Composite task force to lead crackdown vs. noisy, modified vehicle mufflers

The Philippine National Police (PNP), in coordination with the Roads and Traffic Administration (RTA) and the Land Transportation Office (LTO), will be at the helm for a strict crackdown on motorcycles and vehicles with excessively loud mufflers.

The move was agreed upon during a meeting of the City Council’s committee on public utilities, chaired by Councilor Eric Salcedo, following reports of increasing cases of unauthorized vehicle modifications and nuisance driving in the city.

Salcedo said the city’s traffic code is set to be updated, including a proposal to raise the penalty for illegal mufflers from ₱1,000 to ₱5,000, with the addition of vehicle impoundment as a deterrent.

The enforcement drive is anchored on Republic Act No. 4136, or the Land Transportation and Traffic Code, which prohibits the use of motor vehicles with defective or modified accessories that produce excessive or unusual noise, considered a form of alarm and scandal or public disturbance.

Authorities also cited Land Transportation Office Memorandum Circular No. 2020-2240, which penalizes the use of unauthorized or modified exhaust systems and other vehicle accessories that exceed allowable noise limits.

LTO officials emphasized the need for proper enforcement equipment, including breath analyzers to address drunk driving and decibel meters to measure noise levels, stressing that penalties cannot be imposed without the needed apparatus.

The LTO further called on barangay officials to coordinate closely with the composite team, noting that violations often occur sporadically and in specific locations best identified at the barangay level.

Salcedo said that sustained and consistent operations, supported by mobile police patrols rather than limited checkpoints, will help deter violations, reduce noise pollution and public disturbance, and protect lives to instantaneous death and damage to property. (FDC/SP)