With the ‘Helmet Mo, Sagot Ko, Your Safety is Our Priority’ initiative of the Bantay Municipal Police Station (MPS) in Ilocos Sur, the people of the town can rest easy as they are in safe hands.

Since August 2022, this program initiated by the MPS has provided free helmets to underprivileged motorcycle riders.

Major Pol A. Areola, officer-in-charge of the MPS, reported about this initiative in a meeting in the town.

When asked how many motorists they were able to provide a helmet with since the beginning, Areola said that they wish to not disclose the information as it would defeat the purpose of this gesture.

He added that they provide free helmets to motorists who get caught not wearing any.

“Of course, we only give helmets to those who we can see, after some investigation, that are unable to purchase on their own. We also give helmets to those who are using already old and faulty ones,” he said.

This began, according to his account, when they noticed that in traffic accidents they responded to, the majority of the victims were not wearing helmets in clear violation of Republic Act 10054 or the Motorcycle Helmet Act. 

Upon this realization, he convened his subordinates and gathered their insights on the initiative.

“There is an allocated fund for this project, we have received donations from various entities, and our personnel in the station also chip in some amount that comes from their good heart,” he shared.

He said, “We do not demand a particular amount from our police personnel; there is no certain time or day designated for helping, we do not measure help with the price, whether expensive or affordable.”

Areola also mentioned that they do not really have a definite figure of how many have received a helmet from the MPS since they started this initiative.

“Our only wish for those who received a helmet is that they spread the word about road safety, and that they should always wear a helmet,” he said while recounting the beginning of their initiative.

He said there are still some motorists who do not wear helmets but since the Bantay Town Highway is long and there are a lot of intersections, it is difficult for them to watch every corner.

“We cannot chase them as well since it would be a risk to their safety, and that is something we want to avoid,” Areola said.  

The Bantay town police chief expressed his plea to the parents, friends, and colleagues of motorists to always demand them to wear their helmets; that the No Helmet, No Travel Policy should start at home and in the communities.

He said, “To our townspeople, I hope that they see our sincere efforts to maintain peace and order, and to ensure their security, we cannot take pride in being police officers alone, we can only take pride in our genuine service for the people of Ilocos Sur because their safety is our priority.”(JCR/MJTAB/ATV, PIA Ilocos Sur)