02/02/2026
.... just sharing this statement of motorist groups advocating safe mobility calling for action of
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Response Statement on the BIMC Motorcycle Event in Mindanao
Alignment with the Philippine Road Safety Action Plan (PRSAP 2023-2028)
The conduct of the BIMC motorcycle event in Mindanao must be examined in light of the government’s overarching road safety framework, particularly the Philippine Road Safety Action Plan (PRSAP) launched in 2023. The PRSAP 2023-2028 serves as the country’s 5-year primary policy instrument to achieve a significant reduction in road crash fatalities and serious injuries, consistent with national development goals and the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety.
1. Road Safety Management
Under the PRSAP, road safety governance requires that all road-based activities be risk-assessed, evidence-based, and aligned with national safety objectives. The BIMC event, by its nature as a speed- and endurance-based motorcycle race conducted on public roads, introduces foreseeable and preventable risks. Repeated road crash incidents associated with similar events indicate a failure to apply the precautionary principle embedded in PRSAP’s safety management pillar.
Classifying a racing event as tourism does not remove the government’s obligation to prioritize risk prevention over promotion, particularly when public roads are used.
2. Safer Roads and Mobility
The PRSAP explicitly promotes the use of public roads for safe and inclusive mobility, not for competitive motor-sporting activities. Public highways are designed to accommodate mixed traffic, including pedestrians, cyclists, public utility vehicles, and local residents.
The BIMC event temporarily transforms these shared public spaces into de facto racing corridors—conditions for which these roads were never engineered. This directly contradicts PRSAP’s objective of reducing conflict points and exposure risks, especially in rural and urban communities along event routes.
3. Safer Vehicles
While PRSAP encourages vehicle safety standards and roadworthiness, no amount of vehicle preparedness can compensate for the risks introduced by high-speed, long-distance competitive riding on public roads. The endurance nature of BIMC subjects riders to fatigue, reduced reaction time, and impaired judgment—recognized risk factors in road crash causation.
Moreover, the safety of non-participating vehicles and road users—whose vehicles are not part of the event’s safety protocols—remains unaddressed.
4. Safer Road Users
A core PRSAP pillar is the promotion of safe road user behavior, particularly the discouragement of speeding, aggressive riding, and risk-taking. BIMC, as a racing event defined by distance, time, and speed, inherently incentivizes behavior that PRSAP seeks to eliminate.
More importantly, the PRSAP places strong emphasis on the protection of Vulnerable Road Users (VRUs). Historical patterns show that VRUs—pedestrians, cyclists, roadside vendors, and local commuters—are often the unintended victims of crashes during such events. This outcome is fundamentally inconsistent with PRSAP’s zero-tolerance approach to preventable road deaths.
5. Post-Crash Response
While organizers may cite the presence of medical and emergency teams, PRSAP clearly prioritizes crash prevention over response. Emergency preparedness cannot justify activities that significantly elevate crash probability in the first place. Preventable exposure to harm, especially of non-consenting road users, runs counter to PRSAP’s preventive ethos.
PRSAP Targets and Policy Inconsistency
The PRSAP 2023-2028 spearheaded by DOTR sets measurable targets to reduce road crash fatalities and serious injuries nationwide. Events like BIMC, which repeatedly generate crash incidents and normalize high-risk riding on public roads, undermine these targets and dilute the credibility of government road safety commitments.
In sum, the BIMC motorcycle event:
• Constitutes a motor-sport racing activity, not a road safety–compliant tourism initiative;
• Encourages risk behavior explicitly discouraged under PRSAP;
• Exposes Vulnerable Road Users to unacceptable and avoidable danger; and
• Is not aligned with the pillars, principles, and targets of the Philippine Road Safety Action Plan.
Road safety is a government priority, not a discretionary consideration. Any activity conducted on public roads must first and foremost advance the objective of saving lives and ensuring safe mobility for all road users. Until such events can demonstrably align with PRSAP 2023-2028 pillars and targets, their conduct on public roads cannot be justified.
