MANILA – Malacañang yesterday said it supports tougher measures against crimes by perpetrators who ride "in-tandem" on motorcycles.

Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said government will keep tab on the progress of such tougher measures in Congress.

“We want to see such initiatives to curb crime take off. We are aware that many recent crimes, including murder, involved the perpetrators riding-in-tandem on motorcycles," he said.

Some officials had reportedly proposed the banning of people from riding in tandem in motorcycles.

Coloma said they are hopeful that laws that could help prevent such crimes will be passed soonest. “Our authorities are closely monitoring the progress of such measures. We hope Congress could come up with measures that will help curb such crimes," he said.

Meanwhile, the government is taking steps to keep the Philippines from becoming a transshipment point for drugs, deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said.

She said President Benigno Aquino III has instructed concerned agencies to share information so they can work together more effectively. She noted there is now heightened cooperation among the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, National Bureau of Investigation, and the Philippine National Police.

Valte said that with authorities getting better at thwarting drug laboratories, it is possible that drug rings may have shifted to manufacturing the drugs abroad and using the Philippines as a transshipment point.

However, she added the sharing of information among law enforcement agencies has already netted results, including the interception of some P1.3 billion worth of illegal drugs Friday.*PNA

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