It's Me, Gracee: ANGKAS

Angkas Wins Hearts with Hilarious App Upgrade Announcement

ANGKAS Wednesday, March 13, 2024

Share |

Gov't, private sector, civil societies present fresh strategies vs COVID-19

ANGKAS Wednesday, August 05, 2020

Industries have to be agile if they are to find the balance between public health and safety and the revitalization of the economy. How to prioritize both lives and livelihood, especially in the light of the new MECQ, was tackled by leaders from the health, business, and academic sectors in the virtual business forum, “Can the Philippines Dance with COVID-19?”, held last August 5.

The speakers were Secretary Vince Dizon, National Action Plan Against COVID-19 Deputy Chief Implementer and Testing Czar; Department of Health (DOH) Undersecretary Rosette Vergeire; former DOH secretary Dr. Manuel “Manolet” Dayrit; Josephine Gotianun-Yap, CEO of the Filinvest Development Corporation; and University of the Philippines College of Public Health (UPCPH) Dean Dr. Vicente Belizario. Joining them in the panel discussion were Lars Wittig, European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ECCP) Vice President and Country Manager of Regus and Spaces, and George Royeca, Chief Transport Advocate of Angkas. Amor Maclang, Chairwoman of the ECCP’s Innovation Committee and communications technical advisor to the DOH, was panel moderator.

Secretary Dizon, the country’s designated testing czar, has dedicated himself tirelessly to TASK FORCE T3 (Test, Trace, Treat) over the past few months, the task force convened by the Inter-Agency Task Force – National Task Force (IATF-NTF) and the Department of Health (DOH). For his part, he described how the government fast-tracked in its response as the number of cases kept rising. While only a limited number of people were tested at the start of the outbreak, the capacity for testing has improved, as the labs increased from one to 96 in four months. “From 500 tests a day in March, we are now doing 35,000 tests today,” he said, “We are pushing to do more tests. We are [now] one of the countries who test the most in Asia and far outpacing the other countries in [the region].”

Secretary Dizon also pointed out that collaboration is critical to achieve more results. “We have to push more in places with high spreads like Calabarzon. It's all about execution and coming together. "Lahat tayo ay Pilipino at ngayon natin kailangang magsama-sama. Isaisantabi na natin ang iba't ibang kulay at di pagkakaunawaan. Kailangan ng pagtutulungan tulad ng nangyari kamakailan na nagbunga ng pagtaas ng ating testing capacity sa halip ng dalawang buwan. At kung tuluy-tuloy ang ating pagtutulungan, magiging epektibo ang laban natin sa Covid-19.”

Usec. Vergeire shared how the DOH is collaborating with the medical communities on increasing contact and recovery efforts in the barangay level during this MECQ. She said, “We will not wait for patients to go to us; we will go to them. [We will] check for symptoms, and if there are exposed people, do necessary interventions. Eventually once we sustain this, the LGUs will be more empowered.” The USEC also emphasized that “DOH is leading this response.”

Dr. Belizario pointed out that accurate communication with the public is needed “to lower the risk of COVID-19 to low, low levels so it doesn't pose a risk to a significant number of the population and to public areas. We need to train young people to become effective communicators for behavior change. It is not enough to put up posters and ads---we have to make sure that these materials result in behavior modification.”

Complementing communication is the use of data to track COVID-19’s status. He said, “Enhanced surveillance and response in the regions and provinces and capacity is built even in the periphery so we can act quickly in the collection and processing of data---and [provide them to] local and national authorities.”

Dr. Dayrit gave his insights on how to realistically reduce the number of cases: “Don't fixate on the total number of cases. A large proportion of them have already died or recovered. So what are the new cases occurring everyday? This is where we can intervene.”

Dr. Dayrit, a member of Task Force T3, also cited the importance of building capacity in various aspects throughout the entire medical supply chain, including testing, laboratories, isolation, contact tracing, and hospital beds. He emphasized, “We need to invest in and modernize our health system because we will face similar medical challenges in the future. Many of these facilities have been neglected over time. Now we're trying to get them to perform at a level to fight this virus. This is a chance to rise to the occasion.”

Playing a key role for her work in the T3 task force, Ms. Gotianun-Yap emphasizes the importance of data management in preventing the spread of COVID-19, seeing how it can protect industry employees, customers, business partners, and communities. Her company used the StaySafe app for “daily health reporting and app-based contact tracing. It's important for us to have a data system to track COVID-19.” She envisioned the building of a “data end-to-end system that can track Covid-19 and link hospitals and clinics. The public will be notified if they come into contact with a positive-tested person.”

