By Robert B. Roque Jr.
Last Sunday, was a special show put on by hundreds of motorcycle riders who came together for a unity ride of a noble cause: “Make Marilaque Safe Again.”
For sure, this day of good-guy, angel-like riding is appreciated, following the deadly attempt at a Superman stunt by two motorcycle riders that left one of them dead and six others injured last January 26.
But the question is: Will this newfound brotherhood of the road last beyond a single day of good PR or will the following days see the same reckless racing, the same deadly stunts, the same “kamote” riding that made Marilaque the deadliest highway strip for motovloggers?
There’s dumb, and then there’s dying-for-TikTok dumb. The reckless motorcyclists of Marilaque Highway fall squarely into the latter. Turning public roads into their personal racetracks, these “kamote” riders — many of them so-called motovloggers — gamble their lives (and others’) for online clout.
Let’s be clear: this is not just stupidity — it’s criminal negligence. It’s one thing to be an idiot on two wheels; it’s another to turn highways into death traps for innocent motorists and pedestrians.
From January to September 2024, the PNP Highway Patrol Group (HPG) said that 22,000-28,000 motorcycle-related accidents were recorded. The Land Transportation Office (LTO) said it aims to cut this number by at least half this year.
LTO official Vigor Mendoza wants to install high-definition CCTVs along Marilaque Highway to track reckless riders and easily identify them. Here’s an added thought: Suspend their licenses. Confiscate their bikes. Make kamote riding as unattractive as the costly consequences.
Sen. JV Ejercito — himself a rider — stresses that responsible riding is the bottom-line key to safer roads. Still, with 18 million motorcycles now on national roads, the government must take the lead in educating and disciplining riders.
Good riddance!
PhilHealth has a new chief, and hopefully, this time, it’s someone who means business. President Marcos has appointed Dr. Edwin Mercado, an orthopedic surgeon with an impressive background in healthcare administration and universal health financing. With his credentials from Harvard, UNC, and UP, he certainly looks like the kind of leader who can whip PhilHealth into shape — if he has the spine for it.
Congratulations, Dr. Mercado! And if you take my advice, be the absolute opposite of your predecessor, Emmanuel Ledesma, whose sting in PhilHealth remained an embarrassment. How ₱500 billion in reserves were hoarded in his time while Filipinos struggled with hospital bills is a morbid shame.
It’s hard to imagine why President Bongbong even bothered to appoint him in the first place, when he left his post in PSALM in disgrace. If you don’t remember, Ledesma was accused of bidding irregularities and gross mismanagement that employees petitioned against him and the board suspended him.
Whatever made Marcos think he’d handle PhilHealth any better is baffling!
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