Gordon: PNP logged 114 crimes by riding-in-tandem suspects in January

The Philippine National Police (PNP) recorded 114 incidents involving motorcycle-riding suspects in January, Senator Richard Gordon said Thursday.

Gordon made the disclosure as the Senate blue ribbon committee, which he chairs, looked into issues of alleged anomalies in the implementation of the Motorcycle Crime Prevention Act.

During the hearing, Gordon said the information given to him by the PNP showed that from January 1 to 31 this year, a total of 114 incidents involving motorcycle riding suspects have been recorded.

He added that in 2020, 1,422 similar incidents have also been recorded, 3,123 in 2019, 3,596 in 2018, 3,119 in 2017, and 5,111 in 2016.

All in all, a total of 19,087 incidents involving "riding-in-tandem" have been recorded by the police, Gordon

Data gathered by Gordon's own staff also revealed that from January 1 to Feburary 17, 2021, "riding-in-tandem" incidents have victimized 69 individuals, of which 55 died while 12 were injured.

Gordon expressed alarm over the rampant incidents involving "riding-in-tandem," which takes the lives of many people.

"Paulit-ulit ang patayan, paulit-ulit na nakikita ng tao, at ang kinakatakot, nasasanay na ang mga tao at parang nasagasaang aso lang yung binaril. Lalagpasan na lang nila at sasabihin nila droga yan, magnanakaw yan," Gordon said.

"That is unacceptable to the Senate of the Philippines. That is unacceptable to every Filipino. Hindi dapat natin payagan na dumikit sa ating mga buto at ating isipan na talagang ganyan. 'Yan ay bantayog na nagkukulang tayo," he added.

Gordon is the author of the Motorcycle Crime Prevention Act, which mandates the Land Transportation Office to issue bigger, color-coded license plates to every motorcycle in the country.

The law, signed by President Rodrigo Duterte in March 2019, essentially aims to prevent the use of motorcycles in crimes by mandating bigger plates and other identification marks.

License plates according to specifications required by the law have yet to be issued by the LTO. -NB, GMA News