Setting best practices for the private sector’s role in preventing transmission of COVID-19, Filinvest was also the first to install safety measures at the initial stages of the outbreak. To prevent infection through commuting, it provided shuttle services for employees. BPO tenants were also allowed to sleep in their office premises. Testing for the workforce, especially the frontliners, were regularly conducted. Mall operations were reinvented to encourage social distancing, and all of its premises, offices, outlets, stores, and other stores were frequently sanitized.

Mr. Wittig agreed that success in containing COVID-19 boils down to “a matter of execution and with the significant contribution of the private enterprise. We have [also] surpassed other countries in testing.” He also said that data-driven efforts like what Filinvest is doing “is helping everyone to see the face of the beast so we can act accordingly.”

Ms. Maclang mentioned how the return of MECQ illuminated the constant challenge posed by the disease: “We have to learn to live with COVID-19 possibly for a long while. If we need a little rest from the fight, then let's take this time to learn how to dance. We have to recalibrate our actions and improve what we are already doing to keep ourselves and our loved ones safe.”

Mr. Royeca pointed out the importance of individual responsibility to foster collaboration: “There are gaps in implementation, but it has to start with ourselves. When we go out, we wear masks, do social distancing, etc. The public needs to know they have a big responsibility. The private sector needs to know our role. Let's use this virus not to be divisive but to unify us. COVID-19 doesn’t care about differences so let's work together and try to solve it.”

Dancing with coronavirus may take a series of complicated steps, but it might be the only feasible approach to protect the lives of millions of Filipinos, while restoring their livelihoods. USec. Vergeire summed up the urgency of the situation, saying, “We have two weeks to recalibrate our responses and stop the spread of infection. The sacrifices of people during the MECQ should not be in vain. There is no more national or local, we are all in this together. If we can all collaborate, we can beat COVID-19.”

Share |

ANGKAS BACK ON THE ROAD: Royeca thanks Senate, Congress and DOTr

ANGKAS Friday, January 24, 2020

Angkas is back on the road as the House Transportation Committee announced Wednesday that an agreement has been reached between the DOTr, TWG, and the motorcycle taxi companies participating in the pilot run to continue the test run until March this year.

Aside from getting the green light to proceed with the test run, the riders cap was increased from 30,000 to 45,000 for Metro Manila.

Also included in the agreement was the inclusion of Cagayan de Oro as one of the areas covered by the pilot run which was originally limited to Metro Manila and Metro Cebu. Metro Cebu and CDO will have a riders cap of 9,000 each.

The announcement was made after the Transport Committee headed by Rep. Edgar Mary Sarmiento, held an executive session with the committee members, the government regulators, and the three motorcycle taxi companies. The blueprint for the agreement, however, was discussed during a meeting between the DOTr, TWG, LTFRB, and the motorcycle taxi players the previous day.

“Sinigurado naming ang resulta talaga ay para sa kabutihan ng mamamayan, mananakay, at doon po sa tatlong kumpanya na kasama sa pilot testing,” Sarmiento stressed. “By that, siguro nagawa na namin ang aming trabaho, at binigyan natin ng lunas ang mananakay. Wala na po ang paghinto, tuloy na po tayo. Sana’y aanyayahain ko na pumunta tayo sa harap, magkamayan po tayo, kasama ang miyembro ng Kamara to move this country forward,” he added.

Angkas Chief Transport Advocate George Royeca with

TWG Chairman Antonio Gardiola Jr.

“We are very grateful to Sec. Tugade and Rep. Sarmiento for mediating for the impasse settlement. I am happy that everyone is now involved in the test run and will be working together towards the same goal," Angkas Chief Transport Advocate George Royeca said. "The agreement to continue the test run that Angkas and the two other players struck with the DOTr, the LTFRB, and the TWG is an important win for the Philippines, particularly for the commuters and the bikers of all three motorcycle taxi companies,” he added.

“I am thankful to everyone who have been with us in this continued journey — the government agencies and their respective heads, the senators and the congressmen who understood the situation and helped us arrive at a consensus, the civil society representatives who passionately stood their ground, the bikers who were behind us all the way, and the commuters and passengers who prayed with us for a peaceful resolution to all this,” Royeca noted.

“I would like to particularly thank the Senate Committee on Public Services, led by Committee Chair Sen. Grace Poe, with the support of Sen. Ralph Recto, Sen. Win Gatchalian, Sen. Imee Marcos, Sen. Joel Villanueva and the other senators who have been monitoring this issue from the beginning, for their acknowledgment of the importance of motorcycle taxis in mitigating our commuters’ daily struggles. And, of course, Sen. Bong Go for bringing the matter to the President and recommending the continuation of the pilot,” Royeca declared.

