What a fighter.
Motorcycle booking app Angkas asked the Supreme Court (SC) today to lift the temporary restraining order (TRO) it issued earlier this month that allows regulators to once again apprehend its drivers.
CNN Philippines reported that the motion, dated Dec. 13 and over 26 pages long, appealed that the TRO had no basis because Angkas’ operations have not shown any “threat of grave and irreparable injury.”
The motion also presented statistics which highlighted its safety record, disproving the safety concerns of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB).
The passenger service claims it has a 99.997 percent safety record.
The motion added that the livelihood of 25,000 Angkas drivers will be at risk if they’re prohibited to take passengers.
“With the Christmas season upon us, the traffic situation in Metro Manila is bound to worsen with helpless and hapless commuters having to suffer limited options. Worse, the scepter of jobs being lost by thousands of Angkas drivers looms large,” Angkas wrote in the motion, The Philippine Daily Inquirer stated.
Angkas was first shut down in November 2017 by the LTFRB. But in September, a Mandaluyong Regional Trial Court issued a preliminary injunction that allowed Angkas bikers to resume operations.
On Dec. 12, the SC granted the DOTr and the LTFRB’s petition for a TRO on the Mandaluyong court’s decision, allowing them to apprehend Angkas drivers again.
Angkas also said in its official comment to petitioners DOTr and the LTFRB that the agencies will not be affected if the TRO will be lifted.
“[It] is clear that petitioners will not suffer any injury or damage if the TRO is lifted. As the Court of last resort, it is hoped that it will not turn a blind eye to the harshness of the outcomes the TRO will lead to,” it said, as quoted by the Inquirer.
Meanwhile, the DOTr said in a statement emailed to media yesterday that they are willing to talk and listen to Angkas.
“If Angkas wants to be heard, it should also learn to listen,” the statement reads.
The DOTr said that there must be guidelines should the motorcycle-hailing firm be allowed to operate again.
This includes regulations on what types of motorcycles should be permitted, the acceptable travel speed of motorcycles for hire, and if they should be allowed on all roads.
It also highlighted safety.
The DOTr stated: “How do we ensure the safety of passengers? In the unfortunate instance of an accident involving a passenger, who will shoulder all the expenses? If the driver is injured or dies, what will be the motorcycle owner’s accountability?”
“These details should all be thoroughly studied, and as such, the matter will not be resolved with Angkas’ continued flagrant defiance of the high court’s order,” it added.
Angkas is pulling out all the stops to keep their vehicles on the road, they’re even holding a free concert tomorrow.
