JTF COVID Shield: Motorcyclists' other relatives to get to 'back ride' soon
MANILA, Philippines — A proposal to allow anyone living together to ride on the same motorcycle has been "noted" and will "surely be granted in the coming days," the government's quarantine enforcement arm said Tuesday.
As it stands, only married couples or couples living together are allowed to "back ride", a practice first banned by the government's coronavirus task force because of a supposed risk of COVID-19 transmission.
But while couples living together may do the practice in a metro still largely lacking in transportation options, relatives and siblings who also live together are still prohibited from doing so.
In a statement issued Tuesday morning, Police Lt. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar, commander of Joint Task Force COVID Shield, made the statement "in response to several social media posts blaming the government’s requirements for barriers as the reason for motorcycle accidents."
"We understand the expanded requests to include family members but we assure the public that the NTF Against COVID Shield has taken note of their requests and this will surely be granted in the coming days especially once the community quarantine is lifted," he said.
The rule that the pillion riding must be limited to married and living-in partners was implemented, the task force said, to keep riders from ferrying relatives, friends, and neighbors and even paying passengers.
Mandatory barriers
The task force has also required riders to use a barrier that will supposedly help prevent COVID-19 transmission.
This, despite doubts about the safety of using the barriers, which affect a motorcycle's handling and aerodynamics.
The Motorcycle Development Program Participants Association, which includes representatives from Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki and Yamaha, have cautioned that the barriers "will negatively affect stability and handling of the motorcycle."
They said in a statement that this would compromise rider safety.
"The proposed pillion shield will create significant wind resistance when the motorycle is in motion," they also said in a statement.
The task force commander in his statement added that a number of motorcycle accidents that are blamed on barriers could be a result of faulty installation or substandard materials used.
“Let us avoid the ‘puwede na’ (good enough) mentality because we are talking about your safety and the safety of your partner. The two approved designs have specifications that conformed the quality standard for safety of the riders,” said Eleazar.
In 2019, motorcycle accidents were listed as the ninth leading cause of death in the country. Eleazar is one among many government officials who prefer to publicly pin the blame on the public despite lapses in policy and decision making.
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'All they need is to comply'
In its statement, the task force also urged riders using their motorcycles for pillion riding to strictly follow the two barrier designs approved by the National Task Force Against COVID-19 in order to avoid accidents on the road.
“These two approved designs, the Bohol prototype, and the Angkas design underwent a thorough study which includes the concept of aerodynamics and was also tested for quality safety standards. Before approving them, our NTF Against COVID-19 made sure that the barriers are not only effective to shield both the riders from coronavirus infection but also safe from road accidents,” said Eleazar.
Some 10,932 motorcycle riders have been accosted across the country for having back-riding passengers who were not their spouses or partners, the task force disclosed.
Of which, 9,649 were accosted for unauthorized back-riding with no installed barriers while 1,283 reportedly had barriers installed but had accompanying back-riders who were not their spouses or partners.
A total of 11,509 motorcycle riders were also accosted for having no installed barriers on their motorcycles despite back-riding with their partners. All the violators were warned and were advised to comply with the requirement on or before the July 26 deadline.
Eleazar said the task force would be more strict in implementing the rules on pillion riding past the deadline on July 27.
The task force also added that "the speed of the approval to expand the rules for pillion riding to other family members depends largely on the compliance of the motorcycle riders to the two initial rules."
“We ask the motorcycle riders to take advantage of the two-week grace period given to them to comply. They could adopt the Bohol prototype wherein the barrier is installed in the motorcycle or the Angkas design wherein the barrier is worn by the rider. The government has already provided the specifications and all they need is to comply,” said Eleazar.
“In the meantime, we ask our motorcycle riders to follow these rules and include the barrier as part of their normal routine just like wearing of a face mask which is now part of the minimum health safety protocol,” he added. — Franco Luna
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