R.A. 587

REPUBLIC ACT No. 587

AN ACT TO AMEND SUBSECTIONS (a) AND (b) OF SECTION THREE, ARTICLE TWO OF CHAPTER ONE; SUBSECTIONS (b) AND (d) OF SECTION FIVE, SUBSECTIONS (a), (b), (c), (i), (j), (m) AND (n) OF SECTION SEVEN OF ARTICLE ONE, SECTION EIGHT, SUBSECTIONS (a) AND (d) OF SECTION NINE, AND SECTION TEN, ARTICLE TWO OF CHAPTER TWO, AND INSERT A NEW SECTION BETWEEN SECTIONS EIGHT AND NINE OF THIS ARTICLE TO BE KNOWN AS SECTION EIGHT-A WITH NEW SUBSECTIONS (a), (b), (c) AND (d) AND AMEND, FURTHER, SUBSECTION (a) OF SECTION THIRTEEN, SECTIONS FOURTEEN AND NINETEEN, ARTICLE THREE OF CHAPTER TWO; SECTIONS TWENTY-FOUR, THIRTY-ONE AND THIRTY-FIVE, ARTICLE ONE, SECTION THIRTY-EIGHT, ARTICLE TWO OF CHAPTER THREE; AND SECTION SIXTY-SEVEN OF ARTICLE ONE AND SUBSECTION (b) OF SECTION SEVENTY OF ARTICLE TWO OF CHAPTER FOUR OF ACT NUMBERED THIRTY-NINE HUNDRED AND NINETY-TWO, AS AMENDED BY COMMONWEALTH ACT NUMBERED ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-THREE, AND AS FURTHER AMENDED BY COMMONWEALTH ACTS NUMBERED FIVE HUNDRED AND FIFTY-SIX AND SIX HUNDRED AND FIFTY-TWO

Section 1. Whenever the words "Director of Public Works" and "Bureau of Public Works" are used in Act Thirty-nine hundred and ninety-two, as amended, the same shall be substituted by the words "Chief, Motor Vehicles Office" and "Motor Vehicles Office", respectively.

Section 2. Subsections (a) and (b) of section three, article two, Chapter one, of Act Numbered Thirty-nine hundred and ninety-two, are hereby amended as follows:

Section 3. Subsections (b) and (d) of section 5, article one, Chapter two of Act Numbered Thirty-nine hundred and ninety-two, are amended to read as follows:

Section 4. Subsections (a), (b), (c), (i), (j), (l), (m), and (n) of section seven, article one, Chapter two of Act Numbered Thirty-nine hundred and ninety-two, are hereby amended as follows:

Section 5. Section eight, article two, Chapter two, of Act Numbered Thirty-nine hundred and ninety-two, as amended by Commonwealth Acts Numbered One hundred and twenty-three, Five hundred and fifty-six and Six hundred and fifty-two, is further amended to read as follows:

Section 6. A new section to be known as section eight-A is hereby provided as follows:

Section 7. Subsections (a) and (d) of section nine, article two, Chapter two, of Act Numbered Thirty-nine hundred and ninety-two are hereby amended to read as follows:

Section 8. Section ten, article two, Chapter two, of Act Numbered Thirty-nine hundred and ninety-two is hereby amended to read as follows:

"Sec. 10. Additional fees. - In addition to the fees elsewhere provided in this Act, for each change of registration status, from private to hire or vice versa; revision of gross weight rating; change of tire size; transfer of ownership; duplicate to replace a lost registration certificate number plate, tag, chauffeur's license or permit; badge; preparation of affidavit or certified copy of records, or for any similar circumstance requiring the issue, revision or re-issue of a certificate of registration, chauffeur's license, badge, permit, or other document, a fee of two pesos shall be collected, to cover the clerical expense of investigating and recording same.

"The issuance of a duplicate certificate, number plate, tag, license, badge or permit shall render the original invalid.

"In case of a request in writing for certification of data or facts involving two or more vehicles, prepared and issued in tabulated form, a fee of five pesos per page or part thereof shall be collected for each certification, to cover the clerical expense of investigating and preparing the same."

Section 9. Subsection (a) of section thirteen of article three, Chapter two, of Act Numbered Thirty-nine hundred and ninety-two is hereby amended to read as follows:

"Sec. 13. Use and authority of certificate of registration. - (a) The said certificate shall be preserved and carried in the car by the owner as evidence of the registration of the motor vehicle described therein, and shall be attached to and presented with subsequent applications for re-registration or transfer of ownership on penalty of refusal by the Chief, Motor Vehicles Office to re-register or transfer until the said certificate is presented or a duplicate purchased as provided in this Act.

"In lieu, however, of the certificate of registration of a motor vehicle, a true copy thereof, or any other evidence of ownership and payment of current registration fee, may be carried in the car."

Section 10. Section fourteen, article three, Chapter two, of Act Numbered Thirty-nine hundred and ninety-two, is hereby amended to read as follows:

"Sec. 14. Suspension of registration certificate. - If on inspection as provided under section four (h) hereof, the Chief, Motor Vehicles Office, or his deputies find any motor vehicle to be unsightly, dangerous, overloaded, or capable of causing excessive damage as aforesaid, he may refuse to register the same; or if already registered he may require the number plates to be surrendered to him; and upon seventy-two hours notice to the owner or operator, suspend such registration until the defects of the vehicles are corrected. When the record of any particular motor vehicle or of its chauffeurs shows for any twelve months period, more than three warnings to the owner or chauffeur for violations of this Act, or of the Public Service Acts, or more than one conviction by the courts, the Chief, Motor Vehicles Office may in his discretion or upon recommendation of the Public Service Commissioner, suspend the certificate of registration and require the surrender of the number plates for a period not to exceed sixty days."

