The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) will hold a public consultation on December 20 regarding the draft administrative order (AO) on guidelines for installing speed-limiting devices on all public utility vehicles (PUVs).
The draft AO will implement several provisions of the Republic Act (RA) No. 10916, or the Road Speed Limiters Act of 2016, which mandates placing speed limiters on every PUV, including cargo trucks, closed vans, and tanker trucks.
Speed limiters are designed to reduce accidents by limiting the maximum speed of a vehicle through restricting fuel supply to the engine.
RA 10916 was passed to safeguard the public from speed-related road accidents, which result in fatalities or damage to property.
Under Section 4 of RA 10916, “no covered vehicle shall be allowed to run in any road, street or highway in the Philippines without a standard speed limiter in accordance with the prescribed standards and specifications.”
Under Section 7 of the same law, DTI shall accredit persons, establishments or institutions producing, manufacturing, or distributing speed limiters in accordance with the specifications and standards as may be determined by the Department of Transportation (DOTr), and, for such purpose, shall issue the necessary certification attesting compliance with such specifications and standards as a prerequisite for registration.
Moreover, under the law’s implementing rules and regulations, DOTr, through DTI, shall accredit persons, establishments, or institutions permitted to install and calibrate speed limiters; and shall also accredit persons, establishments, or institutions authorized to operate speed limiter testing facilities and issue certificates of conformity.
In an advisory posted on its website, DTI said a public consultation for the Luzon/National Capital Region, Cordillera Administrative Region, and Regions I, II, and III will be held on December 20, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., at DTI’s head office in Makati.
Aside from attending the scheduled consultations, interested parties may also submit their endorsement, position, or comments to the Consumer Protection and Advocacy Bureau (CPAB), addressed to Domingo R. Tolentino, Director, at the Trade and Industry Building, 361 Sen. Gil J. Puyat Avenue, 1200 Makati City, or through the email address CPAB@dti.gov.ph.
Under the draft AO, any natural person who is at least 18 years of age or any juridical person who is not disqualified by any existing law or regulation to install speed limiter devices is qualified to apply for recognition, provided that the documentary requirements set forth in the AO are complied with.
All speed limiters to be installed should conform to the standard specifications of PNS UNR (Philippine National Standards United Nations Regulation) 89:2016, or the equivalent internationally recognized standard. They should also be certified by the Bureau of Product Standards.
Further, there must be indications of compatibility for mechanical throttle linkage vehicles and electronic throttle linkage vehicles.
