The Philippine National Police-Highway Patrol Group (PNP-HPG) said it intensified patrol operations and the enforcement of traffic rules and regulations along the Marilaque (Marikina-Rizal-Laguna-Quezon) Highway after a series of accidents due to motorcyclists performing stunts and racetracks in the area. 

In a statement Thursday, PNP-HPG officer in charge Brig. Gen. Eleazar Matta said they recently conducted a surprise inspection at the highway in Tanay, Rizal, which “has become a popular hangout of motorcycle riders.”

Matta said they are now evaluating the deployment of HPG personnel, the Regional Mobile Force Battalion, the Tanay Municipal Police Office, and the Traffic Management Office of Tanay in the area. 

During the inspection, Matta reviewed the deployment of personnel and resources with primary goal was to prevent similar accidents in the future.

He also spoke with photographers in the Marilaque area, encouraging them to assist the authorities in raising awareness about road safety and law enforcement.

Reports revealed that motorcycle riders have been using sections of the highway as a racetrack to test their skills at high speeds, resulting in severe accidents and even fatalities.

A crash on 26 January in Barangay Cuyambay, Tanay was logged as the 13th incident of the year. One of the two riders involved in the race, motovlogger John Louie Arguelles, was killed, while several spectators were injured.