"After two such suspensions, the owner may be refused re-registration of the vehicle concerned for one year.

"The action of the Chief, Motor Vehicles Office, or his deputies under this section shall be communicated in writing to the owner of the motor vehicle."

Section 11. Section nineteen, article three, Chapter two, of Act Numbered Thirty-nine hundred and ninety-two is hereby amended to read as follows:

"Sec. 19. Dealers' number plates. - To any dealer who desires to operate motor vehicles from his stock, for demonstration or test purposes, the Chief, Motor Vehicles Office shall furnish special dealer's number plates, upon payment of fifteen pesos annually for each plate furnished or retained in such service, plus a fee of fifty centavos for each year tag issued, if any."

Section 12. Section twenty-four, article one, Chapter three, of Act Numbered Thirty-nine hundred and ninety-two is hereby amended to read as follows:

"Sec. 24. Driver's license, fees, examination. - Every person who desires personally to operate any motor vehicle shall make application to the Chief, Motor Vehicles Office, or his deputies for a license to drive motor vehicles: Provided, however, That no person shall be issued a professional chauffeur's license who is suffering from highly contagious diseases, such as, advanced tuberculosis, gonorrhea, syphilis, and the like.

"Each such application except in the case of enlisted men operating Government owned vehicles shall be accompanied by a fee of two pesos, and shall contain such information respecting the applicant and his ability to operate motor vehicles, as may be required by the Chief, Motor Vehicles Office.

"The Chief, Motor Vehicles Office, or his deputies shall also ascertain that the applicant's sight and hearing are normal, and may, in their discretion, require a certificate to that effect, signed by a reputable physician.

"An examination on or demonstration to show any applicant's ability to operate motor vehicles may also be required in the discretion of the Chief, Motor Vehicles Office, or his deputies."

Section 13. Section thirty-one, article one, Chapter three, of Act Numbered Thirty-nine hundred and ninety-two, is hereby amended to read as follows:

"Sec. 31. Renewal of license. - Any license not renewed on or before the last working day of February of each year shall become delinquent and invalid.

"The fee for renewal of delinquent license shall be five pesos.

"Every applicant for renewal of license to operate a motor vehicle shall present to the Chief, Motor Vehicles Office, either in person or by mail or passenger the license issued to the applicant for the previous year, together with the proper fee of five pesos and, in the case of professional chauffeurs, three copies of a readily recognized photograph of the applicant which photograph shall have been taken not exceeding three years prior to the date of application for renewal.

"Lost license. - In case the license for the previous year has been lost or cannot be produced, the applicant shall obtain a duplicate on accord with section ten of this Act, on penalty of refusal, by the Chief, Motor Vehicles Office, or his deputies to renew the license: Provided, however, That the Chief, Motor Vehicles Office or his deputies may, in their discretion, accept in lieu of the previous year's license, the duly signed and sworn statement of an operator to the effect that he has not operated any motor vehicle in the Philippines during the year or years for which no license was issued in his name.

"The Chief, Motor Vehicles Office and his deputies are hereby authorized to administer the oath in connection with such an affidavit."

Section 14. Section thirty-five, article one, Chapter three, of Act Numbered Thirty-nine hundred and ninety-two, is hereby amended to read as follows:

"Sec. 35. Student's permit. - Upon receipt of the fee of two pesos the Chief, Motor Vehicles Office, or his deputies are further authorized to issue student permits good for six months, to persons not under eighteen years of age, who desire to learn to operate motor vehicles. The Chief, Motor Vehicles Office may in his discretion require six months' operation as a student, as a prerequisite to the acceptance of an application for a chauffeur's license.

"In the discretion of the Chief, Motor Vehicles Office, or his deputies, persons claiming to have learned to operate motor vehicles in other countries or States, may be allowed to apply for a regular license without the previous requirement of a student's permit.

"A student operator who applies for a regular license, but fails to prove competent in the examination, shall continue as a student for at least one additional month. No student's permit shall authorize the person to whom the same is issued to operate a motor vehicle in any public highway, unless accompanied by a person carrying a regular license for the current year, issued under this Act to operate such motor vehicle.

"The licensed chauffeur acting as instructor shall be responsible and liable for any violation of the provisions of this Act and for any injury or damage done by a motor vehicle, on account or as a result of its operation by a student under his direction."

Section 15. Section thirty-eight, article two, Chapter three of Act Numbered Thirty-nine hundred and ninety-two, is hereby amended to read as follows:

"Sec. 38. Imitation and false representations. - No person shall make or use or attempt to make or use a chauffeur's license, badge, certificate of registration, number plate, tag, or permit in imitation or similitude of those issued under this Act, or intended to be used as or for a legal license, badge, certificate, plate, tag or permit, or with intent to sell or otherwise dispose of the same to another. No person shall falsely or fraudulently represent as valid and in force any chauffeur's license, badge, certificate, plate, tag or permit issued under this Act which is delinquent or which has been revoked or suspended.

"No person shall knowingly and with intent to deceive make one or more false or fraudulent statements in an application for the registration of vehicles, or for a chauffeur's license."

Section 16. Section sixty-seven, article one, Chapter four, of Act Numbered Thirty-nine hundred and ninety-two, is hereby amended to read as follows:

"Sec. 67. Violation and penalties. - The following penalties shall be imposed for violations of this Act.

Section 17. Subsection (b) of section seventy, article two, Chapter four, of Act Numbered Thirty-nine hundred and ninety-two, is hereby amended to read as follows:

Section 18. This Act shall take effect on January 1, 1951.

Approved: September 22, 195