PIMENTEL SAYS GOVT SHOULD RECALL LOW-NUMBERED CAR PLATES
Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr. (PDP-Laban) today said the
government should recall all low-numbered protocol or courtesy car plates
issued to high-ranking public officials except those for the President and
the Vice President of the Republic and ambassadors of foreign countries.
Pimentel asked Congress to pass his bill prohibiting the issuance of
low-numbered car plates and canceling those already issued to senators,
congressmen and Cabinet members all the way to bureau directors.
He revived the proposal in the wake of allegations by Asst. Transportation
Secretary and Land Transportation Office Chief Alberto Suansing about
traffic accidents involving vehicles of congressmen with low-numbered car
plates.
Pimentel lamented that unscrupulous public officials have the mistaken
notion that the low-numbered car plates gives them a license to break or
disregard traffic rules.
“Many high-ranking government officials and middle-class bureaucrats today
roam our streets like members of royalty in heavily-tinted vehicles sporting
low-numbered plates. They evoke a false impression that these favored few
are exempt and insulated from the reach of traffic rules and regulations,”
he observed.
The senator from Mindanao said there is no legitimate reason for these
government executives to be accorded this kind of special privilege which he
said only “smacks of delusions of grandeur.”
“Since they are public servants, they should set the example in observing
road regulations that are followed by all,” he said.
Under the Pimentel bill, the official vehicles of the President and those of
representatives of foreign states, as provided by any treaty, agreement or
protocol sanctioned by international law or practice shall be exempt from
the ban on the use of protocol plates. But these exemptions shall not apply
to representatives of foreign states or international organizations that do
not grant similar privilege to Filipino diplomatic officials.
The bill, which was originally filed nine years ago, provides that any
person driving cars with unauthorized low-numbered plates shall, upon
inspection, be fined a minimum of P10,000 to a maximum of P50,000 or
imprisoned for a minimum of one month and one day and a maximum of six
months.
Date: August 23, 2008
Ref: Omeng Maglangit / (02) 5526733 |
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