Recently, I’ve noticed a rise on the number of single motorcycle vehicles used as public transportation. These single motors, more commonly known as Habal – Habal, has been plying the city and has been the object of many traffic issues, as they are seen as traffic nuisance, and unsafe for passengers.
At the start habal-habal became popular in the rural areas because of difficulty in finding public transportation there; it later spread out to the cities. Surprisingly , there are even habal-habals operating in Metro Manila.
This mode of transportation is not also cheap; but it affords one access to transportation where there is none ; and speed since the habal habal can easily squeeze its way out of traffic.
Amidst its illegal status, the habal-habal business seems to be a thriving one in Davao. Operating a habal-habal is already a viable source of income for many Dabawenyos. According to Traffic Management Center Chief Celso Gemepesaw, there are an estimated 14,000 habal-habal operators in Davao City and I believe still gowing.
Based on random interviews, habal-habal drivers earn an average of P600 / day gross and brings home a net earnings of P400 / day or an average of
P 8,000.00 a month or in better months a little more. This amount is just enough to provide food on the table for their families.
Just like any business endeavor, they get their financing from both formal and informal sources- from motorcycle dealers that charges them the daily amortization of P 100.00/payable in two (2) years. Or from other informal lenders that charges them a higher interest cost but longer paying period.
Whatever is the scheme, the drivers are able to meet their loan obligations which indicates that business must be good.
Since the payment is on a daily / weekly basis, and the motorcycle is the main source of income from the drivers, delinquency is kept to a minimum.
There was a study done by Asian Development Bank that shows that 28.9% of the Filipino population earns below $1 a day; and obviously these habal habal do not belong to this sector. I am glad that they are a little above the poverty threshold.
In an economy where agricultures is predominant, people with no land to till and with zero capital are force to exercise their maximum business acumen in order to survive. This is when we can see the entry of non traditional businesses with the barest of capitalization requirement- just like the “habal-habal”.
However, the recently passed Davao City Ordinance 0189, which is an amendment of Ordinance 737, requires drivers and riders to wear crash helmets and limits the number of back riders to just one. Significantly, it also prohibits the use of a single motorcycle as public conveyance or habal-habal.
The business of habal-habal is a business of transporting people to their destinations safe and sound. Although these motors do not operate in major highways and streets, they can still be unsafe, and extra precaution must be taken both by the driver and the rider.
City Legal Office (CLO) Traffic Regulation Division officer-in-charge Joseph S. Felizarta advised habal-habal operators and drivers to turn their habal-habal motorcycles into tricycles. This has to be done fast because we are talking of over 10,000 habal habal plying the streets of Davao .
The city government have to provide the technical assistance so that these can be done immediately for both the safety of the riding public and the driver.
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