‘GOVT RETOOK PNOC-EC STAKE IN MALAMPAYA’

By Lenie Lectura @llectura

Philippines (UP) Professor Grace Jamon said the government should move forward with legalizing motorcycle taxi operations in the Philippines, given the wealth of data that the pilot study has culled from its inception in 2019.

AFORMER top energy official implemented a directive in 2005 to sell half of the government’s stake in the Malampaya project to a Korean consortium in 2005, but the deal subsequently fell through.

“ the said stake in the Malampaya project. It may be recalled that PNOC-EC borrowed $175 million to buy the 10-percent stake in the gas project.

I n a Senate hearing on Tuesday, Angkas CEO George Royeca revealed that less than a third of the motorcycle taxi riders are plying Metro Manila’s roads, especially during rush hour.

T his prompted Senator Grace Poe to seek the opinion of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board’s (LTFRB) representative to the Technical Working Group (TWG) for Motorcycle Taxis.

While we allocated a total number of 45,000 motorcycle taxis in Metro Manila, we learned that around only 30 percent are operating. As far as the study is concerned, we set the cap 45,000 on the basis for the study. This is just an observation, maybe we cannot get a good sample size because we are assuming 100 percent is operating. Thirty percent out of 45,000 is only roughly 12,000. I will consult with the other members of the TWG and inform the chair— whether or not 12,000 is sufficient to gather data as regards the safety and security of motorcycle taxis,” LTFRB representative Paul Austria said. Poe further inquired whether or not the best practices in other markets include the provision for a supply cap, asking the representative from Grab on its experiences in Thailand, Indonesia, and Vietnam.

Grab Group Managing Director for Public Affairs Yew Heng Lim

Motorcycle taxis are currently operating under a pilot study, as they have yet to be legally recognized as a form of public transportation. Lawmakers from the previous Congress have started the ball rolling to legalize them but were halted due to the pandemic.

For now, the government has limited the operation of motorcycle taxis to three companies, which are required to provide the government necessary data to prove that they are a safe mode of transportation for the public.

T he three companies are Angkas, JoyRide, and Move It.

A ll the players said they are providing training and driver education to their rider-partners.

For her part, University of the

The question is until when are we going to be a pilot? We have exhausted so much time and we have already done the study. Let’s get down to business and legislate this one into a policy,” she said.

So many motorbikes

STILL , Senator Poe foresees the biggest issue until now is the safety aspect, citing the most recent Global Status Report for Road Safety of the World Health Organization (WHO), showing nearly 30 percent of all road crash deaths involve powered twoand three-wheeled vehicles, such as motorcycles, mopeds, scooters and electrical bikes (e-bikes), and the numbers are rising. This is even higher in Southeast Asia where 43 percent of all road traffic deaths involve two and three wheelers. The established vulnerability of motorcycle as a mode of transportation calls for the government to step in, she said.

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The instruction to sell the 50 percent, meaning the 5 percent of the 10 percent of PNOCEC [Philippine National Oil Company-Exploration Corp.], came from government, came from DOF [Department of Finance] and supported by the Executive, by the President,” said Eduardo Mañalac, former Department of Energy (DOE) Undersecretary and PNOC President, during an online forum organized by the National Youth Movement for the West Philippine Sea.

M añalac, who now wants the government to operate the Malampaya deepwater gas-topower project, said there was a directive to sell 5 percent of the 10-percent shares of PNOC-EC to the consortium led by Korean Gas Corp. (Kogas).

T he sale was meant to pay for the loans used to acquire

“ The reason given to sell at least half of that PNOC-EC share at that time, if you remember, PNOC paid $100 million plus for the 10-percent [stake]. Inutang daw ‘yun. So, what government was saying was we have to pay that. We have to raise the money,” Mañalac said.

M añalac served as DOE undersecretary from 2003 to 2004 and PNOC President from 2004 to 2006.

So they gave me instructions to sell half of it. Of course, I was against it but you have to follow; you argue against it but at the end of the day, you tried to obey the instructions as best as you can,” he said at the forum. However, the government later on terminated the sale. “But in the end it was not completed. I guess the Neda [National Economic and Development Authority] that time was able to convince the administration to keep the whole of 10 percent,” added Mañalac. “That’s my recollection,” he added.

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Editor: Jennifer A. Ng