A cyclist takes on the treacherous Transcentral Highway in Barangay Busay, which is a known route for cyclists in Cebu. | CDN Digital file photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebu City cops welcome the initiative of local bikers to help monitor their fellow bikers to ensure that basic health protocols are always observed.
Police Lieutenant Colonel Wilbert Parilla, deputy director for operations of the Cebu City Police Office ( CCPO) said that they are willing to talk with the bikers to make sure that their activities are properly regulated.
The police said they have noticed that some bikers have violated minimum health protocols such as wearing facemasks and observing social distancing, especially in Barangay Busay.
Parilla said they will continue conducting checkpoints in the said barangay to make sure that bikers follow the health protocols.
He said that their warning to stop leisure biking if violations continue still stands. He added that the ultimatum to follow health protocols will end this Sunday, September 26.
If in their observation protocols are still not being followed by the bikers, then they will have no other choice but to ban leisure biking in Cebu City.
READ: Cyclists given a week to follow protocols or leisure biking will be banned again
Last September 16, Cebu City traffic personnel together with the Preservation, Restoration, Order, Beautification, and Enhancement (PROBE) team apprehended 16 erring bikers.
Some who were able to provide identification cards at that time were issued citation tickets and those with no IDs were brought to the Ramos Gym to pay fines or render community service.
READ: Leisure bikers in Cebu City given final warning: follow health protocols or else
The continued violation of health protocols has prompted the police to issue the ultimatum.
If violations remain rampant until Sunday, Parilla said they will then recommend to the city’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) to prohibit leisure biking again.
Parilla said in a group of five bikers, one or two usually are not wearing face masks. Although a majority of them are wearing face masks, they will still go after those who don’t.
“So unsa may difference? Nganong atoang mga ordinaryo nga bikers, nagtrabaho, nganong nag sul-ob mag face masks? So, what is the difference kung liesure biker ka?” he added.
(So, what’s the difference? Why are ordinary bikers required to wear masks on their way to work? How are they different from the leisure bikers?)
While most ordinary bikers follow health protocols, Parilla said this does not mean that they will be complacent in their monitoring of the city’s downtown areas and in the South Road Properties where they frequent.
Cebuano sportsman Voltaire Montebon, on the other hand, said that they are now looking for ways to educate bikers belonging to their community, VDM Sports, regarding road safety and discipline.
”We are looking for ways to improve and educate our cyclists on road safety…As we all know, many are gearing towards cycling nowadays, by creating a group of cyclists, it will be easy to trace and discipline people about their safety,” Montebon said.
Montebon said their group has more or less 100 members and that they welcome anyone to join them.
Montebon is encouraging other bikers like him to be responsible and follow protocols. /rcg
READ: Leisure biking, jogging to be allowed soon in Cebu City