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FIFTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC 
) 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
) 
First Regular Session 
) 
SENATE 
S. No. 1590 
llI'1':'cr: !vr D wi : . '_" __ ' .... 
Introduced by Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
The United States' National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health warns that 
exposure to noise at 100 decibels is safe for only 15 minutes. The federal agency cautions that 
permanent hearing loss can result from eight hours of exposure to any noise measuring 85 
decibels or above. In a test of 33 motorcycles, audiologists at Florida's College of Public Health 
and Health Professions detelmined that nearly half produced sounds above 100 decibels when 
throttled up. That is equal to a chainsaw or loud music. 
In addition to the obvious unwanted effect of hearing loss, noise can cause other health 
issues as well. It increases blood pressure, has negative cardiovascular effects such as changing 
the way the heart beats, increases breathing rate, disturbs digestion, can cause an upset stomach 
or ulcer, can negatively impact a developing fetus, perhaps contributing to premature birth, and 
makes it difficult to sleep, even after the noise stops. 
These are preventable health risks which this legislation seeks to address. 
~'- 4b·v<·v---·O,,;tWJd 
.tMJ)i MIRIAM DEtJ.SNSOR S'lfNTI/GO 
• This bill was originally filed in the Fourteenth Congress, Second Regular Session 
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FIFTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC 
) 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
) 
First Regular Session 
) 
I'ItcnVI'IJ kV: 
Introduced by Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago 
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AN ACT 
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TO REGULATE THE ~OISE EMISSION OF MOTORCYCLES 
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Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress 
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assembled: 
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SECTION 1. Definitions. As used in this Act; 
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a. A-weighted sound level shall mean the sound pressure level measured by the use of 
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an instrument with metering characteristics and A-weighting frequency response prescribed for 
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sound level meters. 
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b. Sound pressure level shall mean twenty times the algorithm to the base ten of the 
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ratio of the root mean squared pressure of a sound to a reference pressure of twenty 
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micropascals. The unit applied to this measure shall be the decibel (dB). 
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SECTION 2. Noise Limit. It shall be unlawful for any person to operate or cause to be 
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operated on any road, lane, or highway any motorcycle, at any time, under any condition of 
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grade, load, acceleration or deceleration in such a manner as to exceed the applicable A-weighted 
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sound level set forth in Table I. The maximum allowable sound levels in Table I are based on a 
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sound level measured at, or adjusted to, a distance of fifty feet from the center of the lane in 
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which the motorcycle is traveling. 
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I 
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10 
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which is: 
TABLE I 
MAXIMUM ALLOWABLE 
A-WEIGHTED SOUND LEVELS 
Maximum Speed Limit 
60 kilometers per hour or less > 
Over 60 Kilometers per hour 
82 dB(A) 
86 dB(A) 
SECTION 3. Other Noise Related Prohibitions. No person shall operate a motorcycle 
a) Not equipped with a muffler to prevent excessive or unusual noise; 
b) Equipped with a muffler from which the baffle plates, screens or other original 
internal parts have been removed or altered; 
c) Equipped with an exhaust device without internal baffles, known as "straight pipes"; 
d) Equipped with an exhaust system that has been modified in a manner that will 
amplify or increase the noise emitted by the motor of such vehicle above that emitted 
by the exhaust system originally installed on the vehicle; 
e) Equipped with an exhaust device that is intentionally designed to allow for the 
internal baffling to be fully or partially removed or interchangeable. 
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SECTION 4. Penalty - Any violation of section 2 and 3 of this Act shall be punishable 
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by a penalty of Five Thousand Pesos (P5, 000.00) for the first offense, Ten Thousand Pesos 
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(P10, 000.00) for the second offense,> and confiscation of the offending vehicle upon the third 
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and final offense. 
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SECTION 5. Repealing Clause. - All laws, decrees, orders, rules and regulations or parts 
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thereof inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed, amended or modified 
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accordingly. 
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SECTION 6. Separability Clause. - If, for any reason, any provision of this Act is 
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declared to be unconstitutional or invalid, the other sections or provisions hereof which are not 
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affected thereby shall continue to be in full force and effect. 
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SECTION 7. Effectivity Clause. - This Act shall take effect after fifteen (15) days 
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following its publication in the Official Gazette or in two (2) newspapers of general circulation. 
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Approved, 
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