AIP, UPS, AAP, DepEd distribute moto helmets to 2 Mandaluyong schools

To further promote road safety to children, the Asia Injury Prevention (AIP) Foundation — supported by United Parcel Service (UPS) Foundation, in cooperation with the Automobile Association Philippines (AAP) and the Department of Education (DepEd) -Mandaluyong — handed over hundreds of motorcycle helmets to students of two schools in Mandaluyong.

In an interview, AAP Advocacies Manager Cynthia Reyes said that through the latest “Safety Delivered” initiative, students, teachers and non-teaching staff of Filemon P. Javier and Dona Basilisa Yangco Elementary Schools received more than 900 helmets yesterday (June 21).

Reyes shared that the recently delivered helmets will help promote awareness about the importance of child helmet use.

“According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the leading cause of death for those aged 5-29 years old is figuring into a road crash. Quality helmets can cut down the risk of death by 42 percent and serious brain injury by 69 percent. As we give these helmets to school children, we impart to their household the life-saving benefits of having one every time they ride motorcycles — a common mode of transport here in the country,” Reyes told Carmudi Philippines.

For his part, AAP Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mark Desales said that it is important that helmet safety education reaches students. “Supporting the “Safety Delivered” program marks our commitment to encourage all road users in the Philippines to wear helmets on the roads by promoting meaningful behavior".

In his speech, Desales expressed the club’s willingness to support initiatives “that will remarkably improve safety for all road users across the country.” Let's continue to make the roads safer for everyone,” he added.

Based on a survey conducted to students from the aforementioned schools, more than 70 percent of those who travel using a bicycle or other two-three wheeled vehicles do not own a helmet (Filemon P. Javier Elementary School is at 76.7 percent while Dona Basilisa Yangco Elementary School, 71.4 percent).

On the other hand, nearly half of the students who have their own helmet use theirs when commuting to and from schools (Filemon P. Javier Elementary School, 46.8 percent and Dona Basilisa Yangco Elementary School, 51.1 percent).

UPS Philippines Community Involvement Committee (CIC) Executive Sponsor Tessa Santos said that the "alarming low helmet-wearing rate among students highlights the urgent need for preventive action to fight this public health crisis that disproportionately affects young people."

AIP Foundation CEO Mirjam Sidik said the latest event helped them get closer to the organization’s vision of “a world where all neighborhood streets are livable, safe, and sustainable."

Photos from Ruben D. Manahan IV

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