Angkas, Tara Na!

There's this feud that Angkas and the LTFRB are having where Angkas is saying come the new year, 17,000 drivers will lose their jobs because LTFRB will only allow them to keep 10,000 drivers. LTFRB, on its part says that they in fact will usher in an additional 29,0000 jobs for the drivers as a result of introducing more players into the market. The LTFRB has said that Angkas is operating as a monopoly and that that should not be the case as it effectively puts the riding public in the hands of Angkas, a private company.

Now, as I've given ample time for the news to breathe and I myself have allotted some time to thinking about this issue, I've got to say that Angkas has got it right and we all should stand with Angkas on this matter. LTFRB saying that Angkas is operating as a monopoly is false. I repeat - ANGKAS IS NOT OPERATING AS A MONOPOLY.

Think about it. What is Angkas selling to the public? They're not selling an app where you can book motorcycle rides; they're selling transportation. As such, Angkas is nowhere near a monopoly. Angkas has to compete with all the other major players in transportation - buses, taxis, Grab, MRT and LRT. The LTFRB saying that Angkas is operating as a monopoly would be like saying that Titay's is operating as a monopoly since they're the only ones who produce Rosquillos.

Angkas, as a private company gets to enjoy being the only app based motorcycle ride sharing service. What LTFRB is doing is forcing this small playing field to have more competition when one would normally sprout out naturally.

Take the example of Netflix, for example. For the longest time, Netflix enjoyed being the only streaming service on the market and they were rewarded for that. Content creators liked being on Netflix as it allowed them to earn from their content and subscribers liked it for it's relatively low cost and ease of use on the side of the user. However, as time went by, other streaming services, like Hulu, Disney plus, and HBO plus, are making it so that Netflix is no longer the only player. This appearance of new players in the market happened organically WITHOUT any government intervention.

I think Angkas and it's very niche spot in the market should be left alone and a new player will simply pop out organically and it's this competition that will keep Angkas on their toes to provide the best service they possibly can. Until then, however, I think LTFRB should let Angkas operate as it is. Them forcing two other players into the scene simply reeks of corruption with some people suggesting that people in the government are pulling all these strings to that their company has a chance at succeeding on the market.

I've never ridden on an Angkas motorcycle but I stand with them as this case sets a very harmful precedence for other business who want to thrive. When the government has the power to dictate the market in this way, it's all a formula for disaster.