The Land Transportation Office (LTO) have joined forces with the Philippine National Police (PNP), several rider groups and other stakeholders to turn various portions of Marilaque Road safe again for all road users following the dangerous motorcycle stunt in the area that led to the death of a motovlogger last month.
On Sunday, February 2, LTO Chief, Assistant Secretary Atty. Vigor D. Mendoza II and Sen. JV Ejercito, a known motorcycle rider, led hundreds of riders for a motorcade aimed at promoting “Make Marilaque Road Safe Again” to all road users.
LTO Chief, Assistant Secretary Atty. Vigor D. Mendoza II
“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,” said Asec Mendoza.
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 DOTr Secretary Jaime J. Bautista for the safety of all road users.
In its report for instance, the Philippine National Police-Highway Patrol Group (PNP-HPG) said there are around 31,000 road accidents reported across the country in 2024 with a total of 2,747 fatalities.
A total of 47,206 vehicles, according to the PNP-HPG report, were involved in the accidents in 2024— more than 15,000 of them involved motorcycles and more than 17,000 were 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,” said Asec Mendoza.
“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.
What further motivated Asec Mendoza in the promotion of road safety is the willingness of even large corporations to pitch in for the road safety advocacy of the national government.
Asec Mendoza said a lot of groups and personalities from the motorcycle—riding community have been very supportive of turning not only Marilaque Road but also all roads across the country safe for everybody.
“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,” said Asec Mendoza.
Asec Mendoza explained that enforcement alone is not a solution to ensure the safety in all roads, as he emphasized the necessity of education and training.
For the education and training, he said they will maximize the commitment made by the private sector to provide the necessary training and to reach as many motorists across the country.
On the part of the LTO, Asec Mendoza earlier said that the processes in 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,” said Asec Mendoza.
