ILOILO – Alarmed by the rising number of road accidents across the province — some involving underage drivers — Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr. has issued a call to action: obey traffic rules and keep minors off the road.
“You follow the traffic rules. That’s the problem here — we have too many vehicles, too many drivers who don’t know or ignore the rules. The road isn’t going anywhere; we must be the ones to adjust,” Defensor stressed in a media interview following reports of traffic-related fatalities.
From January to October 2024 alone, the Iloilo Provincial Police Office (IPPO) recorded 3,011 vehicular accidents, leading to 123 deaths and 1,226 injuries.
Reckless driving topped the causes with 2,230 cases, followed by driver error (683), drunk driving (78), and mechanical failure (20).
The governor also raised concern over children and teenagers illegally operating motorcycles and tricycles, especially along highways.
“Parents should not allow their kids to drive, especially without a license. It’s not just illegal — it’s deadly,” he warned.
Defensor’s reminder follows the province’s first-ever Road Safety Summit held last November 2024, spearheaded by the Provincial Planning and Development Office (PPDO) with key transport stakeholders, including the Land Transportation Office (LTO) and the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB).
Provincial Administrator Raul Banias called the summit “a clarion call” to address the province’s silent but deadly epidemic. He pointed out that road crashes in Iloilo cause five times more deaths than dengue—but receive far less urgency.
He noted as Iloilo progresses and modernizes, its roads become wider and better paved. Yet, with this progress comes a troubling increase in the volume of vehicles — two-wheeled, three-wheeled, and four-wheeled alike. Reckless driving has become an all-too-common occurrence, leading to accidents that claim lives and shatter families.”
“When we hear of a dengue-related death, we spring into action. We clean our surroundings. We declare states of emergency. But when it comes to road accidents, we seem to turn a blind eye. Why? Is this not just as urgent? Every life lost on our roads is a tragedy that deserves our immediate attention. Each accident is a call for us to awaken from our complacency and take action,” said Banias.
Drawing from his own experience as a former mayor of Concepcion, Banias said local initiatives like enforcing speed limits and educating unlicensed drivers significantly reduced accidents in their town.
“We can replicate this success across the province, but it requires unity and resolve,” he said.
National health authorities have also flagged road safety as a top concern. Department of Health (DOH) secretary Dr. Teodoro “Ted” Herbosa recently underscored that road traffic injuries are now the leading cause of death among children and young adults aged 5 to 29.
“This is not just a public health issue; it is a human rights issue,” Herbosa said, calling on all sectors to support safer roads through evidence-based policies and improved emergency care.
Defensor, Banias, and Herbosa all agree: without decisive and collective action, Iloilo’s roads will remain deadly — not just for reckless drivers, but for innocent lives lost to preventable tragedies./PN
