LTO Administrative Order AHS 2008-015
As a member of the Cagayan de Oro Eagles Club, I was briefed on the implementation of LTO Administrative Order AHS 2008-015.
- Pursuant to Executive Order No. 292 otherwise known as the Administrative Code of 1987 and the United Nations Vienna Convention for Road Traffic of 1968 to which the Philippines is a signatory, and in accordance with Department Order No. 93-693, series of 1992, the following rules and regulations shall govern the use and operation of motorcycles on roads and highways.
This is really a great idea. An American just cannot imagine the street and driving conditions here unless he visits here. When I first came to the Philippines I swore I would never ever drive here, but after a few years, I began to understand the way traffic flowed and defensive driving practices employed because some people have not defensive driving skills at all.
You can find the full text of the new law here.
I understand these rules and regulations came from the United Nations Vienna Convention for Road Traffic of 1968, and that the Philippines is a signatory to that convention.
However, agreeing to it and implementing it are two totally separate things.
I have seen as many as 7 people on one motorcycle.
Here you can see, from left to right, the first motorcycle has no mirrors and the “back-rider” (passenger) is not wearing a helmet. The 2nd motorcyclist has no helmet and apparently some tag problem. The motorcycle in the foregrounds has 1 excess back-rider, and both back-riders do not have helmets.
The new law wants to change it to just a driver and a single passenger. In the States this is common, you don’t carry a 3rd passenger unless you have a sidecar.
A man has 3 children to take to school in the morning and it is already quite a chore for him, even if the school is only 5 km away, due to the rough roads it migh take him an hour to get there.  Is he expected to take 3 trips to bring all his children to school?
Here we see a motorcyclist deciding to turn around before going through the checkpoint. He has a helmet on his arm, but not on his head. I’ve wondered before how much more damage wearing a helmet on ones arm instead of on ones head might cause. Multiple fractures of the arm? He’s also wearing sandals. He just saved 2000 pesos by turning around. There are no pursuit vehicles, so there’s no one to chase him down.
DOT certified helmets have been the standard in the USA when I first began riding motorcycles seriously, but people here wear construction helmets, and bicycle helmets and often no helmet at all.
There’s a provision that penalizes drivers for wearing slippers or sandals.
There are provisions that I think should be implemented right away. For instance I have nearly run over several motorcycles operating at night with no lights on at all.
But there are some provisions in the law that make little sense, like making or upgrading your bike without prior consent of the LTO. My wife’s bike I had 14 inch rims installed to replce the 17 inch rims, to make the seat 1.5 inches closer to the ground so her feet could touch.
I bet less than 10% of motorcycles in the Philippines would pass these requirements.
Above, the first driver has no helmet. The second one, only the driver has a helmet, and both riders are wearing sandals.
I have come close to running over motorcycles at night because they did not have any lights. In some cases the operator of the motorcycle acts as if it’s my fault he and his wife and four children nearly died because I didn’t see him coming. The other night I was pulling into an intersection and I saw one motorela coming and just his lights dimming out and then coming back on and luckily for me and for them, I took a more careful look and realized that another motorela without lights had just passed the one with lights. The only reason I saw the one without lights was because he had eclipsed the one with lights.
It’s not like we are talking about major steering adjustments that must be made because the maximum speed allowed in The Philippines is 80 kph.
So, while I think these laws are all for the good, they sholud be phased in over a period of time. Not all the clauses of this act are needed, but for the most part this act is needed, I just do not see it being implemented.
I saw two vehicles this evening on the ride home with no tail lights, and I thought, in Miami Beach, these cars wouldn’t make it 2 miles before being pulled over and swarmed by cop cars.
September 24th, 2008 at 13:15
How come this law is not fully implemented? Remember that this law comes from the Executive order 292 if I’m not mistaken. This is an old law I should say.
