QC dad pushes plate number vests for bikers

MANILA, Philippines - A Quezon City councilor is confident that his peers in the city council will approve his proposed measure that will require motorcycle riders to wear vests or any kind of sleeved clothing with the printed plate number of the motorcycle they are riding.

District 2 Councilor Ranulfo Ludovica said yesterday that his proposal, filed earlier this year, is expected to pass through the committee level and will be brought to the plenary upon resumption of the session later this month.

Ludovica said majority of the councilors are in favor of his proposal, adding that they have also conducted public consultations on the matter.

“This is really an effective deterrent (for motorcycle-riding criminals),” he said.

The councilor issued the statementamid the ongoing investigation on the shooting spree in Fairview on Sunday that resulted in four deaths.

Ludovica said displaying the plate number of motorcycles will help the police and other law enforcers identify the driver and passenger.

Once approved, the measure will require all motorcycle riders and their passengers – with exception to law enforcers wearing uniforms – to wear vests or sleeved clothing bearing the plate number of the motorcycle they are riding. Each letter or number should be six inches high and one inch wide.

The measure would give law enforcers the power to stop those who are not wearing vests for verification or investigation.

Violators will be penalized with a P1,000 fine, five hours of community service for the first offense or both; a P2,000 fine, eight hours of community service or both for the second offense and a P5,000 fine, one year in jail or both for the third and succeeding offenses.

The measure was filed in the previous council but it failed to pass through the legislative mill.