EDITORS DESK

Republic Act No. 11698, also known as the Vintage Vehicle Regulation Act, principally sponsored by Senate President Miguel Zubiri, lapsed into law on April 15, 2022. Just last Sunday, its implementing rules and regulations (IRR) were signed by the Land Transportation Office at the Presidential Car Museum in Quezon City.
Under the IRR, vintage vehicles older than 40 years would be granted several exemptions when being registered as a vintage vehicle due to the circumstances of the time of their production. This includes exemptions for emissions and some aspects of safety as they weren’t designed to meet today’s stringent standards. Because they aren’t as safe or clean as modern cars, their use is also limited to the daytime. Finally, any vintage vehicles imported for personal use will also have to meet fewer requirements from the LTO and customs.
The law itself may not seem that important to the average citizen, however, it is a long awaited one (some may say long overdue) for car enthusiasts. Its value is easier to understand if one were to put themselves in the shoes of a classic car owner.
Before the law, anyone with a vehicle produced before 1983 would have to subject their car to the same motor vehicle inspection system and emissions tests as any modern vehicle. Naturally, vehicles manufactured before the 90s cannot meet today’s more stringent standards. In addition, the safety standards were far more lenient. Things that come standard today — like righthand side mirrors and seatbelts — were purely optional for cars built in the 50s and 60s.
I’m particularly excited about this law because I used to own a 1960s classic car and found it frustrating how I was forced to modify my vehicle just to meet modern standards to be able to register it. First of all, leaded fuel was outlawed so modifying it to run on unleaded was already a challenge. Then came the introduction of ethanol into fuel which required another modification. Inspectors at the LTO district office refused to register my car because it had no seatbelts or a right hand side mirror (because it was never made with them in the first place), requiring even more changes which ruined the historical accuracy of the vehicle.
With this laundry list of requirements, it’s easy to see how classic car owners can simply be tempted to turn their vehicles into garage queens. When simply kept in private, how can anyone appreciate our rich automotive history?
Thankfully, this law has been passed, allowing classic car owners a chance to register these rare treasures and even take them out on the road again. The law even allows right hand drive vehicles to be imported and registered without having to be converted, preserving their unique layout. Finally, the law also makes it easier for restorers to bring in the necessary parts to restore these vehicles, encouraging more shops that specialize in these vehicles to open up, which in turn will provide more jobs.
It’s high time the government has recognized the value of preserving historic vehicles with this law. This will encourage their registration in the LTO, give their owners more reason to take the vehicles out more, as well as allow the public to see just how many classic cars there really are in the country. If the many vintage cars present (including rare examples like a Mercedes-Benz 300SL ‘Gullwing,’ Shelby Cobra, as well as pre-war Fords, Chevrolets and Cadillacs) at the IRR signing are any indication, there’s quite a lot of history worth preserving.
After all, many of these vehicles have quite the stories to tell. The Philippines and our talented automotive historians, mechanics, and welders, already have quite the reputation across car collecting circles. It’s time we made it official with this law.