Cebu governor backs mayor on legalizing motorcycle public transport

CEBU GOVERNOR Hilario P. Davide III has expressed support to legalizing motorcycles as public transport, locally referred to as habal-habals. “There is really a need for habal-habal. We see that even in our towns here in Cebu,” he said in support of Cebu City Mayor Tomas R. Osmeña’s recent statement that the local economy and residents will not survive without these two-wheeled informal services. Among those who use habal-habals are workers in the business process outsourcing (BPO) sector. “The BPOs alone bring P7 billion a month to Cebu City’s economy,” Mr. Osmeña told members of the House of Representatives during the Metro Manila Development committee meeting in Manila on Monday. Mr. Davide, for his part, said the public, including students, are also dependent on the motorcycle-for-hire, especially in the mountain villages. “People are dependent on that (motorcycle-for-hire). There are so many interior roads and even barangay roads that are not accessible by four-wheel vehicles,” the governor said. —The Freeman