The Dumaguete City government is eyeing three options to prevent the full implementation of Republic Act 10054 or the Mandatory Helmet Law, in July this year.

These include a City Council resolution addressed to Senator Ramon Revilla Jr., principal author of RA 10054; a petition for a declaratory relief to be filed in the local court, and a signature campaign of constituents opposing its implementation, Vice Mayor Alan Gel Cordova said.

The resolution is asking Revilla to review, or come up with adjustments, considering the prevailing situation of Dumaguete motorcycle riders. The petition and signature campaign, meanwhile, is on hold while members of the Sangguniang Panlungsod are settling legal arguments, he added.

The arguments in the declaratory relief will be the same as those to be incorporated in the petition/signature campaign, and should not be solely based on the sentiments of the people, Cordova said.

These include what he called the unreasonable classification in the law’s application, since it does not specify which type of roads, public or private, the motorcycle riders are required to wear helmets on; that it is too intrusive on the people’s rights, requiring them to buy a helmet for protection and that the use of motorcycles shall now be regulated with the mandatory wearing of helmets, so that a person’s right to acquisition of property is curtailed, he said.

Dumaguete City has been tagged as the “motorcycle capital of the Philippines”, with 19,000 units registered with the Land Transportation Office-Dumaguete District Office alone. This does not include the thousands of motorcycle units registered in the province of Negros Oriental.

Cordova said he hopes that the declaratory relief petition will be filed in the local court Friday as soon as SP members, who are acting as petitioners, have signed it.*JFP

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