NINETEENTH CONGRESS OF THE) 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES ) 
First Regular Session 
)
SENATE
s. NO. 1767
Ornate
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23 JAN 25 P3 54
RtCEIVEO Bv,
Introduced by Senator MANUEL "LITO" M. LAPID
AN ACT
PROVIDING FOR FREE FREIGHT SERVICES IN THE TRANSPORTATION OF 
RELIEF GOODS TO CALAMITY-STRICKEN AREAS
EXPLANATORY NOTE
The Philippines is one of the countries with the highest risk during natural 
calamities. Due to its location in the Pacific Ring of Fire and typhoon belt, our 
archipelago regularly suffers floods, typhoons, tsunamis, landslides, earthquakes, 
volcanic eruption, and droughts. Therefore, it is crucial to make sure that those who 
have been severely impacted by the tragedy receive proper humanitarian aid and 
assistance at the soonest possible time.
Our government's responses and methods for risk management and 
catastrophe mitigation, however, still have many shortcomings. The logistical 
challenges in distributing relief supplies and material help to disaster-affected areas 
are one illustration of this. Due to the archipelagic nature of our nation, shipping relief 
supplies typically entails high freight, arrester service, pilotage, and other port fees, 
particularly if inter-island crossing or long-distance land travel are required. These 
expenses are covered by relief and aid groups, but the money might have been used 
to buy more food and nonfood supplies to provide to catastrophe victims.
Sa panahon ng sakuna at trahedya, walang tayong ibang aasahan kundi ang 
ating mga kababayan na busHak ang bob at wagas ang kabutihan. Sa ating


panukalang batas na ito, nais natin na makatuwang ang ating mga kapatid sa 
industriya ng freight forwarding kung saan maiaki ang kaniiang gagampanan sa ating 
hangaring maghatid ng tuiong sa ating mga kababayan sa panahon ng mga 
kaiamidad.
With the help of officially accredited relief groups, this measure aims to 
formalize a system of offering free freight services for the transfer of aid supplies to 
disaster-stricken areas. The Office of Civil Defense (OCD), Philippine Postal 
Corporation, and all freight companies, common carriers, private carriers, freight 
forwarders, and other logistics service companies would be required to provide free 
freight services and other auxiliary costs in order to transport donated goods and relief 
supplies to areas that have been declared to be in a state of calamity by the President 
or the relevant local government unit.
In view of the foregoing, early passage of this
is earnestly
lUEL "LITO" M. LAPID
Senator


NINETEENTH CONGRESS OF THE) 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES ) 
First Regular Session 
)
SENATE
s. NO. 1767
o( t!:r S':•.
23 JAN 25 P3S4
RECEIVED BY;
Introduced by Senator Manuel "Lito" M. Lapid
1 
AN ACT
2 
PROVIDING FOR FREE FREIGHT SERVICES IN THE TRANSPORTATION OF
3 
RELIEF GOODS TO CALAMITY-STRICKEN AREAS
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines 
in Congress assembled:
4 
SECTION 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as the "Free Transportation
5 
of Relief Goods Act".
6 
SECTION 2. Declaration of Policy. — It is the policy of the state to strengthen
7 
existing mechanisms that will facilitate quick responses to the demands and need
8 
during disasters and emergencies and to encourage altruism among the citizens when
9 
it is necessary to provide timely relief to the victims of disasters and calamities by
10 
engaging the services of both public and private common carriers, freight forwarders,
11 
freight companies, and other logistics companies to collect, sort, store, transport, and
12 
deliver relief goods donated by international and local donors to areas declared in a
13 
"state of calamity" in the most economical, reliable, speedy, and secured manner.
14 
It is likewise the policy of the State to strengthen existing mechanisms that will
15 
facilitate quick responses to demands and needs during disasters and emergencies
16 
and to promote civic generosity by enlisting the help of both public and private
17 
common carriers, freight forwarders, freight companies, and other logistics firms to
18 
collect, sort, store, transport, and deliver goods when it becomes necessary to
19 
promptly provide relief to those affected by catastrophic events.


SECTION 3. Definition of Terms. — For the purpose of this Act:
2 
a. Common carriers refer to persons, corporations, firms or associations offering
3 
their services to the public and engaged in the business of carrying or
4 
transporting passengers 
or goods or both, by land, water, 
or air, for
5 
compensation;
6 
b. Disaster refers to a serious disruption of the functioning of a community or a
7 
society involving widespread human, material, economic or environmental
8 
losses and impacts, which exceeds the ability of the affected community or
9 
society to cope using its own resources, the conditions and vulnerability that
10 
are present, and insufficient capacity or measures to reduce or cope with the
11 
potential negative consequences, which may include loss of life, injury, disease
12 
and other negative effects on human, physical, mental and social well-being,
13 
together with damage to property, destruction of assets, loss of services, social
14 
and economic disruption, and environmental degradation;
15 
c. Donated goods or articies refer to free food or non-food items given in kind by
16 
any individual or group or entity 
as a response 
to the need to provide
17 
emergency 
basic needs to disadvantaged 
or distressed individuals 
and
18 
families;
19 
d. Duly registeredreiief organization refers to any relief organization, not operated
20 
for profit, duly registered, licensed or accredited with the Department of Social
21 
Welfare and Development, or with any national government agency;
22 
e. Emergency refers to unforeseen or sudden occurrence, especially danger,
23 
demanding immediate action;
24 
f. Freight companies refer to companies that specialize in the moving or
25 
transporting of freight or cargo from one place to another and categorized
26 
either as international freight forwarders or domestic freight forwarders;
27 
g. Freight forwarders refer to persons or companies that organize shipments for
28 
individuals or corporations to get goods from the manufacturer or producer to
29 
a market, customer or final point of distribution;
2


