MOTORCYCLE riders in the Cordillera were asked to await the official advisory from the Land Transportation Office (LTO) allowing backriding.
In a phone interview, LTO-Cordillera Director Francis Ray Almora said pillion or backriding is still prohibited while waiting for the appropriate design of the barrier suitable for the terrain in the region.
"As of the moment, we are still waiting for the official advisory from our main office regarding pillion or backriding for motorcycles but we would like to remind our motorcycle riders that even before the pandemic, backriding was still allowed. Actually, under Republic Act 4136, this is allowed but during the lockdown period, the ban was based on health issues," Almora said.
Almora added that although there is a design proposed by Bohol Governor Arthur Yap to the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF), considerations like terrain, weight and balance of the motorcycle should be considered to prevent accident.
The IATF clarified that only married and live-in couples are allowed to back ride.
"The implementation to allow pillion or backriding on motorcycles will still have to wait because we want to see the design of the barrier and if it is suitable for our region," Almora said.
"If there are motorcycle groups in our region, we recommend them to research fully and engage with a fabricator for these barriers properly keeping in mind the safety of the rider and the backrider and for them to show their design to LTO for us to see if this would be suitable in our region," he added.