NCRPO asks public to give motorcycle law a chance

March 28, 2019

The National Capital Region Police Office ( NCRPO) asked the public to “give a try” on the new law mandating riders to have larger plate numbers at the front and back of their motorcycles.

In a statement Wednesday night, Police Major General Guillermo Eleazar said NCRPO fully supports the Motorcycle Crime Prevention Act, known as Republic Act 11235 which mandates motorcycles must wear plate numbers at the front and back, large enough to be read clearly, from a distance of 15 meters, and will also be color-coded.

“We agree with the spirit, purpose and end-objective of this Law. We believe that this Law will help decrease crimes committed by motorcycle-riding criminals such as snatchers, holdup men and assassins,” he said in a statement citing the shooting incidents that happened along EDSA.

“Thus, we ask the public, especially our motorcycle riders to accept the new Law and embrace it without question or resentment. Let's give it a try. This Law has been studied well by the members of our Congress and should be good for the great majority of our residents in Metro Manila at the end of the day,” said Eleazar.

Though there is a decrease in motorcycle riding in tandem incidents, Eleazar said there will always be “callous and fearless” criminals who kill for money.

Eleazar pointed out the shooting of a police officer at Edsa corner Connecticut on Tuesday and last month's killing of a businessman near Boni along Edsa. Both were done in broad daylight.

“While we have data to show that crimes perpetrated by motorcycle-riding criminals here in Metro Manila have gone down by 53 percent from 2017 to 2018 last year, with murder specifically down by 85 percent over the same period, there are always exceptions - callous and fearless criminals who prey on our residents and who kill for money,” he said.

“Team NCRPO will pursue these criminals relentlessly,” he added.

Eleazar said the law never generalized that “riders are criminals” and with this law, it will be easier for them to investigate those without plate numbers.

“The law simply allows for an easier system to catch criminals in motorcycles as these evil people do not wear plates at all,” he said.

“It will be easier now for the police to flag down and investigate those without plates, because of the new law. We do not even need a checkpoint now to perform our function legally,” said Eleazar.

He said the police firmly believes that with this law, they can bring down the crime volume that motorcycle-riding criminals generate, to lower and lower levels over the months and years to come. Ella Dionisio/DMS