COTABATO CITY, Philippines — About half of the 30 million motorists in the country do not have valid motorcycle registration documents, the top official of the police’s Highway Patrol Group said Friday.
Police Brig. Gen. Alexander Tagum, national director of HPG based in Camp Crame in Quezon City announced during an event here on Friday morning that the public ought to help the Philippine National Police and the Land Transportation Office confront the issue.
“We have no less than 30 million motorcycle owners now in the Philippines. About half of them have expired motorcycle registration papers. Many also do not have driving licenses. That explains why they keep evading our personnel whenever they see them in mobile checkpoints along the highways,” Tagum said.
Officials of a new bloc of crusading motorcycle clubs from across Cotabato City and Maguindanao province in the Bangsamoro region assured to help address the problem during a brief meeting with Tagum here.
Tagum came over to personally administer their oath of membership into the local chapter of the Full Spectrum Riders Association of the Philippines, or FSRAP.
Tagum said the FSRAP is a partner of the HPG in generating public awareness on the importance of road discipline and vigilance versus abusive motorists.
“So many of these millions of motorcycle owners whose documents for their motorcycles have long expired do not care about their lives and the lives of others on the highways,” Tagum said.
The local chapter of the FSRAP is comprised of Muslim and Christian motorcycle owners.
The group also has members from the non-Moro indigenous communities.
Lito Kari, the newly-installed president of FSRAP’s chapter here, said among their peace-building missions is to foster religious and cultural solidarity among local Muslim, Christian and IP motorists in support of the government’s Southern Philippine peace process.
In the presence of reporters, Kari and his companions assured Tagum and Police Lt. Col. Joy Andrade of the Regional Highway Patrol Unit-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region to encourage through the media local motorists to have their motorcycles registered properly at the LTO.
Tagum said only with the cooperation of the local communities can the HPG rid the highways of abusive motorcycle riders.