Push to ban pillions in the Philippines

Motorcyclists are certainly under the microscope in south-east Asia at the moment, with mutterings in Vietnam about banning them in big cities – good luck with that one... – and now from the Philippines file the government wants to ban pillion passengers in response to the rising number of crimes committed by pillion riders, as well as an increasing number of accidents involving two-wheeled vehicles.

About 7000 riders took part in a rally in the capital Manila on January 26, labelling the moves as blatantly discriminate.

Motorcycle Rights Organisation chair Jobert Bolanos, who led the protest, said their group will not take the issue “sitting down”.

“We will assert our rights to use the roads. We will make them understand that we are not criminals,” he was quoted as saying on www.gulfnews.com.
Bolanos said that the prevalence of pillion rider criminals should be seen as a shortcoming by the police’s enforcement of laws rather than the norm among motorcycle riders.

“The changes would discriminate against the poor and is prohibitive for riders who use this as a cost-efficient mode of transportation,” said one protestor.  “This new riding measure could put restrictions on more than seven million motorcycle drivers, stifles resources-sharing for people who use this mode of transportation to save on travel expenses, and sows undue suspicion and discrimination against motorcycle ride sharers who are now being generalised as potential criminals.

“Riding in tandem does not necessarily mean that they are out to kill or commit crimes. While there are those who do that, we should not generalise or support undue stereotypes or discrimination against everyone who use this mode of transportation. We should not breed suspicions that, in the end, will prove detrimental to the welfare of the ordinary citizens.”

Meanwhile, in Bali, frustrated by the failure of past efforts to dissuade junior high school students from illegally driving motorcycles to and from school, local police have started setting road blocks and seizing bikes – and then summoning parents to pledge to stop their children fork future violations.

The legal age for obtaining a motorcycle license in Indonesia is 17-years, yet many junior high school students below that age bring motorcycles to and from school.