Ex-lawmaker to LTO: Place control numbers on bikers' helmets

MANILA, Philippines - A former congressman urged the authorities yesterday to immediately take measures to stem the increase in crimes involving motorcycle-riding men.

Former Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers told a Quezon City news forum that the government, specifically the Land Transportation Office (LTO), could prescribe larger license plates for motorcycles and require the placing of large control numbers or letters at the back of helmets worn by motorcyclists.

He said these twin measures would make it easier for law enforcers and the public in general to identify motorcycles used in crimes and their riders. “Even those involved in hit-and-run accidents would be easier to identify,” Barbers said.

The former lawmaker lamented that while there has admittedly been an increase in crimes perpetrated by men riding in tandem in motorcycles, the authorities have not proposed, much less carried out remedial measures.

“There has been an alarming increase in the number and frequency of crimes perpetrated by motorcycle-riding suspects, who violate the law with impunity,” he said.

Barbers cited the killing of Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) vice president for administration Augustus Fernandez Cezar by unidentified men on a motorcycle at the corner of Pureza street and Ramon Magsaysay Boulevard in Sta. Mesa, Manila Wednesday night.

He pointed out that prescribing larger license plates for motorcycles and control tags for riders’ helmets would not require the passage of a law by Congress. “These could be done through administrative measures. All it takes is a little imagination,” he said.

At the same time, Barbers urged the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) to strictly enforce its rule designating a motorcycle lane along busy Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City.

“Very few motorcycle users follow this rule, and very few other vehicle owners observe it. Motorbike users crisscross the highway, endangering themselves and other motorists,” he said.

Barbers said most of the time, there are MMDA teams enforcing the 60-kilometer-per-hour speed limit along Commonwealth Avenue “but they largely ignore motorcycle users violating the speed limit or refusing to use the lane designated for them.”