Bravo DTI for removing the helmet fees!

Where are you nature lovers or those self-proclaimed environmentalists? Did you not know that the South Road widening has already started and that the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR-7) already confirmed that they have given the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) the go-signal to cut nine out of the 25 century-old trees abutting the roadsides from Naga City all the way to Carcar City?

Few people know that my maternal grandfather, Capt. Valeriano Jamala Segura (I am named after him), who died fighting the Japanese in Bataan Peninsula, was the first District Engineer in the Visayas and Mindanao; hence it was he who had those Acacia trees planted along the road. What about the row of Acacia trees in Perrelos, Carcar? Will they also suffer the same fate? I have always said that these trees do not only provide a hefty amount of shade, they are also very picturesque and thus it has become somewhat of an iconic welcome sight for tourists visiting Carcar.

In Bohol, they have a man-made forest, but in Carcar City, they have these old Acacia trees that were planted there when almost all of us were not yet born. Then here comes a bureaucrat from the DENR-7 who doesn’t care about the environment giving permission to cut those old trees. Mind you, this is different from that solitary Acacia tree along M. Velez St., which had to go because of the road widening. But let’s stop the DPWH from cutting down more trees before it is too late. I don’t know if it is too late, but we shall ask the Regional Development Council (RDC-7) about this.

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I was taken aback by the news in The Freeman yesterday that the Department of Trade & Industry (DTI) was starting to refund motorcycle owners who already paid P101.5 for their Import Commodity Clearance (ICC) stickers and the processing fee. It was only last July 16 when I had Land Transportation Office (LTO) Regional Director Raul Aquilos together with DTI Regional Director Aster Caberte as guests on my TV show, discussing the pros and the cons of the Helmet Law and why this has become an issue.

But in that show, I asked Director Caberte if we could reduce the processing or sticker fees, but she merely pointed out that this has to be discussed in DTI Manila. Well, as it turned out, DTI Head Office listened to our request and issued a memorandum waiving the payment for the processing fee and now DTI is busy issuing refunds to the motorcycle owners.

I don’t know why this wasn’t mentioned by Pres. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino, III in his State of the Nation Address (SONA) but this was definitely a very positive move that cuts right through the complaints of many motorists that the fees were just too excessive. With the fees gone, bike riders must now look at the list of at least 55 brands of helmets prescribed by the DTI.

I also looked at that list and I found out that Bell Helmets were not included in that list. I called up DTI Regional Director Caberte to tell her that the first full face helmet that came out of the market in the early 70s was a Bell Helmet. But these have become too expensive for our pockets. I do know that if there are still big bike riders with this helmet. I asked her to Google Bell Helmets so it can be included in that list.

Meanwhile, the Provincial Board called both LTO and DTI regional directors during their regular session to explain the Helmet Law. PB Member Sun Shimura expressed his concern that criminal elements were using full-face helmets to cover their identities. But I don’t buy this theory. I cannot ride my motorcycle without a full-face helmet. So if a Local Government Unit (LGU) bans full-face helmets, please don’t tell me that I would now compromise my personal safety just because these LGUs cannot catch a criminal who uses a full-faced helmet. What if we’re just passing through the town and someone stops us? Will we have to pay a fine because we are wearing a full-faced helmet? I certainly hope this won’t happen!

A criminal doesn’t need a helmet to hide his face, a balaclava is enough to cover his identity, or a towel. Also, in my legal mind, passing a law banning a full-faced helmet is what is known as “prior restraint.” Just because one is trying to cover his face doesn’t mean he has criminal intentions. My advice to LGUs is to tread carefully on this.

Finally, let me point out that there are just too many motorcycle riders of the “habal-habal” kind who still don’t follow the Helmet Law. The notorious ones the LTO can find along Dona Modesta Road towards Beverly Hills or along JY Square. My neighbors in Capitol-Camputhaw are equally as notorious and in my book, the only way that they would obey is for the respective barangays to be deputized by LTO to stop these people from entering a barangay if they insist on not wearing any helmets. How about CITOM?

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