Tolentino sponsors Senate bill to amend ‘Doble Plaka’ Law

Sen. Francis “Tol” Tolentino seeks the support of his colleagues for the passage of Senate Bill No. 2555, which aims to amend Republic Act 11235 (RA 11235), also known as the Motorcycle Crime Prevention Act, to address the legitimate concerns of innocent motorcycle riders. Joseph Vidal / Senate Social Media Unit

MANILA, Philippines — Senator Francis Tolentino stood on Monday to sponsor Senate Bill No. 2555 as contained in Committee Report No. 191 — a measure seeking to amend the “Doble Plaka” Law.

In his sponsorship speech delivered during the chamber’s Monday plenary session, Tolento said amending Republic Act No. 11235, otherwise known as the Doble Plaka Law, would protect the welfare of motorcycle riders.

According to Tolentino, riders deemed the law as discriminatory for singling out motorcycle riders in its scope, unfairly profiling them as “potential criminals.”

Tolentino likewise emphasized that the “doble-plaka” requirement will pose danger to  riders as the additional plate will affect the aerodynamics of the motorcycles.

He likewise pointed out that RA 11235 provides short window periods for the registration and reporting of transfer of ownership of motorcycles wherein failure to abide thereby will amount to “excessive fines ranging from P50,000 to P100,000 and the penalty of prision correccional, which amounts to 6 months and 1 day to 6 years.”

“Panahon na para bigyan natin ng kapayapan ang kalooban ng ating mga kapatid na motorsiklistas. Nararapat na nating amyendahan ang naunang batas na ating pinasa upang maging patas sa kapakanan ng nakakararami at mapawi ang kanilang agam agam na maiimplementa ang isang batas na lubos na makakaapekto sa kanilang ikinabubuhay sa araw araw,” said Tolentino.

(It is time for us to give peace to the will of our motorcyclists. We should amend the previous law that we passed to be fair to the welfare of the majority and to allay their doubts that a law will be implemented that will greatly affect their daily lives.)

To ensure the protection of motorcycle rides, the measure contained in Committee Report No. 191 specifically calls for the following amendments on Doble Plaka Law:

1. Amending the section on registration of motorcycles, differentiating the case of new ownership from the case of subsequent sale, taking into consideration the several different modes by which the ordinary people purchase a motorcycle, such as in the case of “assume balance” and repossessed motorcycles;
2. Installation of RFID sticker at the front portion of the motorcycle in lieu of the original decal plates to ensure the safety of our motorcycle riders;
3. Adjusting the period within which the owner or possessor of a motorcycle may report  any loss of number plate or RFID sticker;
4. Adjusting the penalties of fine and imprisonment to a more reasonable amount and period; and
5. Adjusting the transitory provision to June 30, 2025 for motorcycle owners not in conformity with the provisions of this Act to renew their registration, and December 31, 2025 for the LTO to produce, release, and issue the number of plates as required under this Act.

In the same plenary session, Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri, and Senators Joel Villanueva, Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa, JV Ejercito and Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. expressed their intention to become co-authors of Tolentino’s bill.