"This is democracy at work. Everybody stepped in, courts were involved, the secretary, the executive branch, General Gardiola, and the other players in the private sector. So now, everybody's working hand in hand. I think this is a testament to the success of the democratic process. We're very happy with the result," Royeca declared. “Our focus right now is to continue working with the government to make the pilot a success,” he added.

TWG Chair Antonio Gardiola Jr. shared that there is also a new redistribution provision in relation to the riders cap. “Kung hindi kaya ng isang player to come up with the maximum number of riders, ibibgay sa ibang company na kaya,” he said.

"We are considering all sentiments that's why we came up with this. Even the blacklisting of Angkas is already a closed book," Gardiola stressed.

Share |

ANGKAS has committed to work with LTFRB to ensure success of motorcycle taxi pilot run

ANGKAS Friday, January 10, 2020

App-based motorcycle taxi service provider Angkas has committed to work with government regulators in ensuring the success of the motorcycle taxi pilot run.

In a press briefing, Angkas Chief Transport Advocate George Royeca said that they will continue to work with government regulators and not against them, even as he expressed his hope for the riders cap to be lifted so that everyone can proceed with the extended pilot run smoothly and without any hitches.

Angkas commends regulators

“First off, I would like to commend the government for seriously considering motorcycle taxis as an added transport option for Filipino commuters amid the ongoing traffic crisis,” Royeca stressed. “We are also hopeful that lawmakers will find merit in what we have been espousing all these months—that motorcycle taxis are crucial to addressing our countrymen’s mobility problems,” he added.

Royeca also clarified that they are not picking a fight with government regulators. “Right from start, we worked hard to be compliant with everything the LTFRB and the DOTR’s TWG had set in the first motorcycle taxi test run. For six whole months last year, there was never any problem,” Royeca noted.

“It must be noted that we complied with everything that the TWG asked us to do in the initial test run. We did a re-training of all our riders. We gave our riders safety vests based on the recommendation of the TWG. We are continuously complying to the best of our abilities with the new pilot guidelines,” Royeca revealed.

Not against competition

Royeca also emphasized that he was not against competition in the motorcycle taxi industry. ‘I would like to emphasize that even back then, I knew there will be new players as soon as motorcycle taxis become the subject of legislation and regulated,” he noted. “I have never aspired to establish a monopoly,” he stressed.

When word got out that the LTFRB will be extending the run with new players, Royeca was interviewed in the media and was reported to have said that he was totally fine with the inclusion of new players in the test run extension. “This means that people have begun to realize the importance of motorcycle taxis in helping our commuters beat the daily traffic,” he noted.

In a presentation he showed during the briefing Royeca reported that a total of 117,166 bikers have applied with Angkas. Of that number, 36,797 bikers were onboarded. However, only 26,478 were retrained and activated for the first pilot run and 10,378 were deactivated.

Three years to build a competent and safe bikers fleet

“It took us three years and dozens of safety training sessions and hundreds of hours of training to come up with a fleet of 27,000 competent bikers,” Royeca shared. “You cannot build a competent and safe biker network overnight,” he added.

Royeca also reported that in the three years since Angkas started, the Angkas app was downloaded three million times. In the course of the pilot run, they have recorded millions of rides. In terms of the service’s safety record, Angkas riders had only .003% accidents with zero fatalities.

Angkas also has in place an Emergency Response Team and Medical Accident Network with six Emergency Medical Responder (EMR)-trained full-time employees, 42 EMR-trained biker respondents, 12 on-call doctors, and eight affiliate hospitals. During the initial pilot run, the average response time recorded was 30 minutes.

Royeca also reported that Angkas has set aside an accident emergency fund to cover expenses above and beyond what’s provided by the private insurance. The company also ensures proper financial controls and standard operating procedures for quick fund disbursement for immediate patient assistance.

Investing in continuous safety training and support

“We have invested so much in continuous training – our trainors have been trained by a US firm that trains the US Marines and conducts motorcycle rider licensing and accreditation for the California and Pennsylvania State Department of Motor Vehicles. They have also undergone training with the Philippine National Police Highway Patrol Group (HPG), and we are continuously working on updating and improving further our trainings,” Royeca noted.

“Moreover, I believe a support system for our bikers is necessary after they’ve passed our screening in order for them to continuously provide excellent service to our customers,” Royeca added, stating that their system averages doing assistance to 360 riders per day.

In terms of training, Royeca reported that they have retrained over 20,000 bikers for the initial pilot run. They had a total of 50 field retraining activities with riders getting retrained practically every week.

