The Land Transportation Office (LTO), which is the implementing agency for the Republic Act 11235, better known to the motorcycle community as the Doble Plaka Law, has submitted its Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR), with its final clause stipulating its immediate effictivity.
RA 11235 or the Motorcycle Crime Prevention Law, was signed into law by President Rodrigo Duterte on March 8, 2019. Under the law, all types of motorcycles, big or small, are required to have bigger number plates in the front and back. The law sets fines of up to PhP100,000 and imprisonment for violators.
Earlier this month, one of its principal authors, Senator Richard Gordon has pushed for the immediate release of the law's IRR, after a news reporter in Dumaguete was slain, amid the lockdown protocols set in place.
“This is yet another case of remorseless murder committed by riding-in-tandem assassins. This is very much appalling, especially that we are currently facing a pandemic. This brutal act should stop at once," said Sen. Gordon in a statement.
Perhaps, the most controversial aspect of the Doble Plaka law is the provision for an additional plate on the front of a motorcycle. Section 5 of the IRR, stipulates that “The LTO shall issue a set of bigger, readable, and color-coded number plate for every motorcycle, which shall consist of a.) a metal number plate to be installed at the rear of a motorcycle, and b.) a decal number plate to be displayed in its front. It shall bear a unique combination of alphanumeric characters using the following format: ABC123.”
The front decal plate – made from a sticker-like material – will be 135mm wide and 85mm tall. For reference, it is about the same size as an iPhone 10 smartphone. The rear plate, which shall be made from a “suitable and durable aluminum substrate material”, will be 235mm wide and 135mm tall or about the same size as an iPad.
Below is the complete set of IRR for RA 11235 forwarded to MotoPinas.com by an anonymous source. It was filed at the University of the Philippines College of Law on May 19, 2020, and was published today by two national broadsheets. It also says it takes effect immediately.
Transitionary provision
Under Section 19 of the IRR is the transitionary provision. Basically, all motorcycles that have already been registered prior to the effectivity date of the IRR shall be automatically deemed to have applied for the new number plates in conformity with RA 11235.
For those with existing number plates, the new color-coded plates will be issued based on where the owner currently lives, based on the LTO Regional Office they registered with. For example, say, a rider currently lives in Sariaya, in Quezon Province, his new color-coded number plates will be issued by LTO Region 4A with the appropriate color coding scheme.
Meanwhile, for those who are still waiting for their number plates (wala pang plaka), the new color-coded number plates will be issued by the LTO based on the region where the motorcycle was initially registered. For example, if the rider currently lives in Bulacan, but the motorcycle was initially registered at LTO Lipa, his new color-coded number plates will be based on the Region 4A number plate color scheme.
Since the IRR for the RA 11235 is finally out, the LTO can now proceed with the production of their approved plate design for the millions of motorcycles roaming our streets.
It still remains unclear how the millions of already registered motorcycles will be notified of their new plate number, due to the entirely different format, nor how they can find out if their plates are available and how to claim them.
