President Duterte is mulling on carrying out an intensified crackdown on motorcycles emitting ear-splitting noise.
The President has expressed dismay with noisy motorcycles after a loud sound of a passing vehicle interrupted his speech at the opening of the Skyway Stage 3 in Quezon City Thursday.
"Walang hiya. Iyan ang ayaw ko. You know in Davao, wala ‘yan. Pinapara ko sa highway tapos sabi ko, 'Tanggalin mo ‘yan' (No shame. That's what I don't like. You know in Davao, that does not exist. I flag down the motorcycle along the highway and say, 'Remove that')," Duterte said about motorbikes with noisy exhaust system during the inauguration of the Metro Manila Skyway Stage 3 project.
Duterte, a motorcycle enthusiast, recalled that he used to have a noisy motorbike but decided to remove its loud exhaust pipes.
"Ang problema ang motor ko maingay. Ako ‘yung unang nag – tinuli ko ‘yung exhaust (The problem with my motorcycle is the noise. I was the one who cut the exhaust). Because you know pollution is really very, very present in our lives today and it is really considered a pollution and is hazard to the health of the people. One of these days, sabihin ko ‘yang mga motorsiklo (I'll give notice to these motorcycles),” he said.
Duterte, a former mayor of Davao City, also said his hometown has become "extremely quiet" since loud pipes are not allowed on motorbikes.
"Alam ko nako-corny-han kayo. But wala naman akong maituro na lugar (I know you find it corny but I can't pinpoint another place). It does not exist in Davao. There is no broom-broom around. It’s quiet and it is extremely quiet,” he said.
In 2016, the President became annoyed when a motorcycle with a deafening noise interrupted a media interview. He said when he was Davao City mayor, he banned modified mufflers that generate unusual noise in motorcycles.