United Nations (UN) Secretary-General's Special Envoy for Road Safety Jean Todt met with President Marcos on Thursday, Nov. 7, to encourage him to launch initiatives in the country that will promote the use of helmets that are based on standards of the international body.
Todt arrived in Manila for such a mission as he noted that the majority—or 65 percent—of road crash victims in the Philippines are motorcycle riders.
"Such as many Asian countries, the Philippines has experienced rapid motorization in recent years, especially concerning motorized 2-3 wheelers," he said in a post on X.
Gustavo Gonzalez, UN's Resident-Humanitarian Coordinator, also posted on X a video of Todt and Marcos discussing road safety.
Todt and Marcos talked about road accidents, which Gonzalez said is now costing 2.6 percent of the national gross domestic product (GDP)."
"As we know that [wearing] a safe helmet reduces the risk of fatality by 42 percent and of injuries by 69 percent," Todt said.
"It is therefore time to act to ensure that riders are protected on the road," he added.