For George Royeca, the CEO of Angkas and first nominee of the Angkasangga Partylist, Vice Ganda embodies the kind of discipline and integrity that politicians should learn from.
Speaking to CinemaBravo during a virtual media conference on April 13, Royeca said, “For me, I think, Vice—her principles, ‘di ba? I mean, even when she wasn’t famous yet all the way down to her being famous, she has a set of principles, a set of standards that she wants to insist on.”
“‘Di ba, pag may show ‘yan, meron ‘yang standard na hindi mo puwedeng pakialaman. Kahit maliit na show, malaking show, ‘yung standard at the quality that she puts into it, it’s really impressive.”
(When she has a show, she has a standard that you can’t interfere with. Whether it’s a small show or a big production, the standard and quality she brings to it is really impressive.)
Royeca emphasized that this unwavering commitment to quality is something he hopes more citizens and public servants will emulate. He connected this to his own advocacy to uplift the lives of riders: He furthered that before, motorcycle taxis operated with little regard for safety—some riders even wore slippers, had no insurance, and didn’t hold valid licenses.
“No’ng nagkaroon ng sistema ng Angkas, kinailangan na ng accident insurance, kinailangan ng helmet, ng safety gears, ng uniform, kailangan ng training. So, nagkaroon ng mataas na antas—tumaas ‘yung antas, tumaas ‘yung standard.
(When Angkas was implemented, accident insurance was required, helmets, safety gear, uniforms, and training were mandatory. So, a higher standard was set—standards were raised.)
“And this is—I think—what Vice Ganda always espouses: to make sure that we always elevate the standards of what we do.”
A voice grounded in experience
When asked by CinemaBravo what makes him relatable to the common Filipino, Royeca pointed to the years he has spent working directly with commuters and motorcycle riders.
“Kasama ko sila e! Alam ko ang hinanaing ng ating mga commuter, alam ko ang mga issue at mga ambisyon ng ating mga biker, ano ‘yung ordinaryong manggagawa.”
(I am with them! I know the complaints of our commuters, I know the issues and ambitions of our bikers, the concerns of the ordinary worker.)
“I have that wealth of information for the last eight years. Through them, through millions of my commuters and my bikers, nakikita ko ‘yung side po nila.” (I see their side.)
Even before entering politics, he made it a point to speak directly with his riders every month.
“Talagang alam na alam po natin ‘yung pinagdadaanan nila, at ito po ‘yung ating gustong bigyan ng atensyon, gustong bigyan ng linaw at ng lunas mula sa gobyerno.”
(We really know what they are going through, and this is what we want to give attention to, clarity, and solutions from the government.)
A novel approach to lawmaking
How then can a CEO like Royeca explain to everyday Filipinos his work in Congress, CinemaBravo quizzed. He described his as building systems and laws that create lasting change.
“Kami ay gumagawa ng mga polisiya, gumagawa ng mga sistema at panukala, isinasabatas natin ‘to para kung maganda ‘tong sistema na ‘to, ito ‘yung maging permanente.”
(We make policies, we create systems and proposals, and we make them laws so that if this system is good, it becomes permanent.)
He said his experience with Angkas gave him firsthand involvement in the process of crafting legislation for the transport sector.
“In fact, we were a novel solution.
“Nagkaroon ng pilot study. First time ‘yan na ginawa ng gobyerno na may sandbox, ‘no? ‘Subukan natin in real life.’”
(We had a pilot study. It was the first time the government created a sandbox, right? ‘Let’s try it in real life.’)
“Tapos, do’n sa resulta ng pilot natin, sa pag-aaral natin, gawin nating batas ‘yung mga best practice, ‘yung mga gumagana. Huwag nating ilagay sa batas ‘yung mga hindi gumagana.”
(Then, from the results of our pilot study, from our research, we made the best practices law, the ones that worked. We didn’t put into law the ones that didn’t work.)
“…I think, we can take a page of this, not only in the private sector but also from the regulators. This is a new way of legislating. ‘Cause we legislate in the real-world case, in the real-world scenario; hindi ito theory (this is not theory-based),” he concluded.
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