Bike race in Mandaue prompts call to be responsible road users

This is part of a group of at least 50 bikers, who were caught holding a bicycle race along Zuellig Avenue at the Mandaue Reclamation Area in the early morning of Saturday, Feb. 6. | Photo courtesy of the Mandaue PIO FB

MANDAUE CITY, Philippines — An unauthorized bicycle race participated by at least 50 bikers at the Mandaue Reclamation Area has prompted the Mandaue City government to remind the public to be responsible road users whether they are driving motorized vehicles or riding bicycles.

Lawyer John Eddu Ibañez, executive secretary of Mayor Jonas Cortes, said the race on a public road was very risky for the bikers and the public because it might lead to accidents.

“Pahimangno lang nato sa tanan nga let us all be responsible road users, mapa motorized vehicle o ma biker, kay lisod kaayo atoa i risgo atoang kinabuhi aning mga lumba nga walay permit. Usa ra atoang kinabuhi. Public roads are not race tracks. You share the road with other vehicles,” said Ibañez on the bicycle race at 4:30 a.m. of Feb. 6 at the Zuellig Avenue at the Mandaue Reclamation Area.

(I would like to remind everyone to be responsible road users whether you are driving a motorized vehicle or riding a bicycle, because we cannot risk our life on a race without a permit. We only have one life to live. Public roads are not race tracks. You share the road with other vehicles.)

These are some of the estimated 50 bikers (right), who were caught on Saturday. Feb. 6 for having no permit for the race along Zuellig Avenue at the Mandaue Reclamation Area. | Photo courtesy of Mandaue PIO FB

Group of bikers caught

Enforcers of the Traffic Enforcement Agency of Mandaue (TEAM), and the policemen from the Mandaue City Police Office chanced upon the group of bikers during their patrol of the area at 4:30 a.m. today.

According to the Mandaue Public Information Office (PIO) on a Facebook post, the TEAM members and the policemen stopped the race and warned the bikers about safety protocols and the need to get a permit to hold races during this time of the pandemic.

The authorities gave the warning after the group of bikers could not show a permit for the race.

The group of bikers were also warned about health and safety protocols after the TEAM enforcers and policemen noticed several bikers were not wearing face masks and were not observing social distancing.

Aside from that, the authorities also tried to identify the organizer of the bike race but no one stepped forward or knew who organized the race.

Defying safety protocols

Initial investigation also showed that the bikers came from different parts of Cebu with some coming from Bogo City in the north of Cebu.

The authorities, however, only held the group for a short time, and they were allowed to go home after they were warned about the consequences of defying the health and safety protocols of the city.

They were also warned about consequences of holding the race without a permit.

But Ibañez said that he believed that holding of bike races even with a permit in this time of the pandemic was not allowed.

IATF protocol

He said that the city might have allowed bike races with a permit before the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, but since then the city had not issued any permits for a bike race following the protocol of the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF).

Ibañez said he would check if there were changes in the IATF protocol regarding physical races.

“We have to check kay murag as per IATF it seems murag dili pa allowed ning physical races. But we will see basin naay changes sa protocol, Kay sa una before Covid hatag baya tag permit sa mga mag marathon ug sa ironman,” he said.

(We have to check because I think as per IATF, it seems that physical races are not allowed. But we will see. Perhaps, there are changes in the protocol. Before Covid, we issued permits to marathon events and the Ironman competition.)

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