House body allows local officials to control 'habal-habal'

MANILA, Philippines - A House committee has approved a measure seeking to grant local government units (LGUs) the power to regulate motorcycles used for public transportation. The committee on local government has approved House Bill (HB) 3726 principally authored by Reps. Ramon H. Durano VI (Cebu), Edgar M. Chatto (Bohol) and Pablo P. Garcia (Cebu) which gives LGUs the authority to regulate motorcycles for hire, or habal-habals, amending Republic Act 7160 or the Local Government Code of 1991. The law currently limits LGUs’ authority to regulate tricycles. HB 3726 provides that the city and municipal councils will have the regulatory authority. When the motorcycle-for-hire franchise covers two LGUs, the cities or municipalities may enter into a memorandum of agreement to allow the habal-habals to ply the franchise route. The LGUs may also limit and fix routes except crossing the national highway or on road requiring a floor speed of more than 40 kilometers per hour, unless special lanes are provided for habal-habals. In report 327, the committee noted that devolving the franchising and regulatory power to the LGUs will make the issuance of franchises easier instead of requiring motorcycle owners to apply with the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board, and that LGUs are more capable of certifying the roadworthiness of motorcycles. It added that HB 3726 will increase the LGUs’ revenue from franchising and regulatory fees. Spike in apprehension In a related development, Davao City’s Traffic Management Center is trying to make sense out of the spike in the number of motorcycles plying the streets as it claimed an average apprehension of 60 to 70 drivers daily, with violations ranging from no helmet, no registration and no driver’s license. Celso Gempesaw, traffic center chief, said they could not account for the actual number of motorcycles in the city but from January to November last year, the agency recorded 13,581 newly registered units. "Motorcycles are so cheap now." Branded low-power motorcycles are retailed below P30,000 here, especially brand-new units from China, and could be taken home for as low as P2,500 in downpayment. An old unit in good running condition, traders said, could go for as low as P5,000. Many motorcycle units here are used as habal-habals that penetrate remote areas not serviced by jeepneys. Mr. Gempesaw said driving without license is the most common violation committed, followed by no crash helmets, defective headlights and no registration. Last year, the center impounded 240 units of motorcycle for various violations. Eleanor Calderon, operations chief of the Land Transportation Office (LTO) in the Davao Region, said Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte has asked the help of the Traffic Management Group (TMG) and the police. In August last year, former LTO chief Reynaldo I. Berroya revoked the TMG’s authority to apprehend traffic violators after receiving reports of police officers involved in mulcting activities. — Ava Kashima K. Austria and Joel B. Escovilla, BusinessWorld