Cebu City dad to Labella: Adopt backriding policy of provincial gov’t

Cebu City Councilor Alvin Dizon | CDN Digital File Photo

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebu City Councilor Alvin Dizon is urging Mayor Edgardo Labella to allow the back riding in motorcycles and adopt the provincial government’s approach on the issue.

Dizon said he salutes Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia’s stand to allow back riding on non-commercial motorcycles in the Province of Cebu.

Read: Backriding on non-commercial motorcycles to be allowed in Cebu province

“Family members should be exempted from this ‘No Back-Ride Policy.’ Prohibiting people sharing one household to ride a motorcycle is not logical at all,” said the councilor.

Dizon said that if the Department of Transportation (DOTr) thinks that no back riding on motorcycles for immediate members of the family is logical, then families would have to buy two motorcycles, two beds, two dining tables, two television sets, and two sofas just to observe the physical distancing rule.

Families stay together in their homes and interact closely, which makes physical distancing on motorcycles as a general rule is inapplicable to them.

“I hope Mayor Labella will follow the Governor’s move and be bolder to issue an executive order which will allow back riding on non-commercial motorcycles within Cebu City,” said Dizon.

The councilor hopes the mayor will consider the issue urgently as workers have begun going back to their workplaces, but public transport has yet to return.

The mayor has earlier said the city will reiterate its appeal to the transportation department to allow motorcycle back riding for immediate family members.

Last March 25, 2020, Labella asked the DOTr to reconsider the no back ride policy but Labella’s appeal was denied.

Read: Labella asks DOTr to allow families to backride on motorcycles

The Department of Transportation (DOTr)  denied the request of Labella as part of the measures to contain the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19). /bmjo