Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

FIFTEENTH CONGRESS
Second Regular Session

House Bill No.__ 5268

Introduced by Representatives
DIOSDADO MACAPAGAL ARROYO and GLORIA MACAPAGAL ARROYO

AN ACT
CREATING AN AMUSEMENT PARKS SAFETY BOARD
EXPLANATORY NOTE

The Constitution, Article 2, Section 13 provides that the "The State
recognizes the vital role of the youth in nation-building and shall promote and
protect their physical, moral, spiritual, intellectual, and social well-being. It shall
inculcate in the youth patriotism and nationalism, and encourage their
involvement in public and civic affairs."

This provision in our Constitution reflects how important the role of our
youth in nation-building. To achieve this, the State needs, first and foremost, to
protect our youth's physical well-being. Various laws have been passed to
ensure the safety of our youth. For instance, there is Republic Act No. 7610 or
the "Special Protection of Children against Abuse, Exploitation and
Discrimination Act" and Presidential Decree No. 603, also known as the "Child
and Youth Welfare Code."

To further strengthen these existing enactments, we are proposing the
passage of another law to protect children while they are riding amusement rides
This is to address the continued rise of incidents which resulted to the deaths of
children while riding said rides.

Let us site a few of these incidents. In September 2006, a child fell from
the Wild River ride of the famous Star City in Pasay City. In December of the


same year, another child was killed and several others injured following an
accident at a mini-carnival in Marikina City where the cable car from one of the
rides fell to the ground.

These are just some of the incidents that could have been prevented if an
agency of government, aside from the local civil engineer, were created to strictly
Monitor and approve if carnival rides are truly safe. This bill seeks to do that and
by doing so, ensures the safety of our children.

In view of the foregoing, early passage of this bill is earnestly requested

DIOSDAD: .CAPAGAL ARROYO GLORIA MACAPAGAL ARROYO
Second District, Camarines Sur Second District, Pampanga


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

FIFTEENTH CONGRESS
Second Regular Session

5268

House Bill No.

Introduced by Representatives
DIOSDADO MACAPAGAL ARROYO and GLORIA MACAPAGAL ARROYO

AN ACT
CREATING AN AMUSEMENT PARKS SAFETY BOARD

Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the
Philippines in Congress assembled:

SECTION 1. Short Title. — This Act shall be known as the "Amusement
Parks Safety Board Act of 2011."

SECTION 2. Declaration of Policy. — It is hereby declared the policy of the
State to recognize the vital role of the youth in nation-building and to promote
and protect their physical, moral, spiritual, intellectual, and social well-being.
Towards this end, an amusement ride safety board is deemed essential to
protect the physical well-being of the youth while they are on amusement rides.

SECTION 3. Creation and Composition. - There is hereby established an
“Amusement Park Safety Board" to be composed of seven (7) members, one of
whom shall be the Chief of the Bureau of Fire Protection or his designee. The
remaining 6 members of the board shall be appointed by the President. Each
member appointed by the President shall be appointed for a term of five (5)
years. The president shall fill any vacancy on the board for the remainder of the
unexpired term with a representative of the same interest as that of the member
whose term is vacant. Two members of the board shall represent the interests of
small amusement ride businesses. Two members of the board shall represent
the interests of the fixed amusement ride parks. Two members of the board shall
be mechanical engineers knowledgeable of amusement rides. The Chief of the


Bureau of Fire Protection shall call the first meeting of the board within sixty days
after all members have been appointed and qualified, The Chief of the Bureau of
Fire Protection shall serve as chairperson. After the initial meeting the members
shall meet at the call of the chairperson, but shall meet at least three times per
year. Five members of the board shall constitute a quorum.

SECTION 4. Powers and Function. — The amusement ride safety board
shall have the following powers and functions:

(1) To issue permits to operate for all amusement parks, small or
fixed, already existing or new. The year after the all members have
been appointed and qualified, all amusement parks must get a
permit to operate from the Board, on top of existing local permit
requirements, in order for it to operate in the country.

(2) To allow or disallow the operation of an amusement park if it
deems that the amusement park is unsafe.

(3) To consult with engineering authorities and organizations who
are studying and developing amusement ride safety standards;

(4) To adopt a code of rules and regulations governing
maintenance, testing, operation, and inspection of amusement
tides including the amount of permit fee that it deems reasonable
The board shall have the power to adopt a safety code for all
amusement rides.

(5) To make recommendations to the Chief of the Bureau of Fire
Protection concerning the board's findings on safety issues related
to amusement rides.

SECTION 5. Compensation. —- The members of the Commission shall be
entitled to per diems for meetings attended, not exceeding Five Hundred Pesos
(P500.00) per meeting and not exceeding Ten Thousand Pesos (P10,000.00) a
month. The members of the board shall receive no other compensation for their
services but they shall be reimbursed for their actual and necessary expenses
incurred in the performance of their official duties.

SECTION 6. Appropriations. - The amount of Five Million Pesos
(P5,000,000.00) is hereby set aside for the operations of the Board.

SECTION 7. Separability Clause. — If any provision or part thereof, is held
invalid or unconstitutional, the remainder of the law or the provision not otherwise
affected shall remain valid and subsisting.


SECTION 8. Repealing Clause. - Any law, presidential decree or
issuance, executive order, letter of instruction, administrative order, rule or
regulation contrary to, or inconsistent with, the provisions of this Act is hereby
repealed, modified or amended accordingly.

SECTION 9. Effectivity Clause. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15)
days after its publication in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation

Approved,