The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) on Wednesday said that it will bar its officials and employees from using blinkers and sirens, commonly referred to as wang-wang. This is in compliance with the campaign of the Philippine National Police Highway Patrol Group (PNP-HPG) against the illegal use of the devices.
The MMDA is directing its officials and staff to avoid using sirens and blinkers except on authorized vehicles and official functions
According to MMDA Officer-In-Charge Director Baltazar Melgar in a press briefing, the agency has issued a memorandum to this effect. “Sirens and blinkers should be attached to marked MMDA vehicles and used in the actual performance of the duties and functions of the agency,” he said.
He adds that MMDA motorcycle escorts assigned to various government officials have already been pulled out and recalled in support of the campaign.
Other agencies present in the briefing were the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), Inter-Agency Council for Traffic (I-ACT), and the Land Transportation Office (LTO). All have expressed support for the PNP-HPG’s campaign.
Apart from official government vehicles, only emergency response units are allowed to use these accessories
The LTO in particular has issued its own announcement through its Facebook page, saying that only authorized vehicles can use wang-wang. Officer-in-charge Atty. Romeo Vera Cruz cited an existing law from the previous Marcos era as the basis for the prohibition.
“Under (Presidential Decree) 96, Decree No. 2, sirens, blinkers, and similar devices may be attached to motor vehicles designated for official use by the Armed Forces of the Philippines, National Bureau of Investigation, Police Departments, Fire Departments, hospital ambulances, and the Land Transportation Commission,” he said.
Illegal use of sirens and blinkers is punishable by a fine, confiscation, and a bad record on your license
Vera Cruz also clarified the provisions under the LTO’s memorandum on Motorcycle Escorts and the Unauthorized Use of Sirens and Blinkers, Markers, etc. dated July 23, 1998. According to him, the only other government officials allowed to use these accessories are the President, Vice President, Senate President, Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.
The LTO advises the public to remove such accessories from personal or private vehicles, under pain of having the devices confiscated and earning corresponding demerit points on their driver’s license, apart from being meted a fine of Php 5,000.
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