MANILA – President Rodrigo Duterte ordered to defer the implementation of the Child Safety in Motor Vehicles Act due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
“Ipinagpaliban po ng Presidente ang implementasyon ng child car seat (law). Binalanse po ng Pangulo ang pinagdadaanan ng ating mga kababayan sa gitna ng krisis na nararanasan din ng buong mundo,” Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said.
The full implementation of RA 11229 is supposed to take effect on Feb. 2, but the Land Transportation Office (LTO) postponed the apprehension for six months to focus on intense information campaign.
Under the Child Safety in Motor Vehicles Act, children 12 years and below are refrained from sitting in the front seat of a private vehicle and should be placed in a restraint system, unless the child is at least 4.92 feet tall and can be properly secured by a regular belt.
Drivers found violating it will be fined P1,000 for the first offense; P2,000 for the second offense; and P3,000 and a one-year suspension of the driver’s license for the third and succeeding offenses.
Apart from the child car seat law, the president also ordered that LTO’s Motor Vehicle Inspection System (MVIS) is no longer mandatory.
“Pinatigil na po ng Presidente ang paniningil ng extra para sa inspection. Ang babayaran na lang po pag magre-renew ng registration ay ang dati na nating binabayaran,” Roque said.
The Senate committee on public services has earlier called for the temporary suspension of the operations of Private Motor Vehicle Inspection Centers (PMVICs) as it could be prone to corruption.
PMVICs are authorized to collect an inspection fee of P1,800 for motor vehicles weighing 4,500 kilograms or less and another P900 for re-inspection. For motorcycles and tricycles, they are charged P600 for the inspection fee and P300 for re-inspection./PN
