LTO intensifies campaign: Motorcycle owners urged vs. installing bora-bora

CEBU, Philippines - The Land Transportation Office -7 is urging motorcycle owners to refrain from installing unauthorized accessories on their motorcycles including modifying their mufflers or locally known as bora-bora.

LTO-7 operation chief Rey Maloloy-on said they recently were able to apprehend 30 motorcycle drivers and confiscated their respective bora-bora.

Each violator were made to pay a fine of more than P6,000 aside from having their modified mufflers confiscated.

Maloloy-on said within this week, they will conduct another operation to confiscate more bora-bora.

“Among awhag sa mga motorcycle drivers not to modify their mufflers kay gawas nga daku ang multa, amoa pa g’yud kuhaon ang modified muffler,” he warned.

According to Maloloy-on, some motorcycle drivers opt to modify their mufflers as it saves on fuel cost.

“Ingon nila mas maka-menos sila sa gasto sa fuel ug mas kusog modagan ang motor kung wala’y silencer ilang muffler. Pero mao sad lage na, saba sad kaayo,” the LTO-7 official said.

Earlier, seven residents through their environmentalists-lawyers filed a special civil action of writ of continuing mandamus to compel concerned government agencies and officials to do their respective duties in apprehending violators of noise pollution, specifically on the bora-bora.

   The petitioners said “bora-bora” is the major source of noise pollution in Cebu; the noise emanating from this freely flows through the exhaust pipe from the engine and emits sound as high as 120 decibels when in full throttle.

“It is for this reason that noise from these modified mufflers is not only irritating but potentially dangerous both physically and mentally to petitioners. Health experts consider loud noise such as those emanating from bora-bora as a slow agent of death,” the petition reads. — (FREEMAN)