1 
h. International humanitarian assistance (IHA) refers to any aid and action taken
2 
by any duly coordinated foreign government or organization in the form of
3 
financial donations, international relief workers and in-kind donations, for the
4 
benefit of disaster-stricken areas, aimed at providing emergency response,
5 
rehabilitation and recovery operations to mitigate the effects of disasters or
6 
major emergencies;
7 
i. Private carriers refer to those entities, without being engaged in the business
8 
of carrying as a public employment, which undertake to deliver goods or
9 
passengers for compensation;
10 
j. Relief refers to interventions to alleviate, ease, or mitigate a distressed or
11 
critical situation affecting persons, families, groups or communities;
12 
k. Relief goods refer to food packs and nonfood items such as clothing articles,
13 
mats, blankets, mosquito nets, kitchen wares, water container, hygiene kits,
14 
and medical and health-related products to be given directly to the victims of a
15 
disaster or an emergency;
16 
I. Response Cluster refers to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and
17 
Management Council (NDRRMC) cluster or group of humanitarian agencies
18 
working in a unified manner in providing assistance to the needs of the affected
19 
population; and
20 
m. State of Calamity refers to a condition involving mass casualty or major
21 
damages to property, disruption of means of livelihood, roads and normal way
22 
of life in the affected areas as a result of the occurrence of natural or human
23 
induced hazard.
24 
SECTION 4. Free Freight Services for the Transportation of Relief Goods. —
25 
With the objective of bringing immediate and adequate relief to victims of natural or
26 
man-made disasters when government resources are not available or are insufficient
27 
to address such needs, the Office of the Civil Defense (OCD), the NDRRMC, and the
28 
Department of Transportation (DoTr), in coordination with the Philippine Postal
29 
Corporation (PPC) and all freight companies, common carriers, private carriers, freight
3


1 
forwarders and other companies providing iogistic services in the Phiiippines are
2 
hereby mandated to grant free freight services to duly registered and DSWD
3 
recognized relief oiganizations in the transportation of emergency relief goods and
4 
donated articles to areas declared to be in a state of calamity by the President or the
5 
local government unit (LGU) concerned through its sanggunian.
6 
These common carriers, freight forwarders and other simiiar entities are
7 
mandated to deliver goods and services for free to areas where they operate.
8 
When the area is not accessible, such relief goods shall be sent to or delivered
9 
to the nearest LGU and shali be consigned to the concerned local chief executive.
10 
Certain shipping auxiliary costs, such as arrastre services, pilotage, and other
11 
port charges that are routinely passed on to customers, shall be free of charge;
12 
Provided, That container van costs, turnaround time, and volume of freight entitled to
13 
the free charges shall be considered in order to minimize the loss of profits for the
14 
private sector.
15 
SECTION 5. Vigilance Over Relief Goods. — The Law and Order Cluster of the
16 
NDRRMC shall be responsible for providing security and traffic management assistance
17 
to the Response Cluster's operations to facilitate the speedy movement of people,
18 
goods and equipment to the affected population and responding agencies.
19 
SECTION 6. Release of Donated Relief Goods and Articles. — The release of
20 
donated relief goods and articles intended for distribution to areas under a state of
21 
calamity shall be in accordance with existing rules and procedures of responsible
22 
government agencies such as the DSWD, Bureau of Customs (BOC), LGUs, and other
23 
government agencies mandated to authorize the distribution of these relief goods and
24 
articles with proper verification of the receiver and in consideration of prevailing
25 
policies of freight service and logistics companies and carriers.
26 
SECTION 7. Implementing Agency. —DOTr, through the Civil Aeronautics
27 
Board (CAB), maritime Industry Authority (MARINA), and Land Transportation
28 
Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) in coordination with the NDRRMC, shall


1 
implement the provisions of this Act, monitor and oversee the compliance of freight
2 
service companies providing logistics services as provided in this Act.
3 
SECTION 8. Implementing Rules and Regulations. —To carry out the
4 
provisions of this Act, the OCD and NDRRMC, upon consultation with the DOTr,
5 
through the CAB, MARINA and LTFRB, BOC, PPC, DSWD and the association or
6 
authorized representatives of freight services companies and freight forwarders,
7 
common and private carriers and other companies offering logistics services in the
8 
country shall, within sixty (60) days from the effectivity of this Act, issue the
9 
implementing rules and regulations, including a mechanism and procedure in availing
10 
the free services as provided for under this Act
11 
SECTION 9. Separability Clause. — In the event that any part, section or
12 
provision of this Act shall be declared unconstitutional or invalid by a competent court,
13 
the remaining provisions thereby shall remain valid and in full force and effect as if
14 
the sections or provisions so annulled or voided had never been incorporated herein.
15 
SECTION 10. Repealing Clause. — All laws, decrees, executive orders,
16 
issuances, rules and regulations, or parts thereof not consistent with the provisions of
17 
this Act are hereby repealed or modified and/or superseded as case may be by this
18 
Act accordingly.
19 
SECTION 11. Effectivity. — This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its
20 
complete publication in the Official Gazette or in at least two (2) newspapers of general
21 
circulation, whichever comes earlier.
22
Approved,