Metro Manila police director Guillermo Eleazar on Thursday expressed his full support to the Motorcycle Crime Prevention Act, saying the new law requiring bigger and more readable number plates for motorcycles will help decrease crimes committed by motorcycle-riding criminals.
“We agree with the spirit, purpose, and end-objective of this law. We believe that this law will help decrease crimes committed by motorcycle-riding criminals such as snatchers, holdup men, and assassins,” Eleazar said.
The NCRPO chief issued the statement two days after a motorcycle riding men gunned down a police officer assigned at the National Capital Region Police Office in broad daylight at the corner of Epifanio de los Santos Avenue and Connecticut Street in San Juan City.
Also last month, a motorcycle riding-in-tandem killed an Alabang-based businessman in the same area.
Eleazar said Republic Act 11235 is not meant to discriminate motorcycle riders.
“One argument by those who are against the new law is that they are ‘riders, not criminals.’ Well, the new law never generalized that riders are criminals. The law simply allows for an easier system to catch criminals in motorcycles as these evil people do not wear plates at all. It will be easier now for the police to flag down and investigate those without plates, because of the new law. We do not even need a checkpoint now to perform our function legally,” he explained.
Senator Richard Gordon, the principal author of the law, said to prevent delays in implementing Republic Act 11235, the Land Transportation Office, in coordination with the Philippine National Police, should immediately build an Operation Center.
“I will call on the LTO to build a 24/7 Operation Center immediately because we cannot implement the law without it. Therefore, the LTO, in coordination with the PNP, must prepare immediately so they are not delayed again,” he said.
Gordon said the laws calls for a Joint PNP-LTO Operations and Control Center which should be operational and accessible real-time, as well as equipped with the latest available technology to facilitate the implementation of the law.
“It must have sufficient computers and software capable of addressing any emergency and inquiry. Also, a hotline, specifically for reporting of crimes or offenses committed with the use of motorcycles, should be established,” he said.
Signed by President Rodrigo Duterte on March 8, the new law mandates that motorcycles must have plate numbers at the front and rear portions that are large enough to be read clearly from a distance of 15 meters. These plates will also be color coded.
The law also requires the LTO to maintain a registry of motorcycles in a database to facilitate information retrieval for official investigation and law enforcement purposes.
It will also penalize motorcycle drivers not using the readable plates with prision correccional (imprisonment between six months and one day to six years) as stated in the Revised Penal Code or pay a fine of not less than PHP50,000 but not more than P100,000 or both.
Authorities can apprehend motorcycle riders and seize their vehicles if it does not have the proper number plate. The motorcycle owner can only retrieve it after complying with the requirement.
It also imposes tough penalties for the use of motorcycles in commission of crimes.
General Eleazar urged the public to comply with the new law.
“Let’s give it a try. This law has been studied well by the members of our Congress and should be good for the great majority of our residents in Metro Manila at the end of the day,” he said.
Based on data, crimes perpetrated by motorcycle-riding criminals in Metro Manila went down by 53 percent from 2017 to 2018 last year, with murder specifically decreased by 85 percent on the same period.