Riders clubs as enforcement partners
INSTEAD of being red-tagged as criminals or terrorists and helpless regular targets of the Land Transportation Office, Highway Patrol Group and the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board in their "kotong" operations.
Motorcycle riders clubs are everywhere, practically in every city and major urban center, and their members are in millions nationwide.
Most of them are educated, professionals, active workers, entrepreneurs, disciplined and road courteous, and imbued with community service spirit. Many of the club members are fast and effective rescuers, responders, and force multipliers.
In several accidents, riders are the first to respond and the first to notify local authorities. In numerous criminal cases, riders are the first to inform police authorities, and fastest to spread the crime in social media.
On the other hand, police and traffic enforcers are practically one to 100 riders, or perhaps higher, making the former like Lilliput and the latter as fast and furious giants. Their visibility and response to road accidents and crimes are nil and poor, if at all they are on the road.
It is also a fact that many of our local traffic enforcers have been recruited to their job either casual or job order as a political force of local officials and not for their educational and public service credentials. Worse, they are thrown on the road lacking with right orientation on traffic control and management, and often concerned only with warm body caught or violation tickets issued rather than educating riders and other road users. In effect, we have more vultures on the road than law educators and enforcers.
The "doble plaka" law is a classic example of the legislators’ ignorance over realities on the road and concern only for revenue generations through onerous and exploitative penalties and registration fees.
It is also a repeated proof of the law enforcers' lack of visibility on the road, and gross failure to track, hunt and catch criminals.
Given this social context, is it not beneficial for authorities to tap, mobilize and accredit riders clubs for law enforcement, rescue and relief operations than just make them milking cows and targets of hate and violence? Definitely yes!
The law enforcers will automatically multiply their operational reach and effectiveness.
With the riders as government partners, there will be fewer pasaways and accidents on the road because they can police their own ranks and discipline their members.
It will also give the riders great ease financially by fearing no vultures and robbers in uniform on the road.
I encourage national legislators, Department of Transportation, Department of the Interior and Local Government, Department of Justice, and other concerned agencies, to consider this into law.
Meanwhile, I likewise encourage local government units to consider this too by passing a local ordinance for the recognition, accreditation and mobilization of riders clubs in their respective locality.
So the same for all riders clubs and other citizens organizations to fight for participatory governance and enforcement.
God bless and more power to all riders clubs!