Transport stakeholders: Motorcycle riders need training to avoid mishaps
(From left to right) Motorcycle Dealers Association of the Philippines President Edwin Go, Angkas CEO George Royeca, and Quezon City Councilor Wency Lagumbay, who chairs the Ways and Means Committee, discuss during a press conference on Tuesday, March 18, several factors on motorcycle safety and regulation. 黑料社 / JOWN MANALO
MANILA, Philippines — The government should provide free training and education for motorcycle riders to help reduce motorcycle-related accidents, transport leaders and local officials said Tuesday.
This comes after data from the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) showed that motorcycles were involved in most road accidents in Metro Manila.
According to an MMDA report, 36,486 motorcycles were involved in road crashes in 2023, accounting for 22.03 percent of all vehicular accidents that year.
The report also recorded 271 fatal injuries from motorcycle-related incidents.
In a press conference, Angkas Chief Executive Officer (CEO) George Royeca said the rising number of motorcycle accidents stems from a lack of proper training before riders obtain their licenses.
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“We have to dig deep into the problem. I think the issue here is not necessarily the requirements of the dealers [in buying and owning motorcycles]. Ang issue dito is natuturuan ba natin ‘yung mga rider na mag-motorsiklo? Natuturuan ba natin nang tama bago sila kumuha ng lisensya?” Royeca said.
(We have to dig deep into the problem. I think the issue here is not necessarily the requirements of the dealers in buying and owning motorcycles. The issue here is whether we are properly teaching riders how to use motorcycles before they get their licenses.)
He further emphasized that training should be free, as many riders cannot afford it.
“Kaya nga po bumibili ng motorsiklo kasi hindi pa kaya bumili ng sasakyan, at ginagamit ang motorsiklo para maiangat sila sa kahirapan. So dapat magbigay ang gobyerno ng free training,” the Angkas CEO added.
(They buy motorcycles because they cannot afford cars, and they use them to lift themselves out of poverty. The government should provide free training.)
Quezon City Councilor and Ways and Means Committee Chairperson Wency Lagumbay supported the call for training but noted that regulating motorcycle use in Quezon City is challenging because most of the city’s roads are under national jurisdiction.
“Sa lungsod Quezon, hindi mo talaga mareregulate dahil unang-una, karamihan po ng mga kalsada sa lungsod ay governed by the national government. Kung tutuusin, if you notice… if we will come up with a measure to regulate let’s say the traversing of motorcycles, medyo magiging mahirap kasi marami po tayong tatamaang national roads,” Lagumbay explained.
(In Quezon City, regulating motorcycles is difficult because most of the city’s roads are governed by the national government. If we introduce regulations, they will affect many national roads.)
He added that while regulations on smaller roads are feasible, enforcement is more difficult in major thoroughfares, leaving the Land Transportation Office (LTO) in charge of implementing rules.
“Kung local roads lang po tayo, kung maliliit na kalsada, walang problema. Pero being one of the progressive cities in the country, it’s harder for us to regulate. And we’ll leave it to the Land Transportation Office to actually do the regulations,” the Quezon City councilor said.
“And the only thing that we can actually mandate is to continue to propagate programs that would help, like what George said, to educate our riders of how to use their motorcycles to begin with,” Lagumbay added.
Meanwhile, Motorcycle Dealers Association of the Philippines President Edwin Go said that dealers uphold strict requirements for purchasing motorcycles.
“Basic requirement is you must have a driver’s license… pagdating sa requirements, mahigpit kami number one sa license dahil bawal talaga mag-maneho ng kahit anong sasakyan sa kalsada pag wala kang lisensya,” Go said.
(The basic requirement is a driver’s license. We are strict about this because driving any vehicle without a license is illegal.)
Lagumbay also urged the Department of Transportation (DOTr) to lead efforts in ensuring that motorcycle riders are both law-compliant and properly trained.
“In order for us to implement these programs and plans that we want to, we also have to have additional enforcers to actually implement them properly. And that’s why the government, especially the DOTr, should always step up as well in implementing those rules,” he said.
“Kasi if you noticed it, when you’re at a specific road, let’s just say Commonwealth, Quezon Avenue… kaya nagkakaroon minsan ng aksidente ang mga motor is because one, either the person driving the motorcycle is not knowledgeable of the law; and two, if nobody is actually implementing it,” he added.
(If you observe roads like Commonwealth and Quezon Avenue, motorcycle accidents happen either because the rider is unaware of the law or because no one is enforcing it.)
Royeca reiterated that free, high-quality training is crucial since motorcycles have become a livelihood tool for many Filipinos.
“Kailangan natin ng dekalidad at libreng training para doon sa mga gustong gumamit ng motorsiklo. Kasi whether we like it or not, tumataas ‘yung bilang ng mga bumibili ng motorsiklo kasi tinitignan nila ito hindi lang parang isang sasakyan, pero isang parte o magiging kabuhayan nila,” the Angkas CEO said.
(We need high-quality and free training for those who want to use motorcycles. Whether we like it or not, more people are buying motorcycles because they see them not just as vehicles but as part of their livelihood.)
“So maraming Pilipino, tinitignan ang motorsiklo at gustong gamitin ito para sa hanapbuhay at kailangan na nga natin sila i-train,” he added.
(Many Filipinos rely on motorcycles for their livelihood, so we need to train them.)
