Piñol: No back-ride policy snags economic recovery
Economic News • 10:15 AM Sat Jun 20, 2020
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By:
Sec. Manny Piñol
Photo from public site and for illustration only
As Chairman of the Mindanao Development Authority, I will officially transmit to the Inter-Agency Task Force on COVID 19 today a communication requesting that Mindanao be exempted from the policy which bans people from riding tandem in a motorcycle.
The "No-Backride Policy," which is now being implemented by some Local Government Units following a directive from the Dept. of Interior and Local Government, if fully implemented in Mindanao will adversely affect our efforts to initiate economic recovery.
In fact, this measure will even paralyze the rural economy not only of Mindanao but perhaps other rural areas of the country, as well.
While the intent to enforce this policy to curb the spread of COVID 19 is noble, this measure is simply unrealistic given the fact that motorcycles are the only means of transportation in many rural areas.
With many rural roads still unpaved and passenger vehicles not often available, motorcycles are the most convenient means of transportation.
In fact, in the Davao and Caraga Region, Filipino ingenuity surfaced with the re-engineering of heavy duty motorcycles into "Skylabs," a name given to this unique mode of transportation because the side extensions make it appear like the "Skylab" floating in the earth's outer orbit.
In as far as Mindanao is concerned, this policy is impractical, unrealistic and counter-productive and MinDA will officially request IATF that this be rescinded.