SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC 
OF THE PHILIPPINES
First Regular Session
S E N A T E  
S B No ^
4
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p  I . ' r '  •  •
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<§(f.r» of ftje ^ . r r r lir y
‘16 
SEP 14 
P 4 :4 5
PV:
Introduced by Senator Poe
AN ACT
ESTABLISHING A NETWORK OF SUSTAINABLE ELEVATED PEDESTRIAN 
WALKWAYS ALONG EPIFANIO DE LOS SANTOS AVENUE AND PERTINENT 
MAJOR PUBLIC IHOROUGHFARES IN HIGH DENSITY URBAN AREAS, 
ESTABLISHING 
APPROPRIATE 
INFRASTRUCTURE 
AND 
FACILITIES, 
APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFORE, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.
Explanatory Note
A network of elevated walkways is an effective response to overcrowding and urban 
chaos.1 As in Hong Kong, aerial pedestrian walkways will portray dense urban areas in a new 
light. 
A network of sustainable elevated walkways are designed precisely for highly 
congested areas, and will form an integral part of a larger, more comprehensive solution to 
the traffic and transport crisis of Metro Manila and affected urban areas.
The primary purpose of elevated walkways is to encourage pedestrianization and to 
connect pedestrians from one consumer activity to the next. An elevated walkway system 
furthers concepts of inclusive mobility and can be considered an alternative mode of 
transportation for our daily commuters. Aerial walkways are essential pedestrian 
infrastructure. On a smaller scale, airport terminals are often connected by moving walkway 
systems such as the “Skylink” system at Manchester Airport, United Kingdom, which link 
airport terminals to railway stations.2 Elevated walkways will advance the current thrust of 
the government towards greater intermodality. The possibilities for the application and use of 
elevated walkways are limitless, especially for areas with very high density and which suffer 
from urban blight. Sustainable walkway systems can radically improve urban development.
This bill seeks to establish a network of sustainable elevated pedestrian walkways 
along Epifanio de los Santos Avenue traversing Metro Manila and major public 
thoroughfares in high density urban areas. For an aerial walkway system to succeed, it needs
1 See J. Rotmeyer, Can Elevated Pedestrian Walkways be Sustainable? in The Sustainable City IV; Urban 
Regeneration and Sustainability 293-302 (2006), available at
http /Avw w witpress coin/Sccurc/elihrur\ /papcrs/SC06/SC0602Xl;l I l .pdf (accessed on Aug. 31,2016).
2 See, e.g., Transpennine Express, Manchester Airport Travel Links, hllps.7/\\u\\ ipe\pre.s.s co iik/lrain- 
dcstinalions/manchcster-airport/travel-links/ (accessed on Aug. 31,2016); World Travel Guide, Manchester 
Airport Guide, http://ww\v.\vorldtravel guide.net/manchcslcr/miinchestcr-aimun (accessed on Aug. 31, 2016).


to be fully sustainable on all accounts: socially, economically and environmentally.3 Studies 
show that high density, connectivity, and quality of life comprise the three topmost elements 
in maintaining a sustainable elevated walkway system.4 The ultimate goal is to create a safe, 
comfortable, well-connected quality of life above the ground (grade) level, reclaiming 
without killing the street.5 Elevated walkways must be interlinked in a manner that connects 
pedestrian movement to retail, residential, commercial, and business activities, as well as 
adopt essential access points that facilitate pedestrian entry to and exit from ground level 
walkways. Elevated walkways must make optimal use of densities and cater to the largest 
percentage of people in a given area. Such a system must also address safety, pollution, law 
enforcement activity, and social inclusion (especially for PWDs), as well as consider right-of- 
way (ROW) and air rights issues and legal easements.
To ensure the success and sustainability of aerial pedestrian walkways, this bill sets 
forth important principles and standards which the implementing agency, here the 
Department of Public Works and Highways, must consider. These include principles of 
connectivity, use of densities, temperature and climate control, environmental sustainability, 
social inclusivity, right-of-way interfacing, and good use of vertical access systems. The draft 
bill calls for the establishment of a ‘sustainable elevated walkway program’, which will 
include educational and awareness programs on elevated walkway safety and use, health 
benefits, and social and economic benefits of aerial walkways.
Immediate approval of this measure is eagerly sought.
/ grace foe
3 See Rotmeyer, supra note 1, at 294.
4 Id. at 301.
55W


SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC 
OF THE PHILIPPINES
First Regular Session
S E N A T E
S B No 
1 1 4 6
of tfie.^ ^fnelari^
•16 
SEP 14 
P 4 :4 5  
R i r ; \  
. nv:
Introduced by Senator Poe
AN ACT
ESTABLISHING A NETWORK OF SUSTAINABLE ELEVATED PEDESTRIAN 
WALKWAYS ALONG EPIFANIO DE LOS SANTOS AVENUE AND PERTINENT 
MAJOR PUBLIC THOROUGHFARES IN HIGH DENSITY URBAN AREAS, 
ESTABLISHING 
APPROPRIATE 
INFRASTRUCTURE 
AND 
FACILITIES, 
APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFORE, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled:
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SECTION 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as the “Sustainable Elevated
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Walkw ays Act of 2016. "
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SECTION 2. Declaration of Policy. - It is the policy of the State to establish a
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sustainable network of safe, secure, comfortable, and aesthetically pleasing elevated
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pedestrian walkways which separate pedestrians from vehicular movement, link pedestrians
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to public transit, integrate human activity with the built environment, and allow for a
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continuous flow of movement, without interruption from vehicular traffic, stop lights, and
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pollution.
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It is likewise a policy of the State to establish elevated pedestrian networks that are
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fully sustainable on all accounts, that is, socially, economically, and environmentally, to
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achieve a well-connected quality of life above the ground layer. High density, connectivity,
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and quality of life comprise the three topmost elements in maintaining a sustainable elevated
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walkway system.
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Towards this end, the State shall promote the use of sustainable elevated walkway
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networks and walkway facilities through a comprehensive elevated walkway program. The
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State shall ensure that the needs and safety of all pedestrians are fully integrated into the
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planning, design, operation, and maintenance of the country's areal walkway networks.


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SECTION 3. Elevated Walkways. -  There shall be designated elevated walkways in 
Epifanio de los Santos Avenue, commonly referred to by its acronym “EDSA”, which 
traverses Metro Manila, and in all major public thoroughfares in high density urban areas, 
consisting of enclosed or covered footbridges serving as exclusive access-ways for 
pedestrians, under the parameters set forth in this Act.
Elevated walkways which utilize air rights above the road rights-of-way (RROWs), 
being part of the public domain, shall be considered public spaces. Motor and non-motor 
vehicles are prohibited from being driven or parked on all such walkways.
The design, purposes, and specifications of elevated walkways to be established under 
this Act shall be governed by the following standards:
(a) Continuous flaw -  Elevated walkways must maintain a continuous flow of 
pedestrian movement throughout the day and night, allowing pedestrians to move 
freely without vehicular congestion and interruptions from traffic lights and 
intersections. Way-finding provisions and directional signages shall facilitate flow 
within the system;
(b) High density 
The design and location of elevated walkways must maximize the 
use of high density areas in order to relieve pressure from overcrowded streets by 
catering to the largest percentage of pedestrians throughout urban areas at any 
given time, displacing ground-level pedestrian movement to several levels, and 
enhancing movement within city centers;
(c) Temperature control -  Elevated pedestrian routes must provide climatically 
controlled continuous spaces, provide relief from extreme temperatures associated 
with hot, humid, and wet climates, distance pedestrians from vehicular pollution 
and vehicular contact, and adopt measures that maximize the use of shaded, cool, 
open-air zones. Both passive cooling techniques and artificial ventilation devices 
shall be used in a sustainable manner;
(d) Connectivity -  Elevated walkways must be interlinked in a manner that connects 
pedestrian movement to retail, residential, commercial, and business activities, as


