The Republic Act No. 11235 or also known as the “Motorcycle Crime prevention Act”, which was signed by President Rodrigo Duterte on March 28, 2019 will be in effect. For those of you not in the know, the newly-signed law is explained as the ”act preventing and penalizing the use of motorcycles in the commission of crimes by requiring bigger, readable, and color-coded number plates and identification marks, and for other purposes.”
Akin to how other laws work, it has several Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) and these were released by The Land Transportation Office (LTO). Furthermore, it also is comprised of a number of provisions, requirements, and penalties about the registry of the vehicle, as well as the color-coded number plates.
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Some of the most important notes about the new law are as follows:
Registration requirement
The owner or dealer of the motorcycle shall register his/her motorcycle with the LTO within five (5) days from the date of purchase of ownership; or from the date of the Certificate of Stock Reported report. (See Section 4).
In the event that the owner or dealer fails to register from the date of purchase or to immediately report its sale or disposition on a given amount of time, the owner or dealer will be penalized by imprisonment or arresto mayor to prison correccional, as defined under the Revised Penal Code; or a fine of not less than twenty thousand pesos (P20,000) but not more than fifty thousand pesos (P50,000) or both.
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On the possibility that a motorcycle that is yet to be registered with the LTO, it is utilized regarding an offense liable under the punishment of the relevant offense will be imposed on the guilty parties. (See Section 7)
Readable number plate
The LTO shall provide a readable number plate from the front, the back and the side for every motorcycle from a distance of at least fifteen meters (15) from the motorcycle and should determine the font style and size of the bigger, readable, and color-coded number plate for every motorcycle. (See Section 5)
Law on rear plate light
All motorcycles shall have a rear plate light. The color scheme that would be in accordance with the motorcycle prevention act will be as follows:
Color scheme of the Motorcycle Crime Prevention Act
| Category | Alphanumeric Color | Alphanumeric Color |
| Private Vehicle | Black | White with color stripe (dependent on the region) |
| Public Utility Vehicle (PUV) | Black | Yellow |
| Government Vehicle | Red | White |
| Diplomatic Vehicle | Blue | White |
New plate requirement
The new plate would contain:
- A metal number plate that would be mounted at the rear or back of the motorcycle; and a decal number plate to be displayed in its front.
In addition to that, the new plates shall have a unique combination of alphanumeric characters.
- Metal number plate must be of the following dimensions: 235mm width, 135mm height; with 60mm tall font size. It must be made up of suitable and durable aluminum substrate material with reflectorized background and security features. (See Section 5)
- Decal number plate shall be: 135mm width, 85mm height, with 40mm tall font size.
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Other Important Reminders
In addition to those important rules and regulations of the Motorcycle Crime Prevention Act, here are some additive information that would be relevant for you to know:
Driving without a plate
Driving without a number plate or a readable number plate as provided in the Revised penal Code is prohibited (See Section 8) and will be punished by prision correccional or a fine of not less than fifty thousand pesos but not more than one hundred thousand pesos, or both.
A motorcycle found driven without a number plate or a readable number plate shall be stopped; and such motorcycle shall be seized by law enforcers and immediately surrendered within 24 hours or one (1) whole day to the Philippine National Police (PNP).
Replacement of lost or damaged plate
If a readable number plate of a motorcycle is lost, damaged, or stolen it is necessary for the owner to immediately report it to the LTO or the Philippine National Police (PNP) and request for a replacement of your number plate.
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Failure to report the said incident will subject the owner of the motorcycle a fine of not less than twenty thousand pesos but not more than fifty thousand pesos.
What do you think about the implementation of the Motorcycle Crime Prevention Act? Do you think this will help in the plans of the improvement of our overall vehicular and transportation system? Can this be one of the solutions to the infamous traffic?
Source: The Land Transportation Office (LTO) Website
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