Friday, September 05, 2008 No implementation yet on new motorcycle rules By Grace L. Plata
THE Land Transportation Office (LTO)-Southern Mindanao has committed to accommodate the request of the City Council to temporarily hold the implementation of the new regulations regarding motorcycles, which is set to start on Monday, September 8.
"Half-face helmet, for the meantime, is allowed by the LTO. This was promised by LTO-Southern Mindanao Director Gomer Dy in today's meeting at his office," Councilor Danilo Dayanghirang said in a text message Wednesday evening.
"Attorney Dy said he would also try to humanize the implementation but this should not be at the expense of public safety. He will look for solutions to make things work considering that full-face helmets are expensive," Dayanghirang added.
Dy's move was in response to the Davao City council's request through a resolution passed Tuesday to consider the use of the half-face helmets up until the new regulations are clear with the public.
Dayanghirang, proponent of the resolution, said requiring the use of full face helmets "may encourage criminals to use motorcycles as a tool in committing crimes because their faces can be hidden" citing the Lintuan shooting December last year as such case.
"This was not even published in the national and local dailies so the riders are not yet fully aware of the regulations. This is a requirement before the implementation of an administrative order. The people of Davao must be given ample time to be oriented," Dayanghirang said in an earlier interview.
