Lapu follows suit, won’t implement Helmet Act

Like Cebu City,  the Lapu-Lapu City government won’t enforce the new Motorcycle Helmet Act which takes effect on Aug. 15.

While motorbike riders still have to wear crash helmets for safety as required by  a city ordinance,  Lapu-Lapu will not  insist that helmets bear certification stickers.

Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Paz Radaza said  she ordered the City Traffic Management System (CTMS) to be strict only in enforcing the city ordinance and not the new Motorcycle Helmet Act.

The new national law requires motorists to wear full-face helmets bearing stickers of the Import Commodity Clearance (ICC) or Philippine Standard (PS) mark that prove the suppliers are  accredited by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC).

The mayor agreed with counterparts in Cebu City that more time should be given for the riding public to buy accredited helmets, which cost at least P2,000 or get the proper stickers for them from the DTI.

“So long as the riders wear helmets and they are safe, they won’t be apprehended,” she said.

Senior Supt. Rey Lyndon Lawas, Lapu-Lapu City police chief, said they will give a six-month extension to all motorists in Lapu-Lapu City to have their helmets approved by DTI.

“The  law should be implemented, but maybe we should be considerate. We need to give them ample time before confiscating a driver’s  license and issuing a  Temporary Operators Permit (TOP),” Lawas said.

Lawas told precinct chiefs to just orient and remind motorists first of their obligations to comply with the Helmet Act. With Correspondent Norman V. Mendoza