MANILA, Philippines — A reminder from the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board against driving distractions other than communication and entertainment gadgets baffled motorists on the scope of the Anti-Distracted Driving Act.

The confusion stemmed from the seemingly conflicting explanations offered by transport agencies enforcing Republic Act 10913, or the Anti-Distracted Driving Act, on whether the newly implemented law considers items other than electronic devices as distractions.

LTFRB board member and spokesperson Aileen Lizada on Saturday warned against other distractions such as rosaries and figurines placed on the dashboard and windshield which could obscure the driver’s line of sight. Lizada clarified that these other distractions do not fall under RA 10913 but are included in Joint Administrative Order No. 2014-01 issued three years ago.

The Department of Transportation was also unambiguous about the law’s coverage.

“RA 10913, which is the Anti-Distracted Driving Act, only covers communication and entertainment devices such as cellphones and tablets. It does not cover stuffed toys placed on the dashboard or the signages used by PUVs. It only covers the prohibition on the usage of gadgets, in essence,” DOTr said.

Vague wording

Any “accessory, device, equipment or part that is manifestly prejudicial to road safety” are prohibited under Section 2(d) of the JAO.

Lizada said these include rosaries, figurines, stuffed toys and bobbleheads commonly found on the dashboard or in the windshield area of vehicles in the country.

Ariel Inton, a former LTFRB board member and now president of volunteer legal aid group Lawyers for Commuters Safety and Protection, questioned this interpretation.

“Ngunit wala naman sa JAO ang nagsasabi na bawal ang mga bagay tulad ng rosary. Hinila na lang ito sa probisyon sa JAO na ipinagbabawal ang ano mang bagay na nasa sasakyan na ‘manifestly prejudicial to safe driving,’” Inton said in a statement Monday.

“Kaya ang tanong na naman, ang paglagay ba ng rosaryo sa dashboard o sa rearview mirror ng sasakyan ay ‘manifestly prejudicial to road safety?’ Kung hindi naman, then bakit ipagbabawal?”

Asked about what the wording means, Lizada on Monday referred to obstructions on the line of sight of the driver. She defined the line of sight as the “visible path from the vehicle to target destination,” which she said covers the whole dashboard and windshield area.

Inton said that although they support laws promoting road safety, LCSP is wary about overstretching the law's coverage.

Rosaries allowed if...

The JAO has been in effect since 2014 but was never fully enforced. This will change on Friday, May 26, as Lizada said violators will pay a fine of P5,000 as stipulated in the order.

A memorandum circular would also be issued by the LTFRB directing PUVs to clear the line of sight and detailing specifics on where signages would be placed. The agency, however, has yet to respond on when it will be released.

Lizada added that the Land Transportation Office would handle the issuance of instructions for private vehicles.

The LTFRB spokesperson said she talked to the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, which she said was understanding of the order.

“The end objective is to have a safe ride,” Lizada said, adding that rosaries could still be kept inside the car just not anywhere on the line of sight of the driver.

She added that if motorists are keen on hanging their rosaries on the rearview mirror, they should shorten the string so it wouldn’t dangle obstructively.