President Rodrigo Duterte on Saturday decided to temporarily suspend the implementation of the Motorcycle Crime Prevention Act, or Republic Act 11235, after thousands of motorcycle riders opposed the law mandating the use of bigger license plates.
Meanwhile, Senator Richard Gordon said RA 11235 will give justice to the victims of motorcycle-riding assassins could no longer seek justice themselves because “dead men tell no tales.”
Gordon, principal author and sponsor of the law, said he will explain this to President Rodrigo Duterte, who has expressed his intention to meet with him to discuss suspending the new law’s implementation.
Senator JV Ejercito said Duterte’s plan to suspend the implementation of RA 11235 gave relief to the motorcycle-riding community.
“For me, it’s more like an imprimatur for the conduct of a thorough study and discussion among stakeholders to fully understand the law, especially the source of complaint and confusion, with the end view of coming up with a common formula to assure the safety of riders while the law’s anti-criminality objective is being achieved,” Ejercito said.
In his speech at the 25th annual convention of the National Federation of the Motorcycle Clubs of the Philippines in Iloilo City, Duterte sought to have a “compromise” with the Land Transportation Office on the new law, which he signed into law last month, labeling its provisions as “not good and dangerous.”
“I will try to convince the LTO to maybe hang onto it. I’ll suspend it for the meantime because it is not good. It is dangerous to place another gadget, especially since a license plate has corners,” Duterte told motorcycle enthusiasts.
“There are really corners in plate numbers. It could be plastic or it could be aluminum, but still, with an impact like that, it will pierce through your helmet. That’s dangerous. Anything that is sharp there, it’s not good.”
Aside from the LTO, the President also said he would speak to Gordon who authored the measure.
“So, I’ll talk to Gordon. Also, the P50,000 fine is too high,” he said.
“P50,000 is too high, it’s more expensive than a motorcycle. Let’s just compromise. Me, I’m willing [to recommend] P10 to P15,000, that’d be okay. But please, you go to the barest minimum. Around P10,000. If they don’t want it then P15,000.”
Under RA 11235, the LTO will issue bigger, readable and color-coded license plates to every motorcycle in the country “for quick and easy identification.”
The readable number plates must then be displayed in both the front and back sides of the motorcycle and should be made of suitable and durable material as determined by the LTO.
However, motorcycle rights groups took a stand against its passage, arguing that the additional specifications would only pose a big risk for the riders, passengers and pedestrians.
Meanwhile, the President said he signed the measure as it was a recommendation of the police and military.
“Why did I sign it? Because the police and the military are under my authority. Whatever they recommend, I will adopt it as long as they provide a rationale,” Duterte said.
The President, who is also an avid motorcycle enthusiast, even suggested enlarging the size of the rear plate by one-fourth for the numbers to become visible.
“As a compromise, here’s how. Just enlarge the size of the plate numbers by one-fourth. Just one-fourth. Make it larger so that the numbers will be visible; just to remove the objection in the front,” he said.
“So, that is my message. I’m going to correct that particular legislation with a compromise. Just one fourth to satisfy so that even if it’s far, you can really see the plate number.”
In a bid to secure the country from motorcycle-related crimes, Duterte signed into law the measure on March 8.
The government has allocated an initial funding of P150,000,000 for the implementation of the new law. The LTO, along with other concerned agencies, will formulate the Implementing Rules and Regulations to push the provisions of the act within a non-extendible period of 90 days from its effectivity. With Macon Ramos-Araneta
