MANILA, Philippines – Following a series of killings on priests and local officials, the Philippine National Police (PNP) has launched a new national campaign plan or Oplan against riding-in-tandem shooters.

Their latest weapon? Color-coded stickers.

The new “Campaign Plan: Clean Rider” has been signed by PNP chief Director General Oscar Albayalde on July 6, 2018, with Metro Manila launch set on August 1, Wednesday.

“The recent crimes perpetrated by motorcycle riding suspects (MRS) targeting high-profile victims such as priests and elected government officials had challenged the policies of the PNP,” the memorandum acquired by Rappler read.

“It is for this reason that the PNP has crafted ‘Campaign Plan: Clean Rider’ for a vigorous, focused, and effective campaign to totally eliminate crimes committed by MRS,” it added.

Here’s how the new program works.

Getting the stickers: The name “Clean Rider” also serves as the goal of the program for all motorcycle owners in the Philippines.

The stickers are earned by motorcycle riders across the country by registering their respective vehicles in their local police stations.

“Clean rider [is] a rider whose registration documents were processed and were issued with motorcycle stickers by the PNP,” the order defined.

In order to be declared “clean,” motorcycle owners must submit either the receipt of purchase of the motorbike or the vehicle’s certificate of registration, the owner’s driver’s license, and a government-issued identification card.

The sticker design is a stylized police badge. Names of the region and the municipality or city where these were issued are printed at the center over a sun similar to that of the Philippine flag.

The logo of the PNP and the local police station are pressed at the top corners, while the serial numbers are at the bottom. The sticker is about 3 inches in height and 2.5 inches in width. Each city and municipality has a designated color. The sun on the stickers varies according to the areas where the stickers were registered.

Once registered, the clean riders should have the stickers “attached conspicuously in the front portion of the motorcycle.” They also get a “smaller version” of the sticker to be attached “at the back of the rider’s driving license.

How it will battle crime: The stickers chiefly make inspections easier for cops.

When a shooting happens, cops automatically set up checkpoints near the crime scene to prevent suspects from escaping. While they try to spot suspicious-looking riders, suspects still manage to slip to neighboring towns and regions.

“Dahil iba-iba ang kulay ng mga stickers, mas madaling makita yung hindi galing sa area (Because the colors are seen, area outsiders can easily be spotted),” PNP Director for Operations (DO) chief Police Director Ma. O Aplasca told Rappler in an interview.

The non-“clean riders” could easily be prioritized in the checks.

“Most likely hindi gagamit ng rehistrado ang mga kriminal dahil madaling mata-track (Most likely, criminals wouldn’t use registered motorcycles because they could easily be tracked),” Aplasca said, explaining that local police would keep a database of the clean riders.

From October 2017 to May 2018, cops counted on average 4 killings a day perpetrated by shooters onboard motorcycles. The PNP has also repeatedly said that motorcycles are the most preferred escape vehicles by criminals after commiting crimes.

Cops calling for help: Cops also hope to find allies in motorcycle riders in their areas as holding stickers would make them elligible to become “force multipliers.”

This means that clean riders can volunteer accompany cops in patrolling and chasing after suspects. Becoming force multipliers is purely volunteer-based for those with stickers.

To get more recruits, Aplasca said, the PNP would appeal to the riders’ “sense of community responsibility.”

The Director for Operations said they are eyeing partnerships with local motorcycle groups who usually ride in packs on weekends.

“Diyan sa mga motorcycle riders, 99% naman matino, mga 1% or less than 1% ang may criminal mind (For those riders, 99% are good, around 1% or less have criminal minds),” Aplasca said.

By tapping into this “good minded” 99%, the PNP hopes that riders would police themselves. The first goal set by the order is to recruit at least 10% of motorcycle owners across the country to register as “clean riders.”

The problem with stickers: Contrary to the earlier announcement of PNP chief Oscar Albayalde that they would use hologram technology to prevent fake stickers, instead the PNP would only just use plain water-proof adhesives.

This means the stickers could be faked if criminals have the resources. PNP DO chief Aplasca said they would make sure the stickers would be hard to copy, saying that they would be produced solely by the PNP Directorate for Research and Development.

Another concern is if the stickers would be removed from registered riders and used by criminals. To this, Metro Manila top cop Chief Superintendent Guillermo Eleazar said the PNP would make sure that the stickers would be ruined once removed.

Both Aplasca and Eleazar did not expound on how these security features would be made possible, especially since the stickers are completely free for the clean riders.

In a forum on Friday, July 27, Eleazar admitted that the plan is still a “work in progress,” then he urged the public to take a chance on the new Oplan.

“Bigyan natin ng chance ‘to. Pinag-isipan ito ng PNP. At least, may nangyayari (Let’s give this a chance. The PNP really thought about this. At least, something is happening),” Eleazar said.

The Oplan is set to be launched in Metro Manila on Wednesday, August 1. It has already been started in PNP Calabarzon on July 27. – Rappler.com

TOP PHOTO: OPLAN CLEAN RIDER. Stickers mark the PNP’s campaign plan against riding-in-tandem shooters.