THE Philippine National Police (PNP) will launch a crackdown against the illegal use of sirens and blinkers following the order of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.
In a press conference in Camp Crame, Colonel Jean Fajardo, chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP) Public Information Office, clarified that even before the issuance of Administrative Order (AO) 18, they had already been strictly implementing Presidential Decree 96, which was issued by late President Ferdinand Marcos in 1973 to prohibit the improper and illegal use of sirens, blinkers, and similar devices.
Fajardo echoed the provisions of AO 18, which was issued by Marcos on Thursday, April 11, 2024, that only vehicles of the PNP and Armed Forces of the Philippines, fire trucks, and other emergency vehicles like ambulances are allowed to use blinkers and sirens.
“Wala po tayong sisinuhin sa pagi-implement at pag enforce ng PD96 regardless ng estate nila sa buhay document po ninyo yan at ipadala sa amin regardless kung ikaw ay naka SUV (sports utility vehicle) o nakasakay sa isang ordinaryong motor at kotse at dapat lahat tayo ay sumunod sa batas,” she said.
(We will not exempt anyone from implementing and enforcing PD96 regardless of their status in life. Please document it and send it to us regardless of whether you are in an SUV or riding in an ordinary motor vehicle, and everyone should obey the law.)
Under PD 96, first-time offenders will not face any penalty, but the blinker or siren attached to their vehicles will be confiscated.
Violators will be charged for the violation of PD 96 only during a second offense, which may result in their imprisonment of not more than six months.
Fajardo also sought the assistance of the public to apprehend the users of blinkers and sirens.
“Ang maganda kung madodokumento natin, makuha natin ‘yung plaka para matrace natin. So kahit hindi siya na-apprehend on the same occasion na Nakita siya pero kung makukuha natin yung plaka ng motor, mga sasakyan mati-trace natin yan with the help of Land Transportation Office,” she said.
(It would be good if we could document it, get the plate number so we can trace it. So even if they weren't apprehended on the same occasion they were seen, if we can get the plate number of the motorcycle or vehicle, we can trace them with the help of the Land Transportation Office.)
Fajardo said they will also intensify their operations against sellers of blinkers and sirens.
“Hindi lamang tayo magbabantay sa mga kalsada at major thoroughfares, yung ating visitorial power ay gagamitin na din natin katuwang ang ibang ahensya ng gobyerno para bisitahin ang mga motor shops na nagbebenta ng mga ganitong blinkers, sirens at similar gadgets po, para doon pa lamang sa source ng mga illegal blinkers na ito ay masasawata na natin,” she added.
(We will not only monitor the streets and major thoroughfares, but we will also utilize our visitorial power together with other government agencies to visit motor shops that sell these kinds of blinkers, sirens, and similar gadgets, so that right from the source of these illegal blinkers, we can already put a stop to them.)
Based on the PNP data, 2,546 confiscated blinkers and wangwang were confiscated from January to March 2024 by the PNP- Highway Patrol Group. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)