Cover George Royeca
George Royeca
1 / 1
Tatler Asia’s Most Influential 2023 honouree, Angkas CEO George Royeca makes the lives of every commuter easier through his app
The traffic in Metro Manila and Metro Cebu often comes to a crawl or standstill, especially during rush hour. As conventional modes of transportation like trains, buses and jeepneys become more difficult to take, navigating heavy traffic seems impossible. But not for motorcycles. With over 30,000 accredited biker partners and four million downloads of his app, Angkas CEO, George Royeca is on a mission to bring safe and efficient transportation to the Filipino people.
More from Tatler: Entrepreneur Paulo Campos III shares insights on why the Philippines is a prime market for tech investment
Above George Royeca
George Royeca
1 / 1
What projects in the last two years are you most proud of? Why?
Our work with the IATF as Co-lead, alongside Margot Torres of Mcdonalds for the COVID-19 safety campaign we did called Ingat Angat Tayong Lahat. This private sector partnership with the IATF and the government helped educate the country on safety protocols when going out.
Many of the top brands participated, including an unprecedented show of unity where competitors such as Petron, Shell, McDo, Jollibee, Globe, Smart Coca-Cola and Pepsi were in one video together promoting the rebounding of the economy.
I’m also quite proud of our partnership with the Philippine Red Cross, which decreased the cost of home-based RT-PCR testing by 50 per cent, especially at a time when many needed this the most.
It gave our Angkas bikers a new way of helping the community and doing public service during the pandemic.
In case you missed it: Manny Villar on questions about being rich: “My answer is simple—it’s the wrong question”
What challenges do you see now in your respective industry? How do you intend to help address these challenges?
Our challenge for motorcycle taxis is regulation or the lack thereof. Informal habal-habals were already existing and prevalent nationwide. But they didn’t have safety standards and were mostly underground. This made this form of public transport very dangerous. So, as a pioneer in the industry, we had to create the standards and convince the government and the riding public to accept motorcycle taxis as a legitimate and safe form of public transportation.
What can you say to those who want to follow in your footsteps?
Being an innovator means you disrupt an old way of doing things. Just because your new way is better doesn’t mean it will automatically be accepted. Almost everything you see around you today, such as electricity, the car or the telephone was met with a lot of resistance when it first was introduced. So keep at it and develop grit along the way. Never forget that as a pioneer in the space, you will create the standard, so make sure the ones you establish are good standards.
Who do you look up to for guidance, inspiration, or mentorship?
I have many mentors. I read a lot. Every good author is a mentor of mine.
What are your plans for the coming years, and what keeps you going?
I plan to expand [the business] across the country and hopefully replicate this successful model we created in Metro Manila and Metro Cebu to give livelihood opportunities to the 18 million motorcycle owners nationwide. Empower them and uplift their lives from poverty.
NOW READ
Felipe Gozon on meeting new challenges and staying relevant
Martin Yu shares his plans to make e-commerce more accessible to Filipinos
GCash CEO Martha Sazon on democratising financial services and aiming for a cashless Philippines
