Cops told to make sure only couples living together may ride pillion

File Photo. Only couples who live under one roof may be allowed to ride pillion in motorcycles, according to government. —RICHARD A. REYES

MANILA, Philippines — Lt. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar, Joint Task Force COVID Shield chief, has ordered policemen manning quarantine checkpoints to make sure that only couples who live under one roof riding pillion or back-riding on motorcycles are allowed only for couples who live together, even as the government’s task force against COVID-19 has yet to create a final policy on pillion rides.

“In busy roads when the checking would cause traffic jams, they would be allowed to pass unchecked, but would be subjected to random inspection at the mobile checkpoints that would be set up by the PNP-Highway Patrol Group (HPG),”  Eleazar said in a statement on Thursday.

Philippine National Police – Highway Patrol Group chief Brig. Gen. Eliseo Cruz will also deploy personnel for random mobile checkpoints in Metro Manila, Eleazar also noted.

Eleazar, likewise, advised riders and passengers who will engage in pillion riding to prepare documents to prove that they are couples with the same address.

Earlier, Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said pillion rides for couples living in the same household only are allowed starting July 10, Friday, but Malacañang said only married couples are permitted for pillion riding.

Eleazar said they are also starting to craft their own guidelines for pillion rides that would focus on “health and safety” of riders.

He, however, said they are still waiting for the final decision of the National Task Force against COVID-19 on passengers riding behind riders.

EDV