Mayor defies order on vehicle blinkers, sirens

By Joseph Bernard A. Marzan

Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas announced Monday he will not remove blinkers and sirens from city government vehicles despite the administration’s push to enforce the ban under Administrative Order (AO) No. 18, issued by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on March 25.

At his regular press conference, Treñas stated the city would comply with the order, which prohibits local government units from using vehicles equipped with these accessories. However, he clarified that exemptions would be made for emergencies.

“We will follow [AO No. 18], and we no longer even use [sirens and blinkers]. But for emergencies, we must keep them. If they have an administrative order, they can arrest me for all they want. I will not have them removed,” Treñas remarked.

Uldarico Garbanzos, chief of the Iloilo City Traffic Management Unit, also noted during the conference that certain city vehicles providing essential services could still operate under the AO’s exceptions.

AO No. 18 reinforces Presidential Decree (PD) No. 96 issued in 1973, which bans government officials and personnel from using sirens, blinkers, and other similar devices that produce “exceptionally loud or startling sound,” except for designated motor vehicles of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), Philippine National Police (PNP), fire trucks, hospital ambulances, and other essential vehicles in emergency situations.

This directive responds to incidents of abuse where officials, uniformed personnel, and their affiliates improperly use such devices to bypass traffic, especially in restricted lanes along Metro Manila’s Epifanio De los Santos Avenue (EDSA).

Although AO No. 18 does not specify penalties for violations, PD No. 96 mandates that unauthorized gadgets be immediately confiscated and repeat offenses may lead to prosecution “before the military tribunal,” with possible imprisonment for six months and/or a fine of 600 pesos.

Additionally, the vehicle’s certificate of registration may be canceled or revoked.