Pass muffler law before elections

City Vice Mayor Woodrow Maquiling Sr presiding officer of the City Council has assured the people (and voters) of Dumaguete that the Sanggunian will pass the long-pending anti-noise or the muffler ordinance as amended before the May 9 elections.

Maquiling admitted that the “people of Dumaguete are getting desperate about the failure of our law enforcers to remove noisy motorcycles of the city streets who deliberately zoom around the city at night till dawn, disturbing the peace and quiet as people want to take a good night’s rest.”

In order to assuage the situation Maquiling made a bold promise over DYEM BAI RADIO’s CROSS TALK show that “people may not vote for his ticket on May 9 if this ordinance (as amended) on mufflers and noisy motorcycles is not passed by May 9 election day.”

There is an old law City Ordinance 22 (of 2001) which is not fully enforced by the city authorities and has a very light penalty (see page 9) and Republic Act 8749.

Enforcers are passing the buck to the Land Transportation Office LTO who also has no personnel to enforce the same.

This is part of the city’ mayor’s police powers as chief law enforcer in order to protect the general welfare. What is the city mayor doing about this old problem which is driving people nuts at night? A question asked by citizens everywhere, with no apparent significant arrests on violators of the national and local laws.

Are enforcers afraid to arrest violators for fear of being boycotted this election? The more people will not vote for them if they cannot protect the general welfare.

Amended ordinance is still long pending in the council . Authors Councilors DanDanLeon and Lionel Banogon, pass the responsibility to the GSO saying it has not yet purchased the decibel instrument which measures the tolerable sound limits in order to have a basis for arrest. Vice Mayor Maquiling promised the people to pass this ordinance before May 9. Pass: muffler law before elections - NegrosChronicle.com

 

I really don't know why they bother even trying knowing for well nowt will ever be done about it,just another waste of time and money!
What I will say is it's not just the foreigners complaining about the noise from the idiots now,a lot of the locals are getting fed up with the single celled creatures racing around all day and night!
They are the people local government will listen to.

 

True to his promise and after more than one year of deliberations, presiding officer Vice Mayor Woodrow Maquiling has enabled his councilors to pass the long awaited muffler law which would require motorcycles to attach mufflers or silencers to single motorbikes.

The big problem in the city is that many motorbike owners , mostly teenagers, purposely remove the mufflers which usually go with brand new motorcycles, so that the motorbike will sound so noisy, a tune many youngsters love to brag rosaming the city streets with almost unbearable zooming sound.

Dumaguete City Councilor Danilo Teves- Leon shepherded the passage of an ordinance requiring motorcycles with loud exhaust pipes to install muffler insert/silencer to muffle the sound to acceptable levels.

Councilor Antonio “TonyRems” Remollo and Liga ng mga Barangay President Lionel P. Banogon co-sponsored the ordinance which was approved on third and final reading during the Council’s regular session, Wednesday April 27.

Under the ordinance, for the first offense, noisy motorcycles with exhaust pipes that emanate loud and deafening blasts shall be impounded and shall be released only if a muffler insert/ silencer is installed to minimize the noise created and the required decibel meter level is achieved.

PRISON OR FINE

For second offense, an administrative fine of P 1, 000.00 shall be imposed on the driver/owner of the unit while a penalty of not more than three months imprisonment or a fine of P 3, 000 or both at the discretion of the court shall be imposed for those apprehended on third offense.

In all instances, the Traffic Management Office shall issue a certification that the impounded unit has complied with the decibel lever requirement prior to release of the unit.

To determine if the noise level is acceptable or not; tests via a decibel meter shall be administered at a distance of 6 meters from the motorcycle.

Teves-Leon said that the decibel meter is up for delivery after the successful bidding by the General Services Office.

Teves-Leon along with Remollo and Banogon pushed for the passage of the ordinance as they asserted that unabated noise is considered a public nuisance disturbing not only auditory nerves but even the emotional and psychological well-being of persons.

A World Health Organization study enumerates the negative impact noise has on human health such as annoyance reaction, sleep disturbance, interference with communication and adverse effects on performance and social behavior.

Teves-Leon said that this measure may become unpopular to the young motorcycle enthusiasts as they are inclined to buy after market exhaust systems and mufflers to improve the look of their units; however, he believes that the general public and the greater number of citizens would be appreciative once this ordinance is implemented to the full.

He said that this ordinance is a better alternative compared to the Joint DOTC-LTO Administrative Order which imposes a hefty fine of P 5, 000 without due process in the apprehension and impounding of the motorcycle units. As promised: council oks muffler ordinance - NegrosChronicle.com

 

For starters it's only the lto which can apprehend and confiscate the motors so as you said the chance of this being enforced is slim to none.There ain't enough lto officers anyway and when was the last time anyone saw an lto checkpoint?