The Land Transportation Office (LTO) said that motorcycle accidents are the ninth leading cause of deaths among Filipinos.
LTO chief Edgar Galvante said in a report submitted to the House of Representatives committee on ways and means that accidents on two wheels didn’t even figure in the top 10 causes of death “five years, 10 years ago.”
The STAR said that the LTO’s report jibes with the Philippine Statistics Authority’s survey on deaths in 2016, which revealed that road crashes were not among the top causes of deaths several years ago.
The survey revealed that Ischemia-related heart problems were reported to be the top killer of Filipinos, followed by cancer, pneumonia, cerebrovascular diseases, hypertension, diabetes, other heart ailments, respiratory tuberculosis, chronic lower respiratory infections and diseases of the genitourinary system.
The LTO presented its report in relation to the planned increase of the road user tax by at least 300 percent, according to The STAR.
The proposed bill, authored by Albay Rep. Joey Salceda, seeks to exempt motorcycle owners from paying the annual road user tax.
At the moment, the number of registered motorcycles in the Philippines is now at seven million — three million more than the combined total number of cars and other vehicle types.
Meanwhile, Congress has approved on third and final reading the HB 4611 that designates the third Sunday of November as National Day of Remembrance for Road Crash Victims, Survivors, and their Families.
The bill seeks to make the “public keenly aware of the causes, consequences and costs of road crash deaths and injuries.” – With Jess Diaz/STAR
