Section 20
SEC. 20 (a) No person operating a motor vehicle shall allow more passengers in his motor vehicle than its fixed and registered carrying capacity, and no operator shall permit any person or persons to ride on the running boards or mudguards of his motor vehicle for any purpose, except for necessary adjustments of the motor or mechanism, or for collection of fares by the conductor of a public passenger motor vehicle. In no case shall such conductors remain on as the running boards while not actually making collections. (b) The Director of Public Works or his deputies shall, in accord with rules to be determined and published by the Director of Public Works, fix the maximum carrying capacity in passengers or freight, of all motor vehicles with the exception of private passenger automobiles. The carrying capacity thus fixed is to be entered on the certificate of registration and the "Motor Vehicle Register" and thereby made of record, as will the Director of Public Works or his deputies also fix and record in the same manner the number of persons permitted on the front or driver's seat of any motor vehicle. (c) Any person violating any of the provisions of subsection (a) of this section shall be punished by a fine of not less than ten pesos nor more than one hundred pesos, and in the discretion of the Director of Public Works the operator's license or the certificate of registration of the motor vehicle concerned may be suspended for a period not to exceed three months. (d) The Director of Public Works or his deputies are furthermore authorized at any time to examine and inspect any motor vehicle, in order to determine whether the same is unsafe, improperly marked and equipped, or otherwise unfit to be operated because of possible danger to the chauffeur, to the passengers, or to the public; or because of possible excessive damage to the public highways, bridges, or culverts. If the Director of Public Works or his deputies find any such motor vehicle to be dangerous, or capable of causing excessive damage to the public highways, bridges, or culverts, as aforesaid, he may refuse to register the same, or if the same be already registered he may upon twenty-four hours notice to the owner or operator, revoke such registration or suspend the force and operation thereof, until the defects, improper equipment, or other cause of insecurity, danger or excessive damage has been remedied. The action of the Director of Public Works or his deputies under this section shall be communicated in writing to the owner of the motor vehicle, and, if the motor vehicle be property of the Government or any of its political subdivisions, to the chief of the bureau or office to which the motor vehicle in question belongs. If, after the suspension or revocation of the registration of a motor vehicle, excessive damage is caused to any public highway, bridge, or culvert as a result of the operation of such motor vehicle, the owner of such motor vehicle, or the person, or persons having control and authority over such motor vehicle shall be punished for each offense by a fine of not less than fifty pesos nor more than two hundred pesos for each motor vehicle operating after the revocation of its registration, or by imprisonment at hard labor not exceeding three months, or by both such fine and imprisonment, in the discretion of the court: Provided, That from the decision of the Director of Public Works or his deputies regarding the state of security of a motor vehicle, or its damaging effect upon public highways and bridges an appeal may be taken to the Secretary of Commerce and Communications. (e) If, after the suspension or revocation of the registration of a motor vehicle, any person is injured as a result of the operation of said motor vehicle, the owner of such motor vehicle, or the person having control and authority over such motor vehicle, shall be guilty of the offense described in the first paragraph of article five hundred and sixty-eight of the Penal Code and shall be subject to the penalties therein prescribed.