By Roel Amazona/Philippine News Agency
TACLOBAN CITY — The Federation of Eastern Visayas Motorcyclist Association (FEVMA), is seeking a revision of the Motorcycle Crime Prevention Act.
“We are not against this law, but there are some provisions of the law that we feel we are being discriminated,” FEVMA President Allan Tajarros said on Monday.
Among the provision of the law is using bigger, color-coded number plates that are readable from the front, back and side from a distance of at least 15 meters should be placed on the motorcycle.
Violators will be fined PHP50,000 up to PHP100,000 and a prison term of six months to six years.
“Every brand of a motorcycle has its own design, and the current design of most motorcycles we have here in the region is not suitable to comply with this law. Maybe in the future designs of the manufacturer, this law is implementable,” Tajarros said.
The group at present has about 1,500 members from six provinces in the region.
Tajarros said that motorcycle riders should have been consulted before coming up with the legislation, but since it was already signed by the President, they are pushing for changes in some of the provisions of the law in the next Congress.
Jobert Christian Bolaños, chairman, Motorcycle Rights Organization, shares that if the law is only applicable to some motorcycles and will not cover all designs, the law should not be implemented at all.
He said that there is a provision in the law stating that if a sticker or plate number cannot be placed in front of the motorcycle, the owner cannot register it.
“It’s okay to have a bigger font, but our suggestion is we should follow the European standard because they had been using that type of plates. However, our fear is, this is not applicable to all because of the design of motorcycles,” said Jobert Christian Bolaños, chairperson of the Motorcycle Rights Organization.
With the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of the law yet to be formulated with the assistance from the Land Transportation Office (LTO), the motorcycle organizations are hoping that some of the provisions deemed inappropriate would be changed.
“Definitely, when we start formulating the IRR we will consult all the stakeholders not only the region but in the whole country,” said Ledwino Macariola, LTO Eastern Visayas operations chief.
President Duterte signed Republic Act No. 11235 on March 8. The law requires motorcycles to have larger and more readable number plates as a way to prevent crimes committed by motorcycle riders.
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