Philippines ban on religious ‘distractions’ in cars sparks outcry

Hanging rosaries and religious icons in vhicles will be banned in the Philippines from May 26. Ted Aljibe / AFP Photo

MANILA // Philippine authorities have banned hanging rosaries and religious icons off car dashboards because of safety concerns, prompting an outcry from the Catholic Church which insists they offer divine intervention on the nation’s chaotic roads.

The ban, which takes effect on Friday, is part of a wide-ranging new law aimed at eliminating driver distractions.

These include talking or sending messages on mobile phones, putting on make-up, and eating or drinking while driving, according to Aileen Lizada, the spokeswoman for the national transport regulatory agency.

But it is the ban on the religious icons and trinkets, which visitors to the Philippines inevitably see hanging off rear-view mirrors in taxis and jeepneys, that has stirred the most controversy.

About 80 per cent of the Philippines’ 100 million population is Catholic and the religious icons in vehicles are seen by many as offering protection while driving.

“This is an overreaction, insensitive and lacks common sense,” said Father Jerome Secillano, the executive secretary for public affairs at the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines,.

“With these religious images, drivers feel they are safer, that there is divine intervention and they are being guided and protected.”

Piston, an association of jeepney drivers and owners, also criticised the plan, saying there was no data showing rosaries and religious trinkets caused accidents.

“Do not meddle with the drivers’ faith in God,” the Piston president George San Mateo said.

* Agence France-Presse