CEBU CITY, Philippines —Motorcycle owners do not need to pay or secure barangay certifications in order to carry a passenger for backriding.
This was the clarification of Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Junard Chan following the complaint of a motorcycle owner, who was allegedly asked by a barangay in the city to pay a total of P130 for the issuance of a “Certification of Backrider.”
Chan, on his Facebook post, said he conferred with the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) regarding the move of the barangay to which the agency said the issuance of the certificate was not part of the guidelines to allow pillion riding or backriding among couples who live in the same house.
Read: ‘Backride’ is back: IATF allowing pillion riding for couples starting July 10
“Atong nahinabi ang DILG mahitungod sa gibuhat sa barangay ug ato na verify nga walay guidelines nga gipagawas ang lokal o bisan ang national nga kagamhanan nga magpabayad ug bisan unsang amount para ipatugot ang back riding sa motorcycle. Ang gi-require lang kay mao ang barrier nga kasamtangan pang gitimbang kung angay ba gayud nga ipadayon,” Chan said.
(We talked with the DILG about what the barangay did and we verified that there are no guidelines that has been released from the local and national governments requiring paying any amount for allowing motorcycle back riding. What we required is the motorcycle barrier which is still being considered whether to implement it or not.)
Based on the official receipt posted by Chan, Barangay Ibo charged the rider P100 for the certificate and P30 for the documentary stamp tax.
This official receipt shows that the motorcycle rider paid a total of P130 for the issuance of a barangay certificate of backrider. (Photo courtesy of Mayor Junard Chan.)
But Ibo Barangay Captain Mary Jane Cahilog, in a phone interview with CDN Digital, said the barangay did not impose the issuance of the certificate as a requirement for its constituents.
Cahilog said the motorcycle owners started coming in the barangay hall in July where they requested for a certification that they and their live-in partners live in the same house in the barangay.
The village chief said the riders explained to them that they needed the certification for the issuance of an “angkas card” at the Lapu-Lapu City Hall.
The motorcycle owners, Cahilog said, also brought in a recommendation letter from their landlords testifying that the rider and his partner were living together.
“Gibutang namo nga backrider kay mao man ang purpose. Certification to siya nga naa siyay ka-live-in. Gamiton daw to nila para sa Angkas card sa city kay mao man kuno ang gipangayo sa city,” Cahilog said.
(We put there backrider because that is their purpose. That is a certification that they are living together. They told us that they would use that for the Angkas card of the city which the city asked from them.)
The village chief also said that the P100 charge for the certification was the standard cost for the issuance of any certification from the barangay based on their local tax ordinance.
Meanwhile, Chan said the person, who complained about being charged for the issuance of the certificate, already drafted his complaint which the city would forward to DILG for an investigation.
Cahilog refused to comment on the looming complaint as she maintained that the barangay did not take advantage of the riders in issuing the certification upon request and charging them for it./dbs