Don’t use substandard materials for protective barriers to prevent accidents, public told

MANILA, Philippines —Motorcycle owners should not use substandard materials for protective barriers to prevent accidents, Police Lt. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar, chief of Joint Task Force (JTF) COVID Shield, said on Tuesday.

“Iwasan po sana natin yung ‘puwede na yan’ mentality kasi ang pinag-uusapan dito ay ang inyong kaligtasan at ang kaligtasan ng inyong ka-angkas na asawa o partner. The two approved designs have specifications that conformed the quality standard for the safety of the riders,” Eleazar said in a statement.

(Discard the “that’ will do” mentality because we are talking about safety here or the safety of their passenger or partner. The two approved designs have specifications that conformed the quality standard for the protection of the riders.)

Eleazar also defended the approved prototypes of government for putting up barriers on motorcycles, saying it followed “quality safety standards.”

“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,” the police official said.

The government task force against COVID-19 allowed pillion riding but only for couples starting July 10. The police task force, meanwhile, said they would give motorcycle riders until July 26 to put up the required barriers or else they will be arrested after the set deadline.

Records from JTF COVID Shield showed that 10,932 motorcycle riders were arrested for unauthorized pillion riding, which means riders are not carrying live-in partners or spouses as their passengers. [ac]