Philippine roads are dangerous. Change my mind. You can't! Even the Department of Transportation agrees. The current chief wants a review of the rules.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/2055168/dizon-orders-sweeping-review-of-road-safety-policies |
The Department of Transportation (DOTr) will form a special task force to review road safety policies and procedures and implement reforms aimed at reducing road accidents.
DOTr chief Vince Dizon announced the formation of the task force in a press conference on Wednesday.
“Effective today, I am announcing the creation of a special task force to do a sweeping review of all our road safety policies and procedures,” he said.
Dizon added that the special task force will be composed of officials from the DOTr, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board, and the Land Transportation Office (LTO).
“We should take road safety seriously because big vehicles like buses and trucks are deadly. If they hit you, you can’t do anything,” Dizon said in Filipino.
“And clearly, the policies and process now are not effective,” he added.
When will these people learn? It is not the rules that are the problem. It's bad drivers and NON-ENFORCEMENT of the rules that are the problem. And when they are enforced it is done in the stupidest way. For instance checkpoints are easily evaded by motorcycles and tricycles by simply pulling over to the side of the road and waiting them out. The DOTr needs to look at the PNP.
I have written about overloaded trucks many times on this blog. Now another overloaded truck has collapsed a bridge. Senate President Escudero says this is a problem and there needs to be a review of anti-overloading policies.
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| https://mb.com.ph/2025/3/16/escudero-calls-for-comprehensive-review-of-anti-overloading-policies |
Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero is now pushing for a comprehensive review of all laws and policies against overloading by trucks and trailers across the country.
Escudero made the call for a review in light of the recent sudden collapse of the Cabagan-Sta. Maria Bridge in Isabela province that was reportedly triggered by overloading.
The Senate chief said a parallel review of policies regarding overloading is in order to determine if these are enforced properly and if these are still effective, or if there may be lapses in enforcement.
“We must find out how the truck that reportedly weighed 102 tons was able to get on the bridge that has a 45-ton maximum capacity,” Escudero said in a statement on Sunday, March 16.
“I am certain that this is not an isolated incident, and a lot of overloaded trucks are able to go about their business without being flagged,” the senator said.
Escudero cited Section 6 of Republic Act 8794, or the Motor Vehicle User’s Charge (MVUC) Act of 2000, which specifies the penalty for overloading, which is equivalent to 25 percent of the MVUC imposed on trucks and trailers.
The same section also states that “no axle load shall exceed 13,500 kilograms,” he pointed out.
The lawmaker recalled that in November 2001, the DPWH, then Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC), and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) issued a joint circular laying out the mechanics of implementation and enforcement of the provisions on overloading and the maximum allowable gross vehicle weights.
The provisions depend on the configuration of trucks or trailers.
A revised Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of RA 8794 was also issued on April 5, 2013, which stated, among others, that the DPWH shall install and operate weighbridge stations or portable weighing machines at strategic locations along national roads for purposes of the implementation of the provisions of the law against overloading.
Under RA 8794, the DPWH is also authorized to outsource to private contractors the operation of the weighbridge stations and portable weighing machines. Under the law, these machines should be in operation 24 hours a day, including Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays.
"How many weighbridges do we have? What is the weight capacity or load of roads and bridges that we construct? Is this being followed? Is this being implemented? Is there a weighbridge before one can cross that bridge?” Escudero pointed out.
“If a truck was able to pass a weighbridge, maybe after passing it, they loaded more, and thus, there were changes in the weight of the truck,” the Senate President raised.
He further said that based on the data from the Land Transportation Office (LTO), close to 400,000 trucks and 55,802 trailers were registered from January to September of 2023. The LTO recorded a total of 16,020 apprehensions based on axle overloading in that same period.
According to Escudero, there are easy and practical ways to prevent the overloading of trucks, such as prohibiting the installation of reinforcements on the bed of trucks or trailers.
A visual inspection of the trucks would also already reveal if these have been reinforced and “if there are reinforcements then it means the trucks are most likely overloaded every time they transport cargoes,” he said.
Escudero also noted that the DPWH has a significant amount of funding for the construction, rehabilitation, and maintenance of national roads and bridges under the 2025 General Appropriations Act (GAA).
“Once we start deliberations on the proposed 2026 spending plan of the DPWH and the DOTr (Department of Transportation) later this year, we will require an accounting of the expenses incurred as a result of infrastructure damaged due to overloading and the effectiveness of the policies and programs to prevent overloading,” he said.
“We have to put a stop to these recurring expenses that could easily be avoided,” he added.
No kidding it's not an isolated incident. There does not need to be a review of anti-overloading polices. There needs to be enforcement of existing anti-overloading policies. It's as simple as that. Enforce the laws on the books. But heaven forbid anyone do their job like enforcing speed limits.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/2052784/strict-enforcement-of-speed-limits-sought |
Senate Majority Leader Francis Tolentino has called on authorities to strictly enforce the 60-kilometer per hour (km/h) speed limit in major thoroughfares to ensure public safety.
He made the call following the vehicular accident that killed two passengers and injured 16 others when a passenger jeepney went wayward and hit other vehicles on Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City on Sunday morning.
The 60-km/h rule on the busy road was introduced by Tolentino himself in 2011 as chair of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority. The speed limit has since been applied to other major thoroughfares.
“Commonwealth has been called the ‘killer highway’ due to the high number of accidents and fatalities there. To address this, we imposed the 60 km/h speed limit,” Tolentino said.
Initial police reports and CCTV footage indicated that the passenger jeepney involved in the smashup was running at high speed when the driver apparently lost control of the vehicle.
“Rules exist to ensure traffic order and public safety. On the other hand, it is the responsibility of drivers and motorists to observe discipline and road courtesy,” the senator said.
