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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Bac
Zaeyon City | TNE:
‘SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS 2

‘Second Regular Session
HOUSE BILL NO. 6226

Introduced by HON. LUIS RAYMUND “LRAY” F. VILLAFUERTE, JR.

EXPLANATORY NOTE

Crime incidents involving the use of motorcycles, or those riding in tandems, have
doubled from 3,000 in 2013 to 6,219 in 2014’ in Metro Manila alone. This has
resulted to homicides”, with cyclists in these motorcycle-aided crimes carrying loose
firearms, as news reports would confer? and Philippine National Police Data would
confirm.

The data involving motorcycle in crimes such as shooting incidents, robbery, car
napping, and the like, is just cause to push for the prevention of these incidents to
ever happen again.

This bill proposes to set a new standard of license plates for motorcycle to be bigger
and more readable, incorporating a color-coding scheme for the regions to which the
motorcycle was registered in. The bill also specifies details for license plates issued
such as material to be used (aluminum plate), and should be placed at the front and
back parts of the vehicle.

In mandating these specifications to the license plates, the bill hopes to aid law
enforcement agencies in the identification of the motorcycle riders involved in
criminal activities. This bill further proposes to penalize the use of motorcycles in a
crime or those who commit a crime through or with backriders on motorcycles.

In view of the foregoing, the passage of this bill is earnestly sought.

YW.

LUI ‘MUND Y” F. VILLAFUERTE, JR.

1 http://www.senate.gov.ph/press release/2017/0725_ prib2.asp
2 het v.ph/data/dataset/recapitulation-incidents-involving-motorcycle-riding-criminals-2011-2013
+ http://www.philstar.com/natior '420842/riding-tandem-ills-anew-



Republic of the Pheleppines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Zauczou City

SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS
‘Second Regular Session

HOUSE BILL NO. 6226

Introduced by HON. LUIS RAYMUND “LRAY” F. VILLAFUERTE, JR.

AN ACT
PENALIZING AND PREVENTING THE USE OF MOTORCYLES OR SCOOTERS
IN THE COMMISSION OF CRIMES THROUGH THE USE OF BIGGER PLATE
NUMBERS AND IDENTIFICATION MARKS, REGULATION OF BACKRIDERS
AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in
Congress assembled:

SECTION 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as the “Motorcycle Crime
Prevention Act of 2017”

SECTION 2. State Policy. - Article I, Section 5 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution
provides that the maintenance of peace and order, the protection of life, liberty, and
property, and the promotion of the general welfare are essential for the enjoyment by
all the people of the blessings of democracy. It is hereby declared the policy of the
State to secure and safeguard its citizenry from the ruinous and extremely injurious
effects of crimes and fatal accidents, particularly those caused by motorcycles and
‘scooters.

SECTION 3. Definition. - As used in this Act, the following terms are defined:

a) “Plate number’ refers to the regular motor vehicle license plate issued by the
Land Transportation Office (LTO) bearing the standard alphanumeric
characters in accordance with Batas Pambansa Big. 43 and 74.

b) “Backrider’ refers to any person seated at the back of the motorcycle or
scooter driver, or a passenger of his driver.

¢) “Riding-in-tandem” refers to the combination of a driver and his backrider/s or
passengers riding a motorcycle or scooter.

SECTION 4. Bigger Plate Number. —- The Land Transportation Office (LTO) shall
issue bigger plate number sizes for every motorcycle and scooter which must be


placed both in the front and rear part of the motorcycle. It shall be made of aluminum
plate applied with reflectorized paint, and with alphanumeric characters in large and
readable font. There must be a plate number both at the front and back parts of the
motorcycle or scooter, the dimensions of which should be big enough for the plate
numbers to be readable from a distance of between twelve (12) to fifteen (15)
meters.

The LTO shall devise a color scheme of the plate number for every region in the
country to easily identify where such motorcycle was registered. It shall also devise
an alphanumeric system, with as few characters as possible, for easier identification
and recollection by the general public, whether day or night.

In the foregoing, the LTO shall provide every region and all its local government units
a list of all the newly purchased and previously purchased registered motorcycles or
scooters in its jurisdiction which includes, but are not limited to the following
information: name of registered owner, his driver's license number, his address and
contact details, vehicle identification number, plate number, body color, brand/maker.
For these purposes, the LTO shall maintain a computerized database of all the
information collected to facilitate information retrieval, as the case may arise

Furthermore, the LTO in every region shall require the registration of every
motorcycle or scooter which shall undergo transfer of ownership within two (2) days
after such transfer, whether the motorcycle or scooter is newly assembled, rebuilt, or
acquired from a registered owner.

SECTION 5. Driving Without a Plate Number or a Bigger Plate Number. —
Driving without a plate number or a bigger plate number, as provided in Sec. 4, is
prohibited. The motorcycle or scooter used without bigger plate numbers shall be
confiscated by the LTO until a bigger plate is issued.

