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Well, it has been pleasant up to now, but as of today DC LTO will start implementing the helmet law. This of course is a drive by LTO to collect MONEY!

Although I agree helmets save lives, I also believe in personal choice. This is not like in many countries where when someone bumps their head and has no insurance they become a big public charge, as here if you have no money you just do not get treated. So I fail to see where the helmet law does the general public a tremendous amount of good.

In fact, having everyone wear a helmet may actually be advantageouis to the hoodlums and robbers which seem to be calling out for the vigilantes again, as now they have to wear a helmet as does everybody else, and wearing a full face brain bucket that covers their face will fit right in with the general public, making facial identification of suspects impossible.

I knew it would not be long before we came to this, when I read about Bacolod doing this about 2 months ago. Bacolod of course enforced a lot of other laws on the public that had not previously been enforced, such as "no children under 7 years allowed to ride" rule.

This particular law, if enforced here, will put undo hardship on MANY families with young children. There are many areas here that are only accesible to the general public by motorcycle. How are these people living in these areas supposed to get their children to school, doctor, family visits. etc.? Carabao?

I also oppose the checkpoints, which I am afraid they will have set up in strategic places around town. I oppose this for one reason, they will probably be stopping everyone even if they are wearing a helmet. Where I come from this is considered "illegal search and seizure" and of course is illegal. They must have probable cause to stop someone. If someone is obviously breaking the law (no helmet?) I can see the right, but to stop everyone to see if they can find some way to harrass them is another issue in my opinion.

At the end of the day, it's all about money. The rich controlling factors, in this case LTO, are always looking for ways to collect more money from the lower classes.

Unfortunately, oppression (or rather lack therof) was always one of the appealing parts of the Philippines to me, but it seems we are not too far behind other politically oppressed countries in some ways.

Comments?

Larry