By GENALYN KABILING
President Duterte is mulling on carrying out an intensified crackdown on motorcycles emitting ear-splitting noise.
The President has expressed dismay with noisy motorcycles after a loud sound of a passing vehicle interrupted his speech at the opening of the Skyway Stage 3 in Quezon City Thursday.
“Walang hiya. Iyan ang ayaw ko. You know in Davao, wala ‘yan. Pinapara ko sa highway tapos sabi ko, ‘Tanggalin mo ‘yan,'” Duterte said about motorbikes with noisy exhaust system during the inauguration of the Metro Manila Skyway Stage 3 project.
Duterte, a motorcycle enthusiast, recalled that he used to have a noisy motorbike but decided to remove its loud exhaust pipes.
“Ang problema ang motor ko maingay. Ako ‘yung unang nag – tinuli ko ‘yung exhaust. Because you know pollution is really very, very present in our lives today and it is really considered a pollution and is hazard to the health of the people. One of these days, sabihin ko ‘yang mga motorsiklo,” he said.
Duterte, a former mayor of Davao City, also said his hometown has become “extremely quiet” since loud pipes are not allowed on motorbikes.
“Alam ko nako-corny-han kayo. But wala naman akong maituro na lugar . It does not exist in Davao. There is no broom-broom around. It’s quiet and it is extremely quiet,” he said.
In 2016, the President became annoyed when a motorcycle with a deafening noise interrupted a media interview. He said when he was Davao City mayor, he banned modified mufflers that generate unusual noise in motorcycles.
