By Paulo Loreto Lim

With the number of riding-in-tandem shooting incidents occurring throughout Aklan reportedly on the rise, including two within this month, the Aklan Provincial Board recently condemned the incidents and called on local police to crackdown on the practice.

Board Member Nemesio Neron of the eastern district said suspects must be apprehended, telling police to “intensify their operations.”

This month, a man was shot in Barangay Panayakan, Tangalan; while another incident occurred in Barangay Caticlan, Malay.

Earlier this year, three barangay tanods were also shot and killed in Numancia by riding-in-tandem suspects

Back in October, the Bacolod City Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) passed on its first reading an ordinance banning the practice of riding-in-tandem.

The proposal, authored by City Councilor Dindo Ramos, banned riding-in-tandem for all males between 9:00 p.m. and 4:30 a.m. the following day; although it exempted female back riders and those aged below 12 years old during emergency situations.

Last year, City Councilor Plaridel Nava II filed a similar resolution before Iloilo City Council, where penalties from P5,000 to three months in prison for violators were proposed; however, exemptions to the rule allowed for females, immediate family, relatives, and males below 18 years of age to be motorcycle passengers./PLL, WDJ