Ang Pahayagan

PANGASINAN – Vice Governor Mark Ronald Lambino is calling for stricter enforcement of a provincial ordinance mandating drivers and passengers of motorcycles, tricycles, golf carts, and similar vehicles to wear high-visibility reflective vests or luminous-colored garments when traveling along Pangasinan roads between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m.

The directive is outlined in Provincial Ordinance No. 325-2024, approved on July 1, 2024, and implemented beginning Aug. 1 of the same year. It also requires passengers to comply with the reflective gear requirement.

“In case the motorcycle riders or back riders carry with them a backpack or have rear top boxes that may impede the proper view of their vests or garments, similar reflective materials should be attached to the backpacks or top boxes,” the ordinance stated.

Lambino said enforcement has weakened due to a lack of citation tickets and reduced monitoring during the election period.

“Firstly, the enforcement is laxed. Secondly, there was an alleged shortage of citation tickets that are being released to the deputized authorities,” he said in an interview on Monday.

“Pero ngayon siguro dahil tapos na ulit ang election season or what, baka naman pwede nang ulit ito maging mas-strict na naman ang ating mga munisipyo (But now that the election season is over, we hope the LGUs [local government units] will be strict in implementing the ordinance),” he added.

The provincial government, he said, is eyeing the creation of a violation receipt system, which would allow the provincial government —not just LGUs— to issue citation tickets to deputized authorities for various ordinance violations, including but not limited to traffic infractions.

From January to June 2024, Pangasinan police recorded 853 road accidents, resulting in 108 deaths and 387 injuries. Motorcycle and tricycle riders accounted for the majority of the incidents.

From Aug. 1 to Oct. 6, 2024, 506 violators were fined and 14,207 warned. Most were from Lingayen, Bayambang, San Fabian, Dagupan, and Alaminos. The fines collected amounted to PHP126,400.

Penalties under the ordinance range from a warning for the first offense to a PHP5,000 fine or up to one year imprisonment for the fourth offense, at the discretion of the court. (PNA)