MANILA — The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) has denied reports that it approved the ban of rosaries and other religious items on dashboards of cars.
Fr. Marvin Mejia, CBCP Secretary General admitted that he spoke with Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) spokesperson Aileen Lizada over the phone on Monday about the Anti-Distracted Driving Act “but there was no talks about approval or something”.
“Who are we?” Mejia said in an article posted on the CBCP news website.
He added that he was told by the LTFRB that there will “no total prohibition” of religious items in vehicles.
“In fact, we are being assured that there would be no prohibition of religious items inside the car as long as it does not impede the driver’s line of sight,” the CBCP official added.
Mejia noted added that he has yet to inform the bishops about the matter.
With this, he urged authorities to first clarify the confusions before fully enforcing the law.
“For me personally, they should review it to address the many concerns related to the safety of the motorists,” he said.
It was reported that the LTFRB has consulted the CBCP official on the implementation of JAO (Joint Administrative Order) 2014-01.
The Department of Transportation on Tuesday suspended the implementation of the law following clamors from various sectors on the confusion brought about by its implementing rules and regulations.
It particularly prohibits drivers from using electronic gadgets while driving as well as putting these in the dashboard of vehicles. Ferdinand Patinio/PNA-northboundasia.com