Secretary Emmanuel Piñol said Saturday the government’s ‘no backride’ policy snags the economic recovery of the country.

“In as far as Mindanao is concerned, this policy is impractical, unrealistic and counter-productive and Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) will officially request Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) that this be rescinded,” he said.

As Chairman of the MinDA, Piñol said he will officially transmit on Sunday to the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) a communication requesting that Mindanao be exempted from the policy which bans people from riding tandem in a motorcycle.

He said the policy, which is being implemented by some local government units following a directive from the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), will adversely affect the efforts of recovery of Mindanao if fully implemented.

“In fact, this measure will even paralyze the rural economy not only of Mindanao but perhaps other rural areas of the country as well. While the intent to enforce this policy to curb the spread of Covid-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) is noble, this measure is simply unrealistic given the fact that motorcycles are the only means of transportation in many rural areas,” Piñol said.

He further said with many rural roads still unpaved and passenger vehicles not often available, motorcycles are the most convenient means of transportation.

“In fact, in the Davao and Caraga Regions, Filipino ingenuity surfaced with the re-engineering of heavy duty motorcycles into “Skylabs,” a name given to this unique mode of transportation because the side extensions make it appear like the ‘Skylab’ floating in the earth’s outer orbit,” he added. (PNA)