Imagine living in a country where the President of the Senate has to implore the police to enforce existing traffic rules. What a shameful mess.
But it's not as if the PNP is always following traffic rules themselves.
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| https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2025/04/02/2432793/government-must-be-consistent-enforcing-laws |
The government must be consistent in enforcing laws, particularly in traffic management and road clearing operations, a Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) official said.
According to Gabriel Go, the MMDA’s Special Operations Group Strike Force head who recently figured in a viral post over a heated exchange with a police officer, his unit was trying to implement change by performing regular clearing operations and maintaining orderly traffic flow along highways and alternate routes in Metro Manila.
“We got used to times that when there is no traffic enforcer around, despite having traffic signages, we will park (in illegal parking areas). And when we get caught, we always say sorry and plead for us not to be cited for violation,” he said in an interview with The STAR’s online show “Truth on the Line” on Monday.
If motorists cannot follow simple rules such as avoiding illegal parking along major thoroughfares, chances are they could be “blatantly disrespecting” other laws – something that Go said wanted to change.
He highlighted the importance of information dissemination on policies on road traffic and road clearing among citizens, as well as consistency in implementing them.
He also pointed out that with consistency comes the need for “collaboration and coordination with law enforcers and the local government units, especially the barangay.”
Go emphasized that in traffic rules and in road clearing operations, “no one is above the law, and the law applies to all.”
He reminded personnel under his unit to only remove obstructions, such as tables and umbrellas during clearing operations, and not confiscate vendors’ merchandise.
Meanwhile, MMDA Chairman Don Artes said a show-cause order has been issued to Go in connection with an altercation with a Quezon City police officer.
In his letter to Sen. JV Ejercito, Artes said the MMDA is taking the matter seriously and assured the senator that Go will be held accountable if found to be at fault.
“Mr. Gabriel Go is a good man and a dedicated MMDA enforcer. If he committed a mistake, we will accord him due process and penalize him as justified,” Artes said in a separate statement.
The controversy stemmed from a clearing operation wherein Go allegedly humiliated Capt. Erik Felipe of the Quezon City Police District (QCPD) over a parking ticket dispute.
A video of the incident, reportedly taken outside Anonas police station 9 without Felipe’s consent, circulated online, subjecting him to criticism for parking his motorcycle on the sidewalk.
According to National Police Commission (Napolcom) Commissioner Rafael Vicente Calinisan, Felipe intends to sue Go and vlogger Dada Koo for violation of Republic Act 10173, or the Data Privacy Act.
Asked when the case might be filed, Calinisan said in a Viber message, “Toward the end of the week.”
Calinisan said he spoke with Go over the weekend and advised him to apologize to Felipe, but to no avail.
The MMDA was conducting clearing operations. A PNP officer illegally parked his motorcycle on the sidewalk. An MMDA officer, Go, and the PNP officer, Felipe, got into a heated argument over the parking ticket which was issued. This altercation was filmed and post to social media. Instead of the PNP officer taking his lumps and admitting he was wrong he now intends to sue both the MMDA officer and the man who filmed the incident.
What a load of malarkey. This entitled PNP officer thinks he is above the law and does not have to follow basic traffic rules such as don't park on the sidewalk. But the fact is the law applies to all, including PNP officers who should be model to the rest of society. Seeing as the PNP is one of the most corrupt organizations in the nation it's no wonder Philippine society is the way it is.
An internet personality has written a whole article about how Filipinos need to use their turn signals when driving.
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| https://interaksyon.philstar.com/trends-spotlights/2025/03/17/293383/turn-signals-driving-macoy-dubs/ |
Content creator and car enthusiast Macoy Dubs stressed the importance of using turn signals and the potential consequences of neglecting them.
The internet personality on Tuesday, March 11, shared the effects of failing to use signal lights, advising such motorists to attend "driving school."
“If you don't signal, you'll be a sweet potato, if you become a sweet potato, you'll crash, if you crash, you'll get killed, if you get killed, you'll go to jail, if you go to jail, you'll rot,” he wrote on Facebook .
“S*ET. Go to Driving School,” Macoy added with a sparkle emoji.
His post has earned 3,700 likes and reactions, 226 shares, and over 80 comments so far, with many Filipinos sharing their own experiences on the road.
“This is also [our] Pet Peeve!!!! Those who don't signal are annoying. Let's just guess where they're going,” a Facebook user wrote.
“Everyone should be required to go to driving school. You mentioned those who signaled but that's not where they went,” another online user commented.
“When you signal, the person behind you will speed up so you don't get hit,” different Pinoy wrote.
Macoy has been consistently raising awareness about using turn signals.
Earlier this year, he reminded fellow drivers to use their signal lights when turning or switching lanes
“To my sissies who are main characters and feeling artists who are returning to Manila and neighboring provinces, please use your turn signal because I don't want to guess this 2025. Charet!” Macoy wrote last January.
His post has garnered 1,600 reactions.
In May 2024, the influencer posted dashcam footage of him being cut by another vehicle whose driver failed to use a turn signal when he switched lanes.
“I just want to sing, drive [in] peace and go home. You don't need to cut. Unless you're short-changing yourself when it comes to getting your license. Eme!” Macoy wrote on Facebook before.
Using turn signals before turning or switching lanes is a common defensive driving habit.
Turn signals are a vital means of communication, alerting other drivers to your intended direction and helping to prevent potential collisions or accidents.
Signal lights should be turned on at least 30 meters before making a turn, whether to the right or left.
When changing lanes, they should be activated at least five seconds prior to making the move.
In most vehicles, turn signals are located on the left lever behind the steering wheel.
Moving it downward activates the left turn signal, while moving it upward activates the right turn signal.
It's common sense and common courtesy. Two things which are sorely lacking in the Philippines.
