President Rodrigo Duterte said that he would ask the Land Transportation Office to suspend the implementation of double plates for motorcycles.

Duterte announced this in a speech in Iloilo City Saturday night during the 25th National Federation of the Motorcycle Clubs of the Philippines Annual National Convention.

"So, I will try to convince the LTO to may be hang on to it. I will suspend in the meantime because it is not good. It is dangerous to place another gadget, especially one which has corners. The plate number has corners. It could be a plastic or it could be an aluminum, but still with an impact, it could prick the helmet. Dangerous. Anything that is sharp there, it's not good," said Duterte who used to be a motorcycle rider himself.

He said he would also talk to Senator Richard Gordon, the main author of Republic Act No. 11235 or the Motorcycle Crime Prevention Act, which requires motorcycles to have color-coded, more readable plate numbers on the back and front. The law was approved on March 8.

Duterte said that he signed the enrolled bill on Motorcycle Crime Prevention Act because it was recommended to him by the policemen and the military.

But he realized that it would be dangerous to have plate number at the front also of the motorcycle.

The President said that payment also for the double plates would be very costly, about P50,000, which is even higher than the value of an ordinary motorcycle.

He said the amount could be lowered to P10,000 to P15,000.

Duterte suggested that as a "compromise," LTO could make the plate number at the back of the motorcycle bigger. Celerina Monte/DMS