‘Doble Plaka’ bicam U-turns, pushes for single motorcycle plates

Metro Manila, Philippines – The bicameral committee revising the Doble Plaka Law has decided to scrap the front license plate requirement for motorcycles, saying rear plates should suffice.

“Wala nang plaka sa harap, sa likod na lang (No more front plates, only at the back),” Senate Majority Leader Francis Tolentino announced following the bicameral conference committee meeting at the Senate on Tuesday, Jan. 14.

He said this is one of the key provisions agreed upon by the bicam, which is composed of members from both the House of Representatives and the Senate tasked with reconciling their respective versions of the proposed amendment to the law.

The Motorcycle Crime Prevention Act, also known as the Doble Plaka Law, was enacted in 2016 to deter riding-in-tandem crimes. It required the display of “bigger, readable, and color-coded number plates… on both the front and back sides of a motorcycle.”

Senator JV Ejercito, a motorcycle enthusiast himself, noted that the law has since resulted in a backlog of more than nine million motorcycle license plates.

“Mas mabuti nang lahat may plaka kaysa dalawa nga, hindi naman maibigay (It's better for everyone to have a plate than to require two that can't even be provided),” Ejercito said.

He added that the bicam also agreed to let go of the Senate’s proposal to put Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) stickers on motorcycles to contain important information such as the chassis number, license plate, and owner’s information.

“It is causing further delays. Ang intention natin [Our intention] is to address the backlogs,” Ejercito said.

With the proposed amendments, Tolentino said the “more realistic commitment” from the Land Transportation Office now is to have the plates ready by June 2026.

Some riders welcomed the bicam amendments.

“Kasi sa isang plaka pa lang po nahihirapan na yung LTO magprovide ng plaka e doble plaka pa kaya [Because the LTO is already struggling to provide even one plate, let alone two],” said Ariel Saavedra.

“Pag sa motor sagabal ‘yon sa unahan [Plates at the front of motorcycles are an obstacle],” JC Atrejeño added.

Ejercito said the bicam also agreed to reduce the fines for law violations to a maximum of P20,000, down from the previous range of P50,000 to P100,000.

Once the Senate and the House of Representatives ratify the bicam report, the final version of the bill will be sent to Malacañang for the president's signature.