Duterte said he plans to speak with Gordon to amend the law

By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

Following protests held across the country in reaction to the “double plate” law for motorcycles, including 1,500 motorcyclists from across Negros Occidental earlier gathering at the Bacolod City Government Center (BCGC) to demonstrate, President Rodrigo Duterte, while recently speaking at the 25th National Federation of the Motorcycle Clubs of the Philippines National Convention at the Iloilo Convention Center, said he will seek a suspension of the law’s implementation.

The president, a motorcycle enthusiast himself, who, during his 2016 campaign for president, produced an ad showing the then-mayor biking through the streets of Davao City, said he plans to consult Senator Richard Gordon on amending the law, along with having the Land Transportation Office suspend implementation until the appropriate amendments are passed.

Duterte said the installation of front plates on motorcycles is “dangerous.”

He suggested enlarging rear plates as an alternative.

During last month’s BCGC protest, organizer Kingston Tecson, a member of the Rouser Club of the Philippines-Negros chapter, said, aside from the double plates issue, which he cited as a “safety concern,” they are also protesting the “unfair penalties” of the new law, wherein violators are required to pay a fine between P20,000 and 50,000./DGB, WDJ