MMDA to regulate car window tints

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) is considering regulating the window tint of private cars not only to weed out “colorum” vehicles but also to encourage ride-sharing.

The regulation may be rolled out as early as June once the MMDA, the Land Transportation Office, and Philippine National Police’s Highway Patrol Group (PNP-HPG) agree on the policy.

MMDA officer in charge and general manager Tim Orbos assured motorists on Tuesday that there would be no ban on the use of car window tints, only a recommendation on the optimum tint grade.

He added that they were currently coordinating with vehicle manufacturers on the matter.

Orbos said the proposed policy would not only help the PNP-HPG stop crimes committed in heavily tinted cars but also enable the MMDA to better enforce Republic Act No. 10913 or the Anti-Distracted Driving Act. The law prohibits the use of communication devices while driving to prevent accidents.

Regulating car window tints would also make it easier for traffic constables to flag down “colorum” vehicles or those operating without a franchise, Orbos added.

The MMDA is also considering a program that would encourage ride-sharing given the huge volume of vehicles in the metropolis, now estimated at 2.5 million. There were earlier proposals to ban from Edsa cars carrying fewer than two passengers during rush hour.

For security purposes, Orbos said, foreign dignitaries and high-risk government officials may be exempted from the regulation.

In October 2014, a group of policemen riding in heavily-tinted vehicles abducted and extorted money from two men on Edsa-Mandaluyong. The incident was videotaped on a phone camera, leading to the law enforcers’ arrest.

The MMDA currently imposes a P500 fine for vehicles with colored or heavily tinted windows, but Orbos acknowledged that the regulation was not being strictly enforced.