Groups collaborate to enhance safety on Marilaque Highway

The Land Transportation Office (LTO) and the Philippine National Police (PNP), along with several rider groups and other stakeholders, are working together to make portions of Marilaque Road safer for all road users following a dangerous motorcycle stunt in the area that led to the death of a motovlogger last month.

LTO Chief, Assistant Secretary Atty. Vigor D. Mendoza II, and Senator JV Ejercito, a known motorcycle rider, led hundreds of riders in a motorcade aimed at promoting the "Make Marilaque Road Safe Again" campaign to all road users.

“It is unfortunate that it took one person to pass away in order to awaken all of us. But we will take advantage of this momentum to promote road safety not only here along Marilaque but also in all parts of the country,” Mendoza said.

Last year, the LTO launched the "Stop Road Crash" campaign amid the rising number of road accidents across the country and in line with the advocacy of Department of Transportation Secretary Jaime J. Bautista for the safety of all road users.

In its report, the Philippine National Police-Highway Patrol Group (PNP-HPG) said there were around 31,000 road accidents reported across the country in 2024, resulting in 2,747 fatalities.

A total of 47,206 vehicles, according to the PNP-HPG report, were involved in accidents in 2024 — more than 15,000 of them motorcycles and more than 17,000 four-wheel vehicles.

“I personally saw the road accident figures from HPG at talaga pong nakakalungkot ang data. Maraming sasakyang involved, lalo na mga motorsiklo, at may mga namatay din tayong kababayan,” Mendoza said.

(I personally saw the road accident figures from HPG, and the data is really sad. Many vehicles were involved, especially motorcycles, and some of our compatriots died.)

“One death due to a road accident is too many. That is why we have been aggressively advocating for road safety. Our objective this year is to reduce at least by half the number of road accidents that occurred in 2024,” he added.

Mendoza said there is a willingness among large corporations to support the national government’s road safety advocacy.

He also highlighted the support from groups and individuals in the motorcycle-riding community, noting their commitment to making not only Marilaque Road but all roads across the country safer.

“The private sector is very active and even the corporate groups so we will take advantage of this momentum to push for our goal of making our roads safe. Karamihan ng mga aksidente ay kayang iwasan and this is what we are going to instill in the minds of our motorists,” Mendoza said.

He explained that enforcement alone is not enough to ensure safety on all roads, emphasizing the necessity of education and training.

For education and training, he said they will maximize the commitment from the private sector to provide necessary training and reach as many motorists as possible across the country.

Regarding the LTO's role, Mendoza said earlier that the process of approving a driver’s license will be further intensified.

“Of course, education and training will be complemented by enforcement which includes visibility of our enforcers and other law enforcement agencies like the PNP. The mere presence of men in uniform will certainly remind the motorists to observe proper road courtesy and discipline,” Mendoza said.