Filipinos have seen everything on Manila’s streets, but on Oct. 30, even the most cynical commuters got more than they bargained for when a pair of monstrous riders took to the streets as part of “Angkas Horror Trip”, a creative stunt led by one of the country’s leading tech and transportation providers.
The stunt drew inspiration from Filipino horror folklore, featuring an ominous winged manananggal (minus its lower half!) and a pugot (decapitated corpse) clutching its own head (in an Angkas helmet, of course) as passengers on Angkas motorcycles.
The pair of wandering spirits traveled up and down the Metro, delighting everyone who saw them, before making their way to Budweiser’s epic Halloween Street Party in Poblacion, where partygoers swarmed the spooky superstars for selfies.
Since breaking onto the scene in 2016 as a cost-effective way of beating Manila’s infamous traffic, it wasn’t long before the motorcycle hailing app began making waves with their social content. Timely, irreverent, and altogether hilarious, Angkas’ ability to deliver punchlines and promo codes developed an online following that rivaled their IRL subscriber base.
The Halloween prank was no exception: as the mythological creatures rode around with the help of their professional Angkas riders, appropriately spooky (“ANGKASKAPRE” and “PUGOT”) promo codes helped fans get to Poblacion to join in the fun.
“This is the first real Halloween celebration we’ve had since 2019,” says Angkas CEO George Royeca. “[So] we wanted to let everyone know that Angkas would be on hand to provide safe, efficient, and affordable transport for every passenger enjoying themselves tonight.”
To see Angkas’ creativity online was one thing, but to experience their hilarity on ground made for a special kind of thrill; it wasn’t long before the prank went viral on social media, as netizens shared their encounters with the unlikely commuters.
Comments ranged from the amused, “Ang mahalaga safe ang ulo” (Keeping the head safe is the most important thing”), to the practical, “Half off po ba yung bayad ng manananggal?” (Does the manananggal get half off?”
All in all, the first “Angkas Horror Trip” was a howling success. Royeca was tight-lipped when asked about whether or not we could expect more seasonal happenings from Angkas, other than to say, “If mythological creatures can trust our services, so can you!”.
The manananggal and pugot declined to comment.