Senator Raffy Tulfo asked the Philippine National Police (PNP) to expand their visibility and place an outpost in the Marikina-Rizal-Laguna-Quezon (Marilaque) Highway which is reportedly being used as a "race track".
Tulfo, who chairs the Senate Committee on Public Services said that this is to monitor motorcycles and vehicles passing through the area and prevent accidents there.
"I’ll give you 5 working days linis yang problemang yan. Otherwise, babalikan kita on air hindi lang dito pati sa radyo ko. Babatikusin kita left and right pati kasama na yung chief PNP mo. Hindi ako nagbibiro. Look at me, im not joking. Pag buhay ng tao ang nakasalalay dito (I'll give you 5 working days to fix that problem. Otherwise, I'll call you out on air, not just here but also on my radio show. I will criticize you left and right, including your chief of police. I'm not joking. Look at me, I'm serious. People’s lives are at stake here), I’ll be very dead serious," he told PNP Deputy Director for Operations PBGen. Reynaldo Pawid during the Senate panel hearing on Monday, Jan. 27.
Due to the number of accidents recorded there, the area has even been labeled the "Killer Highway" or "Devil's Corner."
During the hearing, Ariel Lim, president of the National Public Transport Coalition, said that riders frequent the area to race and practice stunts especially every weekend. Lim added that even passing private vehicles are being affected.
"Sir may pakiusap lang po kami. Sa hanay naman po namin. Baka po yung Marilaque pwedeng lagyan din [ng police outpost] (Sir, we have a request. Perhaps you could put a police outpost in Marilaque as well)," Lim asked Tulfo.
On Jan. 26, there was a reported motorcycle rider who figured in an accident in Marilaque.
Tulfo told Pawid that he didn't want to hear that someone died again in Marilaque because of riders due to racing. Pawid, for his part, promised that they would add police presence in the area.
Likewise, Tulfo urged Atty. Gino Lavarias from the Legal Services of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) to contact the local government units that have jurisdiction in the area to help take immediate action on the issue.
Lavarias vowed that he would immediately act on the issue to push the mayors in the area to immediately take steps and help resolve the problem, especially since their constituents are also involved in accidents.
He tasked the DILG to submit their written plan of action in his Office regarding the said problem as soon as possible.