For six months from July to December of 2019, the safety record of Angkas was reported as 99.997%. “We tried our utmost best to maintain a high safety record for the benefit of all our passengers. We are proud to say that our high service standards were maintained in the test run,” Royeca stressed.

When asked about their pricing scheme, Royeca said, “The reason for our dynamic pricing is essentially to be able to encourage more bikers on the road to meet the demand. But because it is not allowed in the pilot, we will comply. We just want to give a heads up that this may result in bikers going back to habal-habal and that there'd be substantially fewer Angkas bikers on the road.”

The riders cap: the real issue

“So, again, I would like to emphasize that our fight is with a particular provision and not with the government bodies. Our fight is with the riders cap—an unfair and anti-competitive provision that will effectively punish the majority of our riders who have been working hard for six months,” he noted.

“What we really want is to have the cap removed or increase the cap for all motorcycle taxi providers, not just Angkas, because the market is still terribly underserved and we need more bikers on the road,” Royeca emphasized.

“We will try our best to be compliant with government rules and regulations,’ Royeca declared. “And I would like to reinforce on public record that we have always and will continue to work with government regulators and not against them. But on the same breath, we ask for fairness, in consideration of all the hard work we have done to comply with government regulators since last year.”

Share |

ANGKAS BIKERS secured a 72-hour TRO AGAINST LTFRB and DOTr

ANGKAS Monday, January 06, 2020

The Angkas motorcycle riders who have recently been rendered jobless got an initial victory today.

Angkas bikers today successfully secured a 72-hour Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) against the new Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) policy limiting the number of Angkas bikers to 10,000 in Manila and 3,000 in Cebu.

Citing the grave and irreparable injury that these bikers stand to suffer and they extreme urgency of the situation, the Regional Trial Court ruled to grant the temporary restraining Order which restrains the LTFRB and the Department of Transportation (DOTr) from implementing the Revised Guidelines on the motorcycle taxi pilot program, which limits the number of bikers.

“A 72-hour Temporary Restraining Order is hereby issued upon posting of a bond in the amount of Three Hundred Thousand Pesos (P300,000.00), enjoining the respondents and/or any other person/s acting for or on their behalf, from implementing the Revised General Guidelines for the Pilot Implementation of Motorcycle Taxis insofar as it puts a cap on the number of bikers that Angkas is entitled to and from performing any act that limits and impairs their rights to deal with an continue with their contracts with Angkas,” the Order states.

“This proves that justice is on our side. We are only trying to make an honest living and helping commuters every day to get to their destinations fast and safe,” said Rommel Villanueva, one of the bikers who filed the Petition. “Why should the government stop us? Why should our families go hungry? We are not doing anything wrong,” he added.

It may be recalled that the Technical Working Group of the LTFRB which was overseeing the implementation of the pilot program for motorcyle taxis issued on December 19 the Revised Guidelines practically slashing the number of the 27,000 existing Angkas bikers to 10,000 in Metro Manila. This was met with uproar by netizens and commuters who have come to rely on Angkas for their daily commute.

The Angkas bikers, for their part, lost no time in filing a Petition for Injunction with the Regional Trial Court today and asked for a 72-hour TRO.

Share |

ANGKAS is part of the 2020 Corporate Governance Conference together with Dr. David Hanson and Sophia

2020 Corporate Governance Conference Friday, December 06, 2019

Angkas, technology innovator and pioneer in app-based motorcycle taxi services, will join the 2020 Corporate Governance Conference (CGGON) to discuss their advocacy of using technology not just as a solution to ease the burden of heavy traffic and congestion but as a tool for good governance and compliance with safety standards and regulations.

The CGCON, which will be held in March 2020 at the Sofitel Philippine Plaza in Pasay City was organized by the Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD) and will have the theme “How T.R.A.F.F.I.C. Creates Sustainable Businesses.”

The conference introduces T.R.A.F.F.I.C., short for Transparency, Responsibility, Accountability, Fairness, Foresight, Innovation, Culture, as a business mindset for companies in achieving sustainability.

“We have always championed the use of technology to make commuting easier for Filipinos, especially with the challenging traffic situation here in the country,” Angkas CEO Angeline Tham said during a press briefing. “Through our discussion at CGCON, we hope to give a better picture of how technology has worked for us both in serving the Filipino commuters and in ensuring good governance and compliance to safety rules and regulations among our biker-partners," Tham added.

"I personally would like to emphasize that startups--particularly those oriented towards high technology--should always bear in mind that their concern should not be so much about their bottom line but about their impact to society," Tham noted.

