By Christopher Lloyd Caliwan | Philippine News Agency
The Philippine National Police-Highway Patrol Group (PNP-HPG) on Tuesday said it has seized a total of 1,707 sirens, blinkers, and other prohibited vehicle accessories in various operations nationwide.
Citing its latest data, HPG chief Brig. Gen. Alan Nazarro said these items were seized from March 25 to April 22, in accordance with Presidential Decree (PD) 96, which bans the use of blinkers, sirens, and other related devices for private vehicles.
These include 957 light-emitting diode (LED) lamps, 300 blinkers, 179 fog lights, 134 modified mufflers, 78 horns, 48 strobe lights, and 11 sirens.
In a separate interview in Camp Crame, HPG Special Operations Division chief Col. Joel Casupanan assured that there are no sacred cows in their crackdown against these illegal devices.
He said most of the seized items were from operations in Calabarzon, Davao Region, and Caraga.
“Ang karamihan kasi yung LED light. Noong inallow sila ng LTO (Land Transportation Office) lalo na sa mga motorsiklo na puwedeng maglagay with certain specifications, dinagdagan or sumobra yung inilagay nilang mga auxiliary lights kaya nako-confiscate,” he explained.
Casupanan, meanwhile, said most motorists remove these accessories themselves once they are apprehended for a first offense.
A second offense is meted with a penalty of up to six months imprisonment, a P600 fine and revocation of driver’s license and vehicle registration.
The PNP’s crackdown has been reinforced by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s Administrative Order (AO) No. 18, barring government officials and employees from using sirens, blinkers, and other similar signaling or flashing devices.
Exempted from the prohibition are vehicles of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), the PNP, fire trucks, hospital ambulances, and other emergency vehicles.
The PNP earlier said it would also run after sellers of these devices.
