Sen. Raffy Tulfo, chairperson of the Senate committee on public services (Photo from the Senate Public Relations and Information Bureau).
MANILA, Philippines 鈥� Sen. Raffy Tulfo on Tuesday confronted a motorcycle taxi company over 鈥渟melly鈥� and 鈥渓ice-bearing鈥� helmets.
The Senate committee on public services that Tulfo chairs is currently investigating complaints about Transportation Network Companies (TNCs), including the surge in pricing and dirty helmets.
鈥淚to maliliit na reklamo pero dumarami na. 鈥榊ung helmet ng mga rider niyo paminsan linisin niyo kasi paminsan mapanghi, mabaho, may kuto,鈥� he said.
(This is just a small complaint, but increasing. The helmets of your riders sometimes smell and have lice.)
鈥淢ga ganyang reklamo that [has] to be addressed. Meron pa ngang sumakay [na] kakilala ko, hindi ko na babangitin, after a few days may kuto na siya. 鈥楽ir, may kuto na po ako.鈥� Paano yan?鈥� he asked.
(There are complaints like that and it has to be addressed. I even know someone who complained to me, but I won鈥檛 name that person, after a few days this person had lice. 鈥楽ir, I have lice now.鈥� What can we do?)
Angkas Chief Executive Officer George Royeca told the panel that the company is already doing something to address the issue.
鈥淲e have established charcoal sanitation for our helmets and we also released, of course, subsidized brand new helmets. We also have helmet cleaners that we use in various stations,鈥� he said.
Royeca attributed the smelly helmets to the聽extremely humid and hot weather in the country.
He also said the firm requires passengers to use a shower cap, but some refuse because it makes them more sweaty amid the humid weather.
鈥淎lmost all the time we have shower caps. Maybe there are instances that we run out of it, but that鈥檚 more the exception than the rule,鈥� he added.
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