Senators back amendment to Motorcycle Crime Prevention Act
Senator Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito hopes for a win-win solution in introducing proposed amendments to Republic Act (RA) No. 11235, also known as the Motorcycle Crime Prevention Act, commonly known as the "Doble Plaka" law.
During the public hearing of the Committee on Justice and Human Rights on Senate Bill 159 Wednesday, February 22, 2023, Ejercito, the Deputy Majority Leader, also suggested that instead of requiring a bulky front plate number on all motorcycles, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) stickers containing the driver’s identification be installed instead.
Ejercito, himself a motorcycle rider, pointed out that the fines provided in the law are about 10 times higher compared to those charged against violations committed by drivers of four-wheeled vehicles.
"These fines and penalties are too excessive to the point of being discriminatory to motorcycle riders. They can reach P50,000 up to P100,000," too excessive to the point of being discriminatory to motorcycle riders. They can reach P50,000 up to P100,000," he said.
For his part, Senator Ramon Bong Revilla, Jr. said the current law does not fully solve the crimes committed by motorcycle-riding criminals in the country.
Revilla stressed that criminal activities perpetrated by motorcycle riding-in-tandem couldn’t be solved by bigger license plates alone.
He said police visibility remains to be the best deterrent against street crimes.
"Republic Act 11235 was enacted to prevent crimes using motorcycles. However, one of the effects of this law was it became discriminatory toward the motorcycle-riding public. Some unscrupulous law enforcers started extorting money from motorcycle riders with the implementation of the law," Revilla said.
"As a rider myself, I’ve always advocated for responsible motorcycling in the country,” the lawmaker said in Filipino.