As the Philippines slowly goes back to more relaxed quarantine protocols with travel generally unrestricted, the Island of Boracay, in Malay, Aklan is quickly becoming one of the top tourist destinations once again.
Unfortunately, to ride his or her motorcycle to and around the island, the said municipality is now requiring a special permit.
Congestion on the island
According to Municipal Ordinance No. 415, Series of 2020, under Section 1, the rationale behind the ordinance is to control or limit the proliferation of motorcycles within the island that is now causing congestion along its main thoroughfares.
The municipal council has cited a lot of motorcycles illegally-entering the island for the sole purpose of offering rides to the public or tourists as habal-habal.
1 motorcycle per family policy
As such, Municipal Ordinance No. 415, Series of 2020 also prescribes a limit of one (1) unit of motorcycle-only per family who lives on the island. It added that this 1 motorcycle unit shall only be used as personal service only, and not in any way for rental or public transport.
For those who already have more than 1 motorcycle unit within the island, the Municipality of Malay has given only until the end of 2020 for these motorcycles to operate on the island. After that, these “excess” motorcycles should be shipped back to the mainland.
Barangay Certificate required if you want to purchase a motorcycle
To certify that an individual is indeed a resident or legitimate business owner in the Island of Boracay, the ordinance now requires would-be motorcycle buyers to first secure a certificate from their respective barangay prior to securing a permit from the mayor’s office.
Redundant policy
Motorcycle rights group, Motorcycle Rights Organization (MRO), has slammed Malay, Aklan’s ordinance, saying that it is another redundant policy that targets only the motorcycle rider.
"Meron ka nang OR CR, kailangan mo pa ng authority mula sa LGU? What for? (You already possess an Official Receipt (OR) and Certificate of Registration (CR) [from the Land Transportation Office LTO], then authorization is required from the Local Government Unit? What for?)," a representative from MRO said.
