ZAMBOANGA CITY – The Bayaning Tsuper (BTS) party-list has vowed to push for the legalization of the “habal-habal” (motorcycle cabs) operation should they win a seat at the House of Representatives in the forthcoming polls.
Lawyer Aminola Abaton, BTS's first nominee, noted Thursday that “habal-habal” are allowed to operate and carry passengers as a “single motorized taxi” in other places of the country such as in Manila, Cebu, and Davao.
However, Abaton said many local governments disallow habal-habal's operation because they are “colorum” or illegal.
“There is a double standard. In other places, they are allowed to operate, but here in our city they cannot,” Abaton, the former Land Transportation Office-Zamboanga Peninsula (LTO-9) director, said.
He said he will push for the legalization of motor cabs in the entire country, noting that it is the only mode of transportation in far-flung villages with difficult terrain and inaccessible to four-wheel vehicles.
Legalization, he said, entails compiling a list of all habal-habal operators and drivers for quick tracing and identification.
“There were instances we heard of a report before that a habal-habal driver or a passenger was robbed, but the culprit cannot be identified due to the absence of a record,” he said.
“There is no database because they (habal-habal) are illegal,” Abaton added.
Abaton said “habal-habal” operators and drivers can also receive benefits similar to that given to the transport sector if they are regulated by law.
The BTS is a homegrown party-list that seeks to promote road safety through legislative reforms. (PNA)
