Bicam removes doble plaka, RFID provision, lowers penalty
Since the signing of the Republic Act (RA) 11235 in 2019, riders have been up in arms against this law which is perceived as prejudicial to the motorcycle community. Dubbed as “Doble Plaka Law”, RA 11235 requires all types of motorcycles, big or small, to have bigger number plates on the front and back, and sets fines of up to PHP100,000 and imprisonment for violators.
Yesterday, the Senate and House of Representatives approved the Bicameral Conference Committee report on the proposed amendments to RA 11235. The reconciled bill, titled “An Act Rationalizing the Safety Measures and Penalties Relative to the Operation of Motorcycles,” will remove the Doble Plaka requirement – meaning a license plate on the front of a motorcycle will no longer be required.
Photo from Sen. JV Ejercito's official page
Additionally, the use of a radio frequency identification (RFID) in lieu of the front license plate will be scrapped, while the max penalty has been lowered to PHP 20,000. The amendments will become effective once signed by President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos, Jr.
Sen. Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito, the primary author of Senate Bill 2555, which seeks to amend Sections 3, 4, 5, 7, 11, 12, 13, and 19 of RA 11235, said that “what is very important is for all motor vehicles, specifically motorcycles, is to have their plate numbers.”
He also emphasized that crime prevention remains a priority.
The Land Transportation Office, on the other hand, has promised to address the challenges brought about by the license plate backlog and has reiterated its target completion date of June 30, 2025.
