President Rodrigo Duterte on Saturday defended his decision to sign the Motorcycle Crime Prevention Act, which requires the placement of plates in front and at the back of motorcycles.
In his speech at the 25th National Federation of the Motorcycle Clubs of the Philippines (NFMCP) Annual Convention held at the Iloilo Convention Center, Duterte said that it was his trust with the military and policemen that drove him to sign the law.
“Alam mo kasi… bakit pinirmahan ko… ang pulis tao ko yan. Ang military tao ko. Anong irekomenda nila, I will adopt it. Basta maglagay lang ng rationale,” he said.
(Whatever the police and military will recommend, as long as it is rationale, I will sign it.)
The chief executive earlier announced in the same event that he is willing to suspend the implementation of the law due to some “safety” concerns.
He also expressed his intent to look at the amounts in penalties prescribed for violations.
“I will try to convince the LTO (Land Transportation Office) to maybe hang onto it. I-suspend ko lang muna. Kasi it is not good,†Duterte adds.
(I will try to convince the LTO to maybe hang onto it. I will suspend this because it is not good.)
“Lakihan na lang ninyo ang plate number sa likod by one-fourth para makita talaga yung number. Ang importante talaga yung sa likod.”
(What’s more important is the plate at the back (of the motorcycle), so maybe we can increase the size by a fourth to make it more visible number.)
“Maybe as compromise, I’m willing (to lower it to) P10,000 to P15,000.”
Under the law, a fine of P50,000 up to P100,000 is prescribed.
It also requires motorcycle drivers to have larger number plates as a method of preventing motorcycle-related crimes.
With this, Duterte said he would consider a discussion with LTO and Sen. Richard Gordon who authored the enacted law, in order to come up with a better solution.
