DUMAGUETE CITY – The Land Transport Office (LTO) in Region 7 and its district office in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental, the provincial Highway Patrol Group (HPG) and the city government have finally agreed on the gradual implementation of the highly debated national helmet law.
LTO-Dumaguete City District Office chief Alberta Janine Lawas said Thursday afternoon that after a consensus was reached among the parties involved, her office and the HPG will still enforce Republic Act 10054 or the Motorcycle Helmet Act in her area of coverage but with some “exemptions” such as on interior roads.
The consensus was reached Wednesday during a closed-door meeting with Mayor Felipe Antonio Remollo, city councilors, LTO-Dumaguete, HPG-Negros Oriental and with LTO Region 7 chief of operations Macario Getaruelas, who arrived from Cebu to help iron out issues and concerns regarding the implementation of the national helmet law.
The parties agreed that the implementation of the national helmet law would be gradual, starting from the national highways, and going inward to the city’s central district.
“We are happy that for now, we have reached a so-called win-win situation, while the city officials are looking for legal remedies to address the concerns and other issues regarding the wearing of helmets by motorcycle riders and backriders,” Lawas said.
In the meantime, they agreed on giving ample time to the public to get used to the wearing of helmets while the LTO will embark on a massive information and dissemination campaign.
The city officials, on the other hand, passed a resolution urging Congress to abrogate RA 10054, and transfer authority for the same to the local level, so that city and municipal governments can instead pass their own ordinances that are suitable and crafted according to their individual needs and local setting.
The national helmet law will be implemented in the national highways specifically in the boundaries of Dumaguete to Valencia, Dumaguete to Bacong, Dumaguete to Sibulan, the north national highway, and the port area.
Motorists not wearing helmets in city streets and barangay roads will not be apprehended.
It was not immediately known, however, whether the national highways that include Perdices Street (from Robinsons mall to Silliman Farm), Real Street (from Robinsons mall passing through the public market on to the north city limit), and Silliman Avenue towards the city port would be covered or exempted, as these are within the city’s central district.
Local officials are also proposing a local ordinance that will lower the penalties for not wearing helmets. As stipulated by law, the first offense will mean a fine of PHP1,500 but Remollo is hoping it would be decreased to PHP200.00 or PHP300.00
Remollo clarified that he is supports the law on the wearing of helmets for the safety of the people, but is pushing for its amendment.
“The people must learn to wear helmets not because the law mandates it but because they honestly believe it will save their lives, which is far more precious than the cost of helmets or the inconvenience of using them,” the mayor said.
Lawas, meanwhile, reiterated that it is not within their “powers” to change, alter, allow exemptions, or ease up on the implementation of RA 10054 because they are “merely implementors of the law.”
“I appeal to the public to understand that we are duty-bound to enforce the law. They can ask their congressional representatives to speak for them and bring their concerns to Congress so that the law can be amended as they desire it,” she added. (Mary Judaline Partlow/PNA)