Manila residents who can’t stand the noise coming from motorcycle engines have reasons to feel at ease, as Mayor Francisco ‘Isko Moreno’ Domagoso announced over the weekend that loud motors are now banned in the city.
“Motorcycles with noisy exhaust pipes are now strictly prohibited in Manila! Don’t try us—if you get caught, no excuses, your mufflers will be seized immediately,” Domagoso warned in a Facebook post late Saturday.
The Manila mayor also posted photos of motorcycle exhaust pipes that law enforcement authorities from the Manila Police District (MPD) confiscated because of the said policy.
He said only motorcycles with 400 cubic centimeters (cc) of engine and above will be allowed to travel in the city.
Domagoso said he is banning noisy motorcycles from the streets of Manila because it disturbs residents. “Only motorcycles 400cc and above are not covered by this ordinance,” the mayor noted.
It was learned that since July 3, the MPD has already confiscated 13 noisy mufflers during a checkpoint in Tondo, Manila alone.
Police Lt. Col. Ronald de Leon, station commander of the MPD-Police Station 1, said the operation was carried out via checkpoints. Motorcycles are being flagged down so they can be subjected to a decibel meter.
If they fail, the drivers will be issued an ordinance violation receipt and their mufflers will be seized as evidence.
This development is part of a broader effort to improve quality of life in Manila.
Domagoso earlier launched massive operations to address the garbage crisis in the city in his first week back as local government executive.