Motorists speed past Christmas lanterns and lighted ornaments for sale at a roadside shop in Quezon City, suburban Manila on Dec. 12. (Photo: AFP)
Philippine authorities have reported a sudden spike in road accidents caused by intoxicated drivers across the country in December.
The National Police Highway Patrol Group and the Land Transportation Office (LTO) reported that 84 people have died and 1,732 were injured since Dec. 1 due to road accidents involving drunk drivers.
The LTO had responded to almost 1,500 road crash incidents, where 1,356 drivers tested positive for alcohol intoxication. Police likewise reported a 73 percent increase in road accidents compared to 2021.
“The rate is alarming because this is the first Christmas after the pandemic when government restrictions have eased. For almost three years, public gatherings were prohibited and people were afraid of Covid-19. Now, everything is beginning to go back to normal,” Manila police inspector Donald Cornejo told UCA News.
Cornejo, however, said although there were fewer restrictions on public gatherings this year, motorists should not drink before driving.
“There is no reason to disregard the Anti-Drunk and Drugged Driving Act that prohibits driving under the influence of alcohol. We have apprehended hundreds of violators, some of them ended in jail,” Cornejo added.
The Anti-Drunk Driving Law requires that a driver should have no more than 0.05 percent of alcohol in his body during the blood alcohol concentration (BAC) test to avoid charges of drunk driving.
“Many of the drunk drivers we apprehended yielded a 3.0 percent alcohol in their body. And they all came from a gathering related to Christmas. Many of them came from Christmas parties or reunions,” Manila LTO officer Jojo Sales told UCA News.
On Dec. 12, a government school teacher died while her young son was injured when their car collided with a truck along a highway in Bataan province, north of Manila.
A report showed that the fuel truck bumped the silver Toyota sedan that was also carrying the teacher's husband and then hit the bumper of a black car that Bataan Bishop Ruperto Santos was riding on his way to Manila.
Bishop Santos and his driver were unhurt and the prelate immediately contacted authorities for rescue.
Piston Group, the biggest transport group in the Philippines, called on public transportation drivers to reduce alcohol intake at Christmas parties to avoid road mishaps.
“I ask all our members to avoid drinking during parties. Although it is difficult because alcohol has been part of our merrymaking, let us think of the common good and our safety,” Piston spokesman Laurence Lima told UCA News.
Lima said the transport group has disseminated its announcement to all 12,000 members across the country.
“We have received the advisory but I think the problem is not with the drivers of public transport like buses or jeepneys. Drivers of private vehicles are involved more in road crashes than bus or jeepney drivers,” Manila jeepney operator Joseph Zulueta told UCA News.
Police authorities have already deployed more than 3,000 officers in the streets for police visibility to apprehend possible violators.
“Aside from the 192,000 policemen to be deployed during the holidays, almost 30,000 more will join the group to ensure high police presence to catch violators,” police chief Gen. Rodolfo Azurin told reporters on Dec. 20.
