By GENIVI FACTAO

They can weave in and out of traffic. They are easy on the pocket. They take you fast where you want to go.

Motorcycles have become new kings of the road from Cagayan to Jolo.

Industry insiders said motor bikes started to be very popular two decades ago when cheap smuggled bikes proliferated in the Ilocos region.

Ports up North were known as dumping grounds of cheap bikes from Taiwan and from China.

Scooters easy to use and maneuver also became favorite rides around subdivisions.

In Quezon City, they in fact provide livelihood. Persons willing to ride tandem are charged minimal fees.

In one of the provinces up North, those providing bike service even wear uniforms.

Higher transport fares also encouraged the use of more bikes.

An employee of a newspaper company said that he and his wife who rides tandem with him save P150 per day on transport cost. Their combined fare used to reach P200 per day but now that they ride tandem, they only spend P50 on gas daily from Port Area in Manila to Novaliches.

The number of motorcycles sold last year reached 549,000 according to the Motorcycle Development Program Participant’s Association Inc.

The industry is in fact appealing to the Board of Investments that it be included in the 2008 investment priority listing.

The association said sales can jump 28 percent to 700,000 this year and reach 1.2 million by 2012.

The MDPPA members include Honda Philippines Inc., Kawasaki Motor Philippines, Suzuki Philippines, MCX Motor Philippines, Eastworld Industrial Sales and Yamaha Motor Philippines Inc.

During the IPP hearing, the group claimed, "non-inclusion of the motorcycle will hamper the momentum of the industry."

Motorists prefer bikes because they are easy to buy on installment and cost little to maintain.

The government said motorcycle industry become very big and had spread all over Mindanao and the parts of Visayas.

Cities are currently being encouraged to create more motorcycle parking lanes, and for city councils to work with motorcyclists.

Meanwhile, Honda said based from sales reports submitted to MDDPA and Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines, Inc. (CAMPI), it had a combined motorcycle and automotive sales of 358,125 units, capturing 62 percent of the motorcycle industry and 15 percent of the auto industry.

With the motor vehicle industry in full swing and due to favorable economic condition in 2007, the Honda companies generated 22 percent increase on its gross sales. Honda has a total of 468 motorcycle dealers and 23 automobile dealers across the country.

Last year, a total of 859,538 units of motorcycles and automobiles were newly registered at the Land Transportation Office (LTO).

"This means that 42 percent of all new motorized vehicles that we see on the road have Honda badges on them, Ý #ù– it said.

Since 2001, Honda motorcycles have been dominating the market due to its wide range of product lines.

The most popular model in the bunch is the XRM 125, comprising 22 percent of HPI’s total sales. The XRM 125 is the first motorcycle to comply with EURO 2 standards in the Philippines. EURO standards set the acceptable limits of emission particles of new models.