Members of nationwide umbrella of motorcycle riders’ clubs and organizations, the Riders of the Philippines (ROTP), joined fellow bikers who gathered at Mendiola Bridge Friday morning to bring their grievance directly to the attention of the President.
The action is part of their rolling struggle against the impending dislocation to be imposed by LTFRB next year against the pilot testing operation of motorcycle taxis.
“Nakatawid na po kami sa bagong industriya kaya’t hiling namin sa Pangulong Duterte ay huwag na kaming ibalik sa dating iligal at impormal na paraan ng paghahanapbuhay,” stated Robert Perillo, President of Bulacan Motorcycle Riders ConFederation (BMRF) and one of ROTP core Convenors.
Many bikers who enrolled to Angkas came from organized motorcycle riders’ club affiliated with ROTP. They include some of BMRF’s members from Bulacan and Central Luzon. But prior to Angkas, Perillo explained that most of those who bike for a living were either in the informal and illegal state (habal-habal) or in the formal sub-sector of the services industry, as employees in offices and factories, or in trading and delivery services.
“Bilang bikers and tawag namin sa isat-isa ay ‘kagulong’ pero dahil 99% sa amin ay manggagawa, itinuturing din naming sila bilang ‘kamanggagawa’,” thus as workers, their principal concern is job security and working conditions as business, competition and profit is to Angkas, Move It and Joy Ride, said Perillo.
Perillo contends that the loss of privilege for Angkas and the gain for Joy Ride and Move It should not be at the peril of workers who by next year, according to LTFRB, will be placed under three masters.
Perillo who is also a member of the National Council of Partido Manggagaw (PM) echoed his party’s view that as workers in a sunrise TNVS sector, government regulations must now go beyond numbers, safety and franchise concerns, but also on labor rights. The government, according to PM, must support the transition of bikers and drivers from the informal to the formal sector.
“Ang mga bagong regulasyon at patakaran sa kompetisyon ay dapat nakabubuti, hindi nakamamatay,” added Perillo.
In its prepared letter to the President, the ROTP also complained about the group’s unexplained removal from LTFRB’s TWG headed by General Gardiola. It was the TWG which came out with a resolution cutting to 10,000 the maximum number of Angkas bikers and assign the remainder of 20,000 for the newcomer Joy Ride and Move It.
“Naging bulag kaming mga rider sa tinakbo ng TWG kaya’t hindi rin namin alam kung may nangyari nga ditong kababalaghan,” concluded Perillo. ###
Photos of the Mendiola rally can be accessed at https://www.facebook.com/partidomanggagawa/posts/10157716183019323?__xts__[0]=68.ARA8VH2oTOYx0MkV7EWU5fG39tJQR49F_pWtNQCikaUgyHrwhKCSwnk3TxAcwEpR_kUhbWUTtv52hMKbkt3n92PUv8lBgC_Rn6KipE9Pix2na3a-lhyQnTGn6z6EFBXF7c3Nul6ItwulSSP9BxrJezwy1utTWcVL3vQ59eJytXG2aS8ZctVF9SXgIbVfXxQn9KMbaRbkkbltFfDpCvHIPN5jmnp9UwnwOtRsz-aLUtzNOT0GIjSxzLfP0qnuciIk2AHWClU-DO7sNxKYLjDBDDzWs1MB98nz68NNomwqi8cJf-lOfgaDiwed3O9PtyvDs75EcK08MugeMnKmuR46&__tn__=-R
Robert Perillo
President, Bulacan Motorcycle Riders ConFederation
ROTP Convenor
27 December 2019
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