A congressional committee has recommended to the Department of Transportation (DoTr) and the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) to lift the prevailing ban on motorcycle taxis as long as they comply with health and safety protocols.
Samar Rep. Edgar Mary Sarmiento, chairman of the House of Representatives’ Committee on Transportation, said this at a virtual hearing prior to the re-imposition of the general community quarantine (ECQ) in Metro Manila and other provinces.
Panel members unanimously endorsed the use of motorcycle taxis such as the ride-hailing firm Angkas to augment public transportation, Sarmiento said.
Meanwhile, motorcycle barriers are no longer required for riders living under the same roof in areas under GCQ, Joint Task Force COVID Shield commander Lt. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar said on Wednesday.
Eleazar made the statement after the National Task Force (NTF) on the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) approved the transition protocol on motorcycle back riding that was implemented starting Wednesday.
“But they have to show proof, either identification card, certification from the barangay, or any document showing that both the rider and the back rider have the same address to avoid being apprehended and cited for violation of the rules on pillion riding,” he told reporters.
Under the protocol, riders not living in the same house must have a barrier similar to the one designed by Angkas, and the back rider must be an authorized person outside residence (APOR). The driver may or may not be an APOR and the motorcycle must be privately owned and not for hire.
Sarmiento said he did not immediately submit his recommendation to the DoTr and the IATF-EID as he waited for President Rodrigo Duterte to make the decision on the shift to enhanced community quarantine (ECQ), which banned the use of all public transportation.
“But with the decision to revert to GCQ starting yesterday (Wednesday), my committee has moved for the re-opening of all motorcycle-hailing services to ease the burden of the commuting public,” he said.
Eleazar clarified that motorcycle barriers would remain as a requirement for drivers and back riders who are not living in the same house, even if they are relatives.
Based on health protocols, both riders should wear face masks and full-face helmets “that must be worn all the time while back riding.”
Another lawmaker, Rep. Alfredo Garbin of Ako-Bicol party-list, on Wednesday urged government to acquire what he described as “useless motorcycle barriers” from riders who were forced to spend their hard-earned money just to comply with the government directive.
Garbin said each barrier can be “payment in kind for Land Transportation Office, Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board, Metro Manila Development Authority fees and fines, or may be (exchanged for) groceries from Department of Trade and Industry.”
In the case of LTO, LTFRB or MMDA, Garbin said it can be “payment in kind for fees and fines such as vehicle registration, driver’s license fee, and traffic violation fines.”
“Now, what do we do with all those motorcycle barriers which cost hundreds or up to thousands of pesos depending on the design?” Garbin asked.
“I hope the national government can acquire all of those contraptions and in exchange they can give the motorcycle riders options depending on what the government can afford,” he said.
Eleazar said those who have already bought the motorcycle barriers have the option to use them even if they back ride with their spouses, partners, and other family members who live in the same house.
Meanwhile, in areas under modified GCQ, local government units have the sole authority to implement the guidelines based on their situation, Eleazar said.
The lifting of some restrictions on motorcycle pillion riding is proof that the NTF has been heeding the concerns and suggestions of the public, he said.
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