PNP records 114 ‘riding-in-tandem’ crimes in January 2021 — Gordon
MANILA, Philippines — Records from the Philippine National Police (PNP) show that in the first month of 2021 alone, 114 crimes involving suspects riding tandem on motorcycles have already been recorded.
Senator Richard Gordon disclosed this figure as the Senate blue ribbon committee, which he chairs, resumed its investigation into the implementation of the Motorcycle Crime Prevention Act on Thursday.
Citing data provided to his office by the PNP, Gordon said 114 have been recorded by authorities from Jan. 1 to Jan. 31 this year.
In 2020, 1,422 crimes involving motorcycles were recorded; 3,123 in 2019; 3,596 in 2018; 3,119 in 2017 and 5,111 in 2016.
From 2016 to Jan. 31 of this year, Gordon said police data showed that there were over 19,000 crimes involving “riding-in-tandem” suspects.
RELATED STORY: Over half of motorcycle crimes since 2016 remain unsolved — PNP data
Gordon’s office also conducted its own monitoring of motorcycle-related crimes this year and recorded 55 riding-in-tandem killings from Jan. 1 to Feb. 17.
“Napakaraming pinapatay. Pwera pa yung mga nakaraan, hindi lang dito sa administrasyon na ito. Sa lahat ng administrasyon naging bisyo na either ng mga kriminal o sinuman na pumapatay, paulit-ulit ang patayan. Paulit-ulit nakikita na ang nangyayari. Ang kinakatakot ko, nasasanay na ang mga tao at parang nasagasaang aso lang yung binaril,” Gordon said.
“Lalampasan na lang nila at sasabihin na lang nila droga yan, sasabihin na lang nila pagnanakaw yan, that is unacceptable to the Senate of the Philippines. That is unacceptable to every Filipino,” he added.
He said the figures on motorcycle-related crimes show that the government is lacking in terms of addressing and preventing such incidents.
The blue ribbon committee is investigating the alleged misfeasance, malfeasance, and nonfeasance in the implementation of the Motorcycle Crime Prevention Act, which was enacted into law in 2019.
The Motorcycle Crime Prevention Act seeks to secure and safeguard citizens from crimes committed using motorcycles by imposing bigger, readable, and color-coded number plates to make it easier for eyewitnesses to identify the number plates of motorcycles used in crimes that they saw.
Gordon has repeatedly lamented the “very slow” implementation of the law, which is seen to curb riding-in-tandem killings.
