ONE FOR THE ROAD
We should have a law that prevents lawmakers from making another law, if there is already a current law that is not properly enforced. All in favor say 'Aye'!
I could give you many examples of this, but take the recent announcement from the LTO regarding those slow moving e-trikes that have become the new Hari ng Kalsada. Road users have been up in arms about the lack of discipline displayed by e-trike riders, as well as their blatant disregard for traffic rules, and of course the disparity in speed — which is clearly a danger when mixed with faster moving four-wheeled vehicles on national roads or highways.
To address this public outcry, LTO Chief Vigor Mendoza responded by proposing the mandatory registration of e-trikes and bikes, as a way of curbing the proliferation of this new form of transport that is slowly taking over the roads.
“There should be no speed limitation. For as long as these vehicles are used in public roads, they should be registered,” Mendoza said.
Now that may sound pretty reasonable, and for the record I do believe that all vehicles using public roads should be registered, but the problem is that these vehicles shouldn’t be used on national roads to begin with. So creating a new law to register them is not the answer. Enforcing Republic Act 4136 is. So why don’t they do it? Because it is easier to legislate than regulate. And there’s also a nice new revenue stream that comes along with it — plus the sweet smelling press release that looks like you’re doing something about it.
Best part about this strategy is it buys enough time to get the public off the scent, move on to some other new issue of the day, then be totally forgotten by the end of the week. It’s a move as old as politics itself. And it will continue for as long as we allow it to. Traffic has become one of the, if not the biggest threat to our economy. It is time we start treating it like the crisis that it really is, and not just some anecdote by a lead singer in a concert.
Again, I support the registration of all vehicles used on public roads — for so long as they are legally allowed to be there in the first place. And on top of RA 4136, there’s also DILG Memorandum Circulars 2007-11, 2011-68 and 2020-004 that have already been issued that clearly prohibits the presence of tricycles (regardless of gas, EV or pedal powered) on national roads and prescribing the operating conditions and franchising of tricycles.
So there’s no need to reinvent the wheel. Just enforce what is already there before introducing yet another law. Besides which, let’s be realistic here. In this particular case, even if we assume for the sake of the story that registering these vehicles will solvate problem of them not using national roads or highways, is it even realistic for the LTO to propose this?
Citing their own data, Mendoza has already said, “Majority of vehicles on the road are not registered. As far back as 2003, there were 38 million four-wheeled vehicles and motorcycles on the road but only 13.9 million were registered, according to LTO data.” Yet the plan is to register even more new vehicles that should not be used on major roads to begin with.
Let that sink in for a moment. Then tell me, is the problem really a lack of laws? Or the proper implementation of them?