Poe: Enough time for motorcycle taxi law
Sen. Grace Poe remains hopeful the bill to legalize and regulate motorcycles-for-hire as a safe mode of transportation would get the Senate nod before the 19th Congress adjourns in June.
In an interview with radio dzBB on Sunday, she said she was told by Sen. Raffy Tulfo, chair of the Senate committee on public services, that he would strive to sponsor the measure before Congress goes on a break from Feb. 8 to June 1 for the campaign period of the May 2025 midterm elections.
Sessions resume on June 2 and will go on until June 13 when the 19th Congress adjourns sine die.
“I believe we have enough time to have the measure approved. First of all, many of our colleagues in the Senate are supportive of the bill as long as its provisions are well crafted,” Poe said.
She added the lower house has already approved the proposed bill’s counterpart measure “so it would be easier to reconcile the two versions.”
“So I think the bill sponsorship will happen before we go on a break this February. Then hopefully we can pass it before the 19th Congress adjourns in June,” Poe said.
She stressed the senators are still scrutinizing the bill as they want to be “very specific and comprehensive with this law.” She added they want to ensure the safety of the public, especially the riders and passengers who depend on motorcycle taxis as their mode of transportation.
The senator earlier called for a revved-up action to pass the motorcycle-for-hire bill, stressing it has been through the long and winding road to passage.
Thousands of motorcycle taxis are now allowed on the streets because of a pilot test approved by Congress in June 2019 to determine their reliability and safety as a means of public transport.
Strong basis
The test period was initially set to last only six months but was extended indefinitely by the current Congress pending the passage of legislation regulating the sector.
Poe, who previously headed the committee on public services that started the hearings on the motorcycle-for-hire bills a few years ago, said the pilot study on the viability of motorcycle taxis conducted by the Department of Transportation can serve as a strong basis to have a law.
She added the pilot study will yield overwhelming data that the commuters support the permanent integration of motorcycles into the public transportation landscape.
“The failure of our transportation system to address mobility challenges led to the unprecedented growth of motorcycles-for-hire,” she said.
“Traffic, narrow streets, having no interconnected transportation systems, long queues and waiting time in terminals, lack of public transportation—these situations make riding a motorcycle for transportation a more affordable, faster, convenient and practical option,” Poe added.
With a rapidly expanding sector, Poe stressed, “it is not only a necessity, but an imperative to institutionalize a regulatory framework governing motorcycle-for-hire operations.”
No loss of jobs
The senator also allayed fears of loss of jobs of more than 60,000 motorcycle riders in the country due to the absence of the law.
Poe said the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) has the authority to allow the motorcycle riders to continue their operations, which has become an essential transportation means for millions of Filipinos.
She added the Senate could issue a resolution to support an extension for legal coverage.
“The deadline of whether to pursue it or not lies with the LTFRB. They can implement an extension pending the passage of the bill. They are the ones who would approve that,” she said.
“If they need a senate resolution from us to have legal cover, then we can do that. The resolution is signed by senators to say that we support the extension while we are reviewing the proposed law,” she added.