"In Angkas, for instance, we have also always advocated safe and affordable transportation while complying with the strictest safety standards and regulations. This is the crux of our work and what we believe is our role in society," Tham maintained. "The safety of our bikers and commuters are of the utmost importance, and we will share how we have worked hard to comply with the highest safety standards and regulations.”

George Royeca, Spokesperson of Angkas

The conference will feature notable thought leaders who will participate in a dialogue that aims to break the unconscious bias between emerging technology companies and disruptors, and the practice of good corporate governance. It aims to imbibe T.R.A.F.F.I.C. as a mindset for businesses to succeed in long-term value creation for the benefit of all stakeholders.

CGCON 2020 will have an audience consisting of board chairs and directors, CEOs, CFOs, compliance officers, senior executives and managers, policy makers and regulators, institutional investors, and academics.

It plans to discuss the answer to the question on how principles of Transparency, Responsibility, Accountability, Fairness, Foresight, Innovation, and Culture (T.R.A.F.F.I.C) create sustainable businesses in the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (FIRe). It also has the goal of promoting stakeholder approach towards long-term value creation among companies that thrive in the various aspects of FIRe.

Dr. David Hanson and Sophia

CGCON 2020 will also feature global thought leader and acclaimed American roboticist Dr. David Hanson, founder and CEO of Hanson Robotics. He will be bringing his AI creation, Sophia, the world’s first robot citizen and the first robot Innovation Ambassador for the United Nations Development Programme.

Dr. Hanson will be delivering a keynote entitled "Revolutionizing Boardroom Dynamics," which will touch on how artificial intelligence and robotics are changing the way information impacts the boardroom.

As part of the program, Tham will also be speaking with Sophia on the topic, “The Future is Here.” Guests will also have the chance of interacting with Sophia as they can have selfies taken with her after the talk.

Other topics that will be discussed in the conference are: how IoT is enhancing the workplace environment, transparency, and efficiency; the ethical implications of technological advancement to the business ecosystem; and why T.R.A.F.F.I.C. is important and how it creates value for investors and stakeholders respectively.

Share |

ANGKAS joins 'FINTECH April Mixer' Forum as E-Commerce Advisor

ANGKAS Monday, April 29, 2019

Angkas, the very first app-based motorcycle ride-hailing service in the Philippines, has joined the Fintech Philippines Association (FPh) as advisor to the board of trustees. This was announced in the April edition of FPh’s monthly forum held recently at The Ark in Makati City.

Opening remarks from the new Chairman of Fintech Philippines,

Mr. Tito Ortiz

Dubbed the “Fintech April Mixer,” the forum saw major players in financial technology and related industries coming together to discuss the role of transport and logistics in the rising e-commerce industry as well as issues related to water technology and social enterprises.

George Royeca, Head of Regulatory and Public Affairs of Angkas, the ride-hailing app that changed the way people think about public transport in the Philippines, led the panelists in the discussion of their vision of a more financially inclusive country where smaller entrepreneurs can use their platform to scale up their businesses.

“Fintech and e-commerce are largely interdependent because fintech provides online payment platforms that allow e-commerce to thrive,” Royeca notes. “Without fintech and payment innovations, global e-commerce will not grow as much as it did in recent years,” he adds.

“The teching up of small e-commerce players in the country is something that we in Angkas, in our capacity as advisor to Fintech Philippines, will recommend as a priority undertaking for the near future,” Royeca reveals.

Fintech Philippines executive director and trustee Amor Maclang, in turn, underscored fintech’s role in shaping global e-commerce. “Fintech Philippine’s Association strives to promote all e-commerce players, and recognize all contributions to global and micro e-commerce players by creating access to the constant development and improvement of online payment systems,” she stresses. “Our mission in Fintech Philippines is the democratization and access to the technologies by allowing online merchants and service providers to also target as many people as possible through safe and secure means,” she adds.

The association’s board of trustees was also presented during the forum. The FPh board is composed of Justo Ortiz of Uniobank as chairman, Mark Vernon of TagCash as vice chairman and treasurer, Mark Gorriceta of Gorriceta Africa Cauton& Saavedra as corporate secretary, and Amor Maclang of GeiserMaclang Marketing Communications Inc. as executive director and trustee.

Arvie De Vera of Unionbank, Edison Tsai of Seedin Technologies Inc., Ida Tiongson of Opal Portfolio Investments, and Gerry Cruz are the trustees.

Fintech Philippines Association will have an upcoming events this year:

The First Real Estate Industry Hackathon on July 27 and 28

DLD Tel Aviv Innovation Festival on September 16 to 19

Singapore Fintech Festival on November 11 to 15

The Fintech Philippines Association is the largest and most inclusive association in the Philippines that promotes digital entrepreneurship, among other things.

Share |