ILOILO City – The city’s Public Safety and Transportation Management Office (PSTMO) and Iloilo City Police Office (ICPO) began a city-wide enforcement of the anti-illegal muffler ordinance on Thursday night, Jan. 5.
Regulation Ordinance No. 2017-087 prohibits the sale, installation and use of modified mufflers.
The prohibition covers private and public motor vehicles.
Mayor Jerry P. Treñas cited complaints from some residents against excessive, irritating and unhealthful sound produced by improvised mufflers of motor vehicles especially at night.
“These cause disturbance especially when they are resting. Noisy mufflers should be confiscated and destroyed right away,” the city mayor said.
Treñas also instructed the Business Permits and Licensing Office (BPLO), PSTMO and ICPO to inspect stores selling mufflers.
“I will order the closure of establishments violating the ordinance,” Treñas stressed.
To sustain the massive operation, the traffic enforcement units of police stations will be issued with “decibel meters” to use during checkpoint operations.
The PSTMO has five existing decibel meters.
On Wednesday, Jan. 4, of the 40 citation tickets issued, 25 were violators of the anti-illegal muffler ordinance.
Under the ordinance, for first offense the driver will be fined P1,000. The second offense has a fine of P3,000.
A P5,000 fine plus confiscation of mufflers are the penalties for the third offense.
The anti-muffler ordinance was approved by the Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) in April 2017. The lack of sound meter devices, however, stalled its enforcement./PN
