No more pillion rides for motorcycles without protective dividers by Aug 1

MANILA, Philippines — Police will start apprehending motorcycle riders carrying passengers without installing protective dividers on August 1, the Joint Task Force (JTF) COVID Shield said Friday.

This after the police task force gave motorcycle riders until July 31 to put up on their vehicles any of the two protective divider designs that the task force has approved, if they will need to carry passengers.

“For more than three weeks, we were just warning and advising the violators to comply until July 31. As the grace period ends today, we expect that all motorcycle riders have already complied in order for them to avoid inconvenience as they go to work and ride back home,” Lt. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar, chief of JTF COVID Shield, said in a statement.

According to Major Gen. Emmanuel Licup, chief of PNP Directorate for Operations, those found carrying backrides without motorcycle barriers would face P1,000 to P10,000 fine depending on the number of offenses.

Aside from failure to put up motorcycle barriers, Eleazar warned that failure to wear helmets and face masks would also face a penalty of P1,000 to P10,000 fine.

Meanwhile, motorcycle riders who are not carrying their live-in partners or spouses as passengers would be slapped with P1,000 fine.

Motorcycle drivers who are not classified as Authorized Persons Outside Residence (APOR) would face a fine of P3,000.

APOR are those working in manufacturing, retail establishments, export firms, business process outsourcing companies and media establishments, among others.

The full list of APOR may be accessed here:

EDV