Representatives from both chambers of Congress agreed on Tuesday to finalize the amendments to the controversial Republic 11235 Motorcycle Crime Prevention Act, also known as the “Doble Plaka” Law.

According to Senate Deputy Majority Leader Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito, one of the members of the Senate contingent, the two houses of Congress recommend that motorcycles use single plates instead of two.

“Actually, the main provision is that the ‘Doble Plaka’ requirement will now be just one. We have about a nine-million backlog. It’s better for everyone to have one plate, rather than having two that can’t even be distributed,” Ejercito told reporters in an ambush interview.

“In terms of crime prevention, what is very important is for all the motor vehicles, specifically motorcycles, would have their plate numbers,” he added.

Under Senate Bill 2555, authored by Ejercito, Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, and Raffy Tulfo, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology would be required to install on motorcycles for vehicle identification instead of requiring larger front plates for motorcycles.

RFID stickers shall be installed at the front portion of the motorcycles, replacing the original decal plates, and ensuring rider safety.

Ejercito, however, noted that the requirement for motorcycles to have RFID stickers had also been repealed by the bicam panel, citing that it may cause additional backlogs for the Land Transportations Office (LTO).

“It’s because the LTO is having problems... now if it’s causing more delays, our intention is to address the backlogs, as I think — Senator Dela Rosa and Congressman Acop, who are both [former] police officers — believe that what is more important is for all motorcycles, and all vehicles for that matter, to have plate numbers in terms of crime prevention,” he said.

Backlogs

Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader Francis Tolentino, who sponsored the Senate version of the proposed measure, said the bill also stipulates that plates should be displayed only at the back of the motorcycle.

When asked about the plate backlogs at the LTO, Tolentino said the agency had committed to clearing the backlogs by 30 June 2025.

“The initial commitment is [June 30, 2025], but the more realistic timeline from the LTO is [June 30, 2026] to address the issue. Their problem lies in the distribution,” Tolentino told reporters during the same ambush interview.