James Bond girl in RP to promote road safety

MANILA, Philippines - International film star and James Bond girl Michelle Yeoh arrived on Tuesday to call attention to the need for safety helmets among motorcycle riders in the Philippines.

Jetting in via a Cathay Pacific flight from Europe via Hong Kong, Yeoh is in town on the invitation of the Automobile Association of the Philippines (AAP), the FIA Foundation, and the Asian Development Bank.

These institutions are behind the Global Helmet Vaccine Initiative (GHVI), which pushes for the use of safety helmets among motorcycle riders.

Yeoh was the Bond girl in the 1997 film, Tomorrow Never Dies, with Pierce Brosnan as James Bond.

International film star and James Bond girl Michelle Yeoh at NAIA. Credit: Raoul Esperas

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), at least 1.2 million people aged 15 to 45 are killed annually due to motorcycle-related accidents. The international community believes using safety helmets is the best way of preventing such road injuries.

Earlier this year, the Philippine National Police expressed alarm over the increase in motorcycle accidents in the country]. It revealed that 209 such accidents were reported in January alone, a significant increase over the 106 cases recorded during the same period last year. Most of the accidents happened in the provinces.

At the Asian Development Bank headquarters in Pasig tomorrow, Yeoh, as Road Safety Ambassador, will turn over 1,000 safety helmets to children who ride tandem with their parents aboard motorcycles on their way to school. Her visit is expected to increase awareness of the need for safety helmets in the country.

Aside from being a Bond girl, Yeoh is also known for starring in blockbuster movies such as Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Memoirs of a Geisha, Sunshine, Mummy 3, and Babylon AD.