
Trigger Warning: Article contains text and video featuring disturbing content of vehicular accident
Measures taken by a private university for road safety were raised anew after a speeding motorbike caught fire along Taft Avenue and struck two pedestrians.
Videos of a motorbike catching fire near the intersection on Remedios Street corner Taft Avenue circulated online as Filipinos raised awareness of the accident and talked about erring motorists, colloquially referred to as “kamotes.”
Reports said the incident happened past 7 a.m. on Wednesday, January 22.
Two female pedestrians were crossing the avenue and were already near the center island when the motorbike hit them. They were thrown off due to the impact.
One of the pedestrians was killed, while the other pedestrian and the motorcycle rider were hurt.
Barangay ex-o Jackson Ong of Brgy. 692 at Manila said that the rider was also thrown from his motorbike and was initially unaware he had hit pedestrians.
A dashcam footage of the incident was also uploaded by YouTube vlogger “JOMARIAN TV,” whose recording featured the roaring sound of the speeding motorbike along the southbound lane of Taft Avenue as it passed him.
“‘Yung big bike, sobrang tulin, mga medyo malayo-layo pa ‘yan, narinig ko na ‘yung lakas ng ugong ng motor niya kasi syempre, big bike. Tapos pag-overtake niya sa’kin, sa’min — pati ‘yung kasabay kong sasakyan — talagang narinig mo, tinodo niya talaga ‘yung accelerator niya, sobrang lakas,” he narrated in his video.
“Kaya lang, ang masaklap nito, nadamay ‘yung, siguro tatawid lang ito sa tawiran. Akala ko nung una, isa lang, so dalawa pala ‘yung nabangga niya,” the vlogger added.
He also reminded his fellow motorists to be careful of their speed in traversing such busy roads, adding that it is important they reach their destinations safely even if they are slow.
The video made its way to a discussion forum named “r/PHMotorcycles,” where some riders condemned the motorbike rider for speeding on a city road that has intersections and pedestrian crossings.
“You can’t go full throttle in a busy small street, [especially] on a powerful bike. Madami talagang [egoistic] riders, lalo na sa big bikes, [na-encounter] ko na din sila madalas. Should always respect the power of your bike,” a Redditor wrote.
“Kamote talaga, ‘di man lang inisip na nasa area siya na may mga taong tumatawid. Feeling nasa expressway,” another Redditor said.
The incident also prompted other Filipinos to recall the viral spoof post of The LaSallian, the student paper of De La Salle University, which earned flak from some users who poked fun at the students’ reliability to security guards when crossing streets.
“See, tapos pagtatawanan ‘yung mga taga-DLSU na tinutulungan pa tumawid mga estudyante ni kuya guard?” a Redditor wrote in the comments.
“Off topic, pero ‘yan isa sa mga reason bakit may guard na nagpapatawid ng students sa DLSU (I know stereotype na ‘di daw marunong tumawid mga taga DLSU). Kasi takaw aksidente talaga mga kamote na drivers and riders,” another Reddit user said.
“Na-witness ko dati na may tumilapon na pedicab along Taft kasi mabilis masyado patakbo ng taxi. Pareho silang may mali, kaya lang, lipad talaga si manong sa pedicab [niya] nung nabangga [siya ng taxi],” the user added.
In 2024, The LaSallian created spoof content for April Fools’ Day which included a post that had the text: “We’re Lasallians, of course we can’t cross the road without kuya guard.”
The post got called out by some non-Lasallians who criticized the students for relying on other people when it comes to crossing streets.
Others defended the post and argued that pedestrian safety is a serious issue on city roads like Taft Avenue, where erring motorists are commonly spotted.
A 2014 feature by the student paper already pointed out the “pedestrian issues” along the avenue, noting reckless drivers who do not give way to pedestrians despite red traffic signals.
RELATED: Road safety on spotlight after viral spoof on Taft Avenue crossing
DLSU has security guards posted at gates who also aid students in crossing streets across the university. They also carry signages to signal drivers to stop so the students can walk safely.
Taft Avenue is one of the busiest roads in Manila.
Several universities are located along the major thoroughfare like DLSU, DLSU-CSB, University of the Philippines Manila, and the Philippine Christian University.
Government establishments are also located in the area like the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeals, and the National Bureau of Investigation.