Habal-habal drivers park on the roadside as they wait for passengers along JY Square Mall in Barangay Lahug in this 2017 file photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Cebu City Council is set to ask Mayor Michael Rama to convene the city’s Motorcycle-for-Hire Regulatory Board to address the concerns of “habal-habal” drivers in the city.
This after the City Council carried the motion filed by Cebu City Councilor Pastor “Jun” Alcover, Jr., in a privilege speech during the City Council’s regular session on Wednesday, August 31, 2022.
Alcover, in his speech, took on the plight of motorcycle-for-hire drivers, or better known as “habal-habal” drivers, whom, he said, are prone to discrimination with the absence of policies regulating their operation.
“The current situation of our ‘habal-habal’ drivers demands urgent action. Tungod sa walay consistent na mga lagda alang kanila, daghan kaayo ang madakpan tungod sa pagsupak ning lagda sa trapiko o lagmit maigo sa diskriminasyon kung adunay checkpoints na ipahigayon,” he said.
Alcover noted that even after 30 years since an ordinance creating habal-habal regulatory board was passed, there are still no concrete programs and regulations for “habal-habal” operations in the City.
Alcover was referring to the City Ordinance no. 1436, otherwise known as “An Ordinance Creating the Motorcycle-for-Hire Regulatory Board and the Board of Secretariat of the City of Cebu,” which the Cebu City government passed in 1992.
It was, further, amended by City Ordinance 1576 and 1932.
“Daghang mga reklamo nadawat sa mga habal-habal drivers kay tungod lagi kuno illegal sila. Gukuron sila sa ubang laing mga badlungon sad nga mag enforcers. Dakpon sila, para lang mapangayuan og kwarta sa ilahang pag-violate sa ilang gitawag nga mga traffic rules nato,” he added.
Alcover said there are currently about 10,000 habal-habal drivers in the city.
/bmjo
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