SECTION 6. Penalty for Use of the Motorcycle or Scooter in the Commission of
a Crime. — If the motorcycle or scooter is used in the commission of a crime or to
ensure a quick escape from the scene of the crime, as witnessed by another person,
and a victim dies as a result of this illegal use of a motorcycle or scooter, the
motorcycle driver, his backyard/s, if any, and conspirators, shall be punished by
reclusion perpetua. If the victim suffers serious physical injury, or there was shooting
or stabbing of the victim committed by the driver or backrider/s of the motorcycle or
scooter which did not result in death, the penalty shall be reclusion temporal unless a
higher penalty is imposed due to the commission of some other crime, in which case,
the higher penalty shall be applied. In all other cases, the use of the motorcycle or
scooter in the commission of a crime shall increase the penalty for the crime by one
degree.


If the motorcycle or scooter used in the commission of a crime was stolen, or the
licensed plate used is mismatched from the vehicle registration of the motorcycle or
scooter, and the crime results in the death of the victim, the penalty is life
imprisonment.

The motorcycle or scooter used in the commission of a crime shall be confiscated
and forfeited in favor of the Government, unless it be the property of a third person
not liable for the offense.

The vehicle shall be impounded pending investigation and shall be in custodia legis,
and no bond shall be admitted for the release of the same until the final decision of
acquittal is promulgated by the trail court which hears the criminal case involving the
use of the impounded motorcycle or scooter. The motorcycle or scooter shall be
confiscated and forfeited after the conviction in the trial court where the appropriate
criminal cases was filed. If there is an acquittal, the vehicle shall be returned to its
registered owner.

SECTION 7. Penalizing Commission of a Crime Through or With a Backrider/s
on Motorcycles or Scooters. - Persons committing a crime through or with a
backrider/s shall be punished with the penalty of life imprisonment.

City or municipal ordinances prohibiting or regulating backriders in motorcycles or
scooters shall apply in the city or municipality or local government unit where the
same is prohibited or regulated, provided these are not inconsistent with this law.

SECTION 8. Loss of Bigger Plate Number. — If for some reason, the bigger plate
number of a motorcycle or scooter is lost or stolen, the registered owner of such
motorcycle, or his authorized representative, must immediately report to the LTO the
incident within three (3) calendar days from the date of loss, and shall apply for a
new license plate

The motorcycle with a lost or stolen plate whose owner has not formally reported the
loss thereof to the LTO within the time provided in the previous paragraph shall be
impounded inside the designated impounding areas of the LTO until a new plate is
issued, The LTO may charge a reasonable daily fee against the registered owner of
the motorcycle or scooter which has been impounded under this section

SECTION 9. Implementation. - The Department of Transportation (DOTr) and LTO
are mandated to issue pertinent guidelines to implement the provisions of this Act.

SECTION 10. Other Penalties. —

a) Non-compliance with the use of the bigger plate numbers shall result to the
revocation of the registration of the motorcycle or scooter for a period of at


least one (1) year, and confiscation of the driver's license of the driver thereof,
or in the absence of the driver, the registered owner thereof for a period of at
least one (1) year, and a fine of not less than Ten Thousand Pesos
(P10,000.00) but not more than Twenty Thousand Pesos (P20,000.00).

b)

Tampering, alteration, forgery or imitation of the bigger plate number shall be
Punished with a fine of not less than Twenty Thousand Pesos (P20,000.00)
but not more than Fifty Thousand Pesos (P50,000.00).

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If the registered owner of the motorcycle or scooter fails to timely report to the
LTO the loss of his bigger license plate, he or she shall be punished with a
fine of not less than Ten Thousand Pesos (P10,000.00) but more than Twenty
Thousand Pesos (20,000.00).

SECTION 11. LTO Operations Center. — Within six (6) months from the
implementation of this Act, the LTO shall create and establish an Operations Center
(Center) which shall be operational twenty-four (24) hours and seven (7) days a
week for a faster and focused process in reporting vehicle-related accidents and any
other incidents.

SECTION 12. Appropriation. — The amount needed for the initial implementation of
this Act shall be taken from the current fiscal year’s appropriation Department of
Transportation. Thereafter, the amount needed for the operation and maintenance
shall be included in the General Appropriations Act.

SECTION 13. Repealing Clause. — All laws, decrees, orders, rules and regulations
or other issuances or parts thereof inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are
hereby repealed or modified accordingly.

SECTION 14. Separability Clause. - If any portion or provision of this Act is
declared unconstitutional, the remainder of this Act or any provision not affected
thereby shall remain in force and effect.

SECTION 15. Effectivity. — This Act shall take effect after fifteen (15) days following

the completion of its publication either in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of
general circulation in the Philippines.

Approved,