MANILA, Philippines — The page one photo in yesterday’s Inquirer of Randy David astride a Ducati motorbike without a helmet drew contrasting reactions from readers.

The photo accompanied the banner story on David’s declaration that should President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo run for representative of the second district of Pampanga in 2010, he was prepared to do the same.

In the story, David, a sociology professor at the University of the Philippines, was described as traveling on his motorbike to his ancestral house in Betis, Guagua, Pampanga, for weekend family reunions.

Early yesterday, even before the comments came, David said he was not a lawbreaker and that he had never used his motorcycle without a helmet.

He explained that the photo was taken almost two years ago by an Inquirer photographer for an article published in the Sunday Inquirer Magazine.

The photographer requested him to remove his helmet so readers could see his face. The photo was taken in the back streets of UP Diliman, where there was no traffic.

“[David] should wear a helmet to ensure that he will still be alive come the time he challenges the President. [He should] wear a helmet not only because he may be apprehended but more so to prevent a fatal accident befalling him,” said Daisy Jacobo, the traffic safety division chief of the Land Transportation Office (LTO).

“If he values his political conviction, he should stay fit and alive. His brain or his intellect is his strength; he should always protect it,” she told the Inquirer.

According to Jacobo, the failure of a motorbike driver/rider to wear a helmet carries a fine of P1,500, with an accessory penalty of attending a seminar on traffic safety management conducted by the LTO.

“But what is important is not the penalty but to stay alive. David should take a cue from John Tavolta’s ‘Staying Alive,’” she quipped.

DOTC Administrative Order AHS-2008 015, which took effect in 2008, states the rules and regulations for the use and operation of motorcycles on highways.

Its section 7 states that it shall be the duty of the motorcycle or scooter drivers/riders to ensure that they wear helmets.

Mandy Eduque, the motor sports committee chair of the Automobile Association of the Philippines, said that riding a bike helmet-less was “at the very least,” not only “not very smart” but also “dangerous.”

“At the other extreme, [David] is breaking the law. He’s a very well-respected person. He should set a good example. The point is, he has a high-powered bike and he’s not wearing a helmet,” Eduque said.

But Raymond Tribdino, an avid motorcyclist and a senior manager of the market and product planning division of Nissan Motors Philippines Inc., said: “It’s accepted to ride helmet-less on a very short hop. It’s just like driving a car without a seatbelt while you go to a nearby store. I know the good professor, although I don’t know if he remembers me. The point is, I don’t believe he will be irresponsible to ride without a helmet on long stretches or out-of-town rides.”