Secretary Emmanuel Piñol said Saturday that the government’s ‘no backride’ policy snags the economic recovery of Mindanao.
“In as far as Mindanao is concerned, this policy is impractical, unrealistic and counter-productive and I will officially request Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) that this be rescinded,” he said.
As Chairman of the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA), I will officially transmit to the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) on Covid-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) a communication requesting that Mindanao be exempted from the policy which bans people from riding tandem in a motorcycle,” Piñol further added.
He said that the policy which is being implemented by some local government units following a directive from the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) will adversely affect the efforts of recovery to Mindanao if fully implemented.
“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,” Piñol said.
He added that 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,” he further added. # Kate Marnz Trozo- PNA