Police tell Angkas: Observe proper decorum

AN official of the Philippine National Police (PNP) on Thursday, August 1, urged motorcycle ride-hailing services provider Angkas to observe proper decorum in engaging customers.

“Any public transport service provider that is granted government franchise to operate are expected to observe proper decorum in its engagement with public clients with due regard to cultural sensitivities of people in accord with public morals,” said PNP spokesperson Brigadier General Bernard Banac.

He made the statement after Angkas made a Twitter post comparing its services to sex on July 30.

"Angkas is like sex. It's scary the first time pero masarap ulit-ulitin,” the tweet read.

For its part, the PNP through its Twitter account @PNPhotline admonished Angkas.

"This is not acceptable to commuters. Matatakot ang tao sa Angkas pag ganito. This is not promoting public safety in transport business anymore @LTFRB_Official @LTFRB,” it said.

Angkas on Thursday, August 1, apologized to both its riders and bikers for the tweet, which it described as a misstep.

In an official statement, CEO Angeline Tham said making their riders feel uncomfortable is the last thing they want to do.

"Safety has always been our brand's priority, and we apologize for how our recent Tweet has made users feel unsafe and cast doubt on the integrity of our service...We take full responsibility for this misstep," she stated.

"Our social media team has always been playful and funny and we love them for that. The message that they wanted to convey was simple. Angkas is a service you can trust once you've tried it. If nothing else, our 99.997% safety record is a testament to the quality of our service," she added.

To its bikers, Angkas apologized for casting them in an unfair light.

"Our biker-partners have been trained to respect their riders and make them as comfortable as possible. And no tweet can change that fact," Tham said.

She said, however, that they believe sex should be discussed maturely and openly, but acknowledged that it "should never be used to create shame, fear or disgust, and certainly not used lightly for the sake of some buzz."

Angkas posted the tweet two weeks after Malacañang released a copy of the new law called Safe Spaces Act, most commonly known as “anti-bastos” law.

This new law punishes catcalling, wolf-whistling, unwanted invitations, misogynistic, transphobic, homophobic and sexist slurs, persistent uninvited comments or gestures on a person's appearance, relentless requests for personal details, and statement of sexual comments and suggestions, public masturbation or flashing of private parts, groping, or any advances, whether verbal or physical. (Third Anne Peralta-Malonzo/SunStar Philippines)