September 24th, 2008 at 14:17
While your suggestions are valid, I think it was not fair for you to compare the transportation ethos in the Philippines with the US (particularly Miami). The traffic conditions and driving behaviour in the urban and even rural areas of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia is far worse than here– people text, use cellphones and even chat with other bikers while manuevering their bikes in and out crowded lanes. The most detrimental flaw here in the Philippines is not the lack of laws (darn we have the best laws and policymakers) but the lack of self-discipline and implementation of these laws.
September 26th, 2008 at 14:35
Self-discipline is learned by being disciplined. You learn self-discipline when you grow tired of being chastised by ones parents, or you get too many traffic tickets and cannot afford any more.
Self-discipline is an acquired trait. It is only learned by the application of rules and laws to those who violate them.
My problem with this law is that it cannot be fully implemented because it is so broad. It needs to be implemented and enforced in phases.
For instance, driving without proper lights at night, that would be one fairly easy to implement law. Enforce it for a year, and people would start driving with the proper lighting on their vehicles. But this law is just too far encompassing. There is not enough law enforcement to implement it. The longest journey is taken one step at a time.
One day there will be respected laws in The Philippines. I know the people wish for it. But it is initiatives like this, too far-reaching, that make them realize, it wont happen in their life-times.
October 2nd, 2008 at 11:17
As a motorcyclist myself, LTO Administrative Order AHS 2008-015 is a very good law to be strictly implemented here in the Philippines. As what you have observed, a lot of drivers doesn’t know anything about defensive driving, nor doesn’t even know the meaning of a straight yellow line dividing the road in highways mostly in the curve parts of it. Taking turns without even enabling their signal lights, and all of the stupid things that most of the uneducated motorcycle drivers on the road do. Thus, ensuring the safety of these daredevils on the road is a must, to protect them from themselves. Agreed?
What are the things that you check before you travel from your house to your office or to any place for that matter?
1. Head light
2. Signal lights
3. Tail lights
4. brakes
What is the most important thing that you need to have on the road?
1. Helmet.
What I’m trying to say is that we all think of our safety, and the government is too. I do not have anything against that. What I do not agree upon is the section that states that any modification to a motorcycle is considered unlawful and will have a corresponding violation and thus, fee. Do we not have the right to modify our vehicles to give us ease of riding? Do we not have the right to “pimp†our ride to give us a little sense of pride?
I believe that section talking about the modification on motorcycles is unconstitutional!
November 12th, 2008 at 14:14
What I don’t understand is that many foreign expats and tourists compare the Philippines (Philippines is spelled with 2 p’s and comes from the name Philipp)to the city or state or country where they come from.
In this case, I agree and have been quite often in a situation like you while driving at night. I simply don’t do it anymore, it’s to dangerous. Not that there are vehicles without any lights on the road, there are parking stalled trucks without any warning in the middle of the road at night.
The motorcycle is a cheaper transportation as a car and by now more and more people can afford a motorbike. I understand they are still cashstrapped and they are using the motorbike like a familycar. It is the only transportation they can afford but only if they load their motorcycles to the limit.
At least I try to understand and not just compare it all to my own country.
November 14th, 2008 at 14:37
The Philippines IS spelled with 3 “P”s, the latter two of which are paired. The Philippines is named for King Philip II (2 “P”s, one at the beginning and one at the end).
I do understand what you are saying about trying to understand foreign cultures/countries and not just compare them to my own country of origin, but this IS an American ex-pat blog, and the differences between this country and the USA are worthy of note as most of my readers are Americans interested in The Philippines. Contrasting the two countries is only natural and “understanding” The Philippines without such contrast is just not possible. If I had grown up in The Philippines, then I would be Filipino and be able to comment on the country without contrast, but such is not the case, and such would also unlikely be of benefit for other potential ex-pats who are keenly interested in the differences between this World and that which they already know. Begging your indulgence.
November 23rd, 2010 at 20:48
in cdo they’re doing their job.