(Eagle News) — Angkas on Wednesday, Dec. 12, announced it was offering discounts to its customers, this despite a Supreme Court ruling that effectively allowed law enforcers to continue their crackdown on the drivers and operators of the motorcycle ride-sharing service.
In a Facebook post, Angkas said the P99-discount can be availed of twice with the promo code “AngkasTRO.”
The announcement came after Angkas said it would fight to “legitimize” its drivers, following the SC’s temporary restraining order on Mandaluyong Regional Trial Court Branch 213 Judge Carlos Valenzuela’s Aug. 20 order that stopped law enforcers from interfering in Angkas’ operations.
The TRO stems from a petition for certiorari filed by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board and the Department of Transportation following their legal defeat in the Mandaluyong court.
The LTFRB and the DOTr had argued Angkas motorcycles were “colorum” by default.
For one, they said the motorcycles do not fall under the Transport Network Vehicle Service category created under a DOTr order that covers vehicles booked by the public using an application.
The DOTr order only covers sedans, Asian utility vehicles, sport utility vehicles, vans, and other 4-wheelers.
For another, they said that based on the Land Transportation and Traffic Code, motorcycles can only be used as either private vehicles or as government vehicles, and not as public vehicles.
“We are saddened to hear that the (SC) issued the TRO..,” Angkas said, noting that it came at a time “hundreds of thousands of commuters need” the service to “beat the worsening holiday traffic.”
It also noted that the TRO “puts the livelihood of 25000 biker-partners at risk.”
“We offer our safety record of 99.997% as a potential model for responsible traffic safety nationwide,” Angkas said.
“We are hopeful that the Supreme Court will eventually rule in favor of the Filipino riding public,” it added.
