HOUSE OF REPRES
RECEIVED
pate, 16 AUG 2016

oe. [OH
|
j

Republic of the Philippines

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVE:
Quezon City BY: ph
SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS REGISTRATION UNIT

First Regular Session

House Bill No. 2958

BILLS AND INDEX

Ni

Introduced by Representative 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 promote and protect their physical,
moral, spiritual, intellectual, and social well being. It shail 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, | am 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.

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
tides 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

GLORIA MACAPAGAL ARROYO
2” District, Pampanga


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
Quezon City

SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

House Bill No,_ 2958

Introduced by Representative 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 2016."

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
tides, 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

1


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 tide 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 rides 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 hereof, 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,