what it looks like. I think that for me is the most important thing in tech. Things can change very quickly and you have to be open to adapt,” explained Tham.
Since Angkas’ inception in 2015, Tham, her husband, Angkas CEO, and Co-Founder George Royeca, have provided livelihood opportunities to more than 30,000 motorcycle riders.
The couple continues to advocate for motorcycle safety, partnering with government agencies such as Technical Education and Skills Development Authority. They developed a Basic Motorcycle Driving curriculum for those who want to use their motorcycles for business.
The five-day program provides formal training to motorcycle riders through actual demonstrations. It also includes pre-ride activities and monitoring and maintaining motorcycle performance–crucial to operating a motorcycle safely. After millions of rides, the homegrown Filipino motorcycle taxi firm says their accident rate is at .003%, less than one percent.
Tham and Royeca are hoping to extend the livelihood opportunities provided by Angkas to 18 million Filipino motorcycle riders in the country to help improve their lives.
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