Angkas and habal-habal

By BenCyrus Ellorin

THE motorcycle is the common “Filipino car.”

This handy motor invention has a storied role in the Philippines. Perhaps, the thought that if you have wheels, “let’s go for a ride” takes on a different meaning in the Philippines.

Riding on the bike in the PH is not what the flower-power generation can imagine — partners on the hog (yes, Harleys are called hogs) easy-go-lucky chase the roads.

It would be interesting to learn bikers’ lingo for the Visayan-, Tagalog- and English-speaking.

Two people riding on a motorbike in English are pillion riding. The passenger sits on a pillion, that seat behind the driver’s.

In Bisaya and Filipino, it is called, “angkas,” riding-in-tandem, back-riding. It is also called “riding-in-tandem” — something Grammar Nazis frown on.

Abroad or for some rich Filipinos, they ride the hog. For poor Pinoys, whether you are going around in the urban jungle or the real jungle, passenger motorbikes are called habal-habal — which could carry four to five passengers. Well, habal is actually a word for two hogs, not pillion-riding, but doing the thing, you know. Habal-habal is not it, it also is not a menage-a-trio, but it’s an orgy of sorts — bike acrobatics.

But the extreme motorbikers are the drivers of “skylabs,” motorbikes with wooden extensions placed across the bike to carry anything from hogs, logs to mortals like us. No seat belts, no helmets, and “look ma, no hands!”

Now, that is Pinoy motorbiking and that is just a predicate of this piece.

The root of the issue over whether to allow Angkas or habal-habal is class conflict on at least two levels.

1. Inadequacy of public infrastructure: roads; and road discipline.

 On roads, our roads cannot simply cope with the increase in motor vehicle traffic. This is largely due to corruption. If only the government cut corruption at agencies like the DPWH, which could be anywhere at 50 percent of the approved budget cost per project, we could have more roads.

Corruption in the DPWH is not just a crime; it is grossly immoral, it is taxpayers money from the blood and sweat of the people going to the pockets of corrupt government officials and already rich government contractors.

 Funds for public road building and maintenance are primarily from road-users’ taxes. Who pays road users’ taxes? Anyone and everyone who spend to move around. Road users’ taxes are collected through the pump prices or what-have-you to run motor vehicles.

The road users’ tax and excise tax increased further by the Train law could go as high as 70 percent if one pays every time he or she gases up. If you gas up two liters at P50 per liter, for example, P70 goes to taxes.

For those in the transport business sector, this cost is passed on to the passengers.

2. Elitism. Studies have indicated that only two percent of the population own cars. And yet they use over 90 percent of public roads. Private vehicles are what causes traffic congestion while modern mass transport systems are the cleanest, reliable and efficient.

In developed countries, more people own cars, yet, because of modern and efficient mass transport systems, even those with cars use them on a day-to-day basis.

People need to move around, from points A, B, C, vice versa, every day.

In Metro Manila, the working class spends anywhere from four to six hours a day stranded in the road.

Thus, in order to provide a remedy, the motorcycle, designed to carry two people became an attractive public conveyance. I once rushed from Cubao to the Naia Terminal 3 to catch up on a flight to CDO. It was 2 pm. There could be no way to beat my 3:30 flight using a taxi or Grab or service vehicle. What I did was take the MRT, which was faster then, to the Edsa-Taft station and then took an Angkas or habal-habal to the airport terminal. In 24 minutes, I was lining at the gate of the airport terminal.

But critics say motorcycles are very unsafe. Yes. Thus, the state as parens patriae should disallow its use as public conveyance.

Yes and no. Any moving object could hit the wall, so to speak, any moment. Many moving objects at different speeds could collide. Motorbike riders aside from head crash helmets suffer more from crashes.

But motorists are aware of this risk. In almost everything we do, there are risks and there will be risks. What matters is how one manages the risk.

I, however, find those citing risks of motorbiking, much more for public conveyance for conflict of interest and sheer hypocrisy.

Voices and handprints from the jeepney, taxi and TNVS like grab are all over the lobby to legalize angkas and habal habal. Safety is an excuse, first because any bike rider is aware of the risk and has somehow figured it out the higher and bigger risk of going late or missing school or work.

Legalizing Angkas and habal-habal could place the operations of these two-wheel wonders under government regulation. It may not be as safe and comfy as a taxicab, but Angkas and habal-habals are way, way efficient. By making movement around urban jungles and the real jungles faster, the motorist gets more time for productive work which results in workers feeding better themselves and their families.

If really jeepney, taxi, TNVS, bus operators want to have the patrons away from Angkas and habal-habal, they can, of course, shape up. Have their drivers exercise road discipline and courtesy all the time and their fleets comfortable. At least,the lost time of passengers can be complemented by comfort and yes, safety.

Who does not want safety anyway? Suddenly these road and passenger drivers and operators of jeepneys, buses, and taxis praying for safe passage is so weeeeeh.

In our class society, safety and quality of life are relative. Until such time the class oppression and exploitation in the overall transport system, those in the lower classes are afforded low quality and slow conveyances.

And just like life, one has to take the risk of going through the fast lane. And just like life, we hate to admit it, the life of the poor is cheap.

Tara na, maghabal-habal nata!

(The author is a former journalist with experience in managing and editing online news portals here and abroad. He is now a public relations consultant and political campaigner. One of the social media groups he co-administered was a finalist in Globe’s Tatt award in 2012.)