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well as adopt essential access points that facilitate pedestrian entry to and exit 
from ground (grade) level walkways;
(e) Safety -  Elevated walkways must directly address issues of pedestrian safety, 
including the separation of pedestrians from vehicular traffic, exposure to natural 
hazards, and compliance with disaster resilience and mitigation standards;
(f) Environmental sustainability -  The Program must maintain adequate spatial 
standards between the existing environment and all urban intervention under this 
Act; address potential ground floor decay and abandoned space; provide necessary 
safeguards and protection to walkway users who will be exposed to both air and 
noise pollution; and establish public address systems designed to warn all users of 
encountering such pollution upon entering and using the walkways. Energy and 
water conservation as well as solid waste management shall be the key 
sustainability features of the system;
(g) Social inclusivity -  Elevated walkway networks must be socially inclusive by 
addressing potential social separation caused by the introduction of aerial 
walkways in areas of different income classes, and by accommodating persons 
with disability (PWDs) through the installation of structural and vertical access 
facilities that reasonably enhance their mobility consistently with existing 
disability laws, including, without limitation, B.P. Big. 344, otherwise known as 
the Accessibility Law, and R.A. No. 7277, as amended, otherwise known as the 
Magna Carta for Disabled Persons;
(h) Right-of-way interfacing -  The design and establishment of elevated walkways 
must consider affected portions of the road right-of-way and other key portions of 
the public domain. Of particular importance are the interfaces with grade level 
sidewalks allotted for exclusive use by pedestrians, for the elevated walkway 
supports/foundation and for the vertical access system; air rights directly above 
the sidewalks; required space for connectors that shall utilize air rights above the 
carriageway portion allotted for the exclusive use of vehicles using the road right- 
of-way; connection of air rights above the sidewalks at opposite sides of the road 
right-of-way; legal easements and their air rights along waterways in a manner


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that would enable such easements to host elevated walkways consistent with of 
P.D. No. 1067 (s. 1976), otherwise known as the Water Code, and R.A. No. 
10752, otherwise known as the “The Right-of-Way Act”.
(i) Vertical Access System - As elevated walkways may have finished floor 
elevations above sidewalk surfaces, vertical access systems shall be established to 
connect the walkways to ground level pedestrians. Vertical access systems 
established under this Act shall include, without limitation, elevators, stairs, and 
escalators that shall be gender-sensitive, socially-inclusive, elongated and 
appropriately sloped, and constructed in a manner that will not unduly constrict 
connecting sidewalks. Sidewalks adjacent to elevated walkways shall give way to 
pedestrian drop-off areas catering to public transport commuters and private 
vehicle riders who desire to avail of vertical access systems to reach elevated 
walkway systems;
(j) Support facilities -  Elevated walkway systems shall include the construction and 
maintenance of support facilities, such as bicycle parking lots, adequate lighting, 
crime prevention facilities and well-lit patrolling space for law enforcement 
personnel, closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera systems, access to restrooms, 
and adequate drainage. The maintenance of pedestrian infrastructure and 
functional public spaces above the street level shall be a requisite for sustainable 
elevated walkways;
(k) Active policing -  Elevated walkway networks established under this Act must 
provide for the administration of active policing and law enforcement 
coordination to prevent obstructions, nuisances, and illegal vending and squatting 
along elevated walkways;
(l) Adaptability to future technology -  Elevated walkway structures shall be designed 
in ways that will render them adaptable to future technology and technological 
capacity, including the capacity to be later fitted with walkalators to increase 
pedestrian capacity; and


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(m)Expandahility -  Elevated walkway networks must provide for both horizontal and
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vertical expandability to accommodate increases in capacity.
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SECTION 4. Sustainable Elevated Walkway Program. - The Department of Public
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Works and Highways (DPWH) shall establish a comprehensive sustainable elevated walkway
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program (“the Program”) to promote the establishment and use of sustainable networks of
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aerial pedestrian walkways along EDSA and major public thoroughfares in high density
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urban areas throughout the country. This Program shall be governed by the key indicators
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and standards set forth in the preceding section and in the provisions of this Act.
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To promote the objectives of this Act, the DPWH, in cooperation with the Department
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of Education, the Commission on Higher Education, and affected local governments, shall
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establish educational and awareness programs on elevated walkway safety and use, general
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pedestrian safety, pedestrian infrastructure, health benefits, quality of life, and social and
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economic benefits of aerial walkways.
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SECTION 5. Prohibited Acts. -  The use of elevated walkways and vertical access
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systems for commercial and personal purposes shall be prohibited. Such prohibited acts
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include but are not limited to the following:
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(a) Driving or parking motor and non-motor vehicles on all such walkways, including its
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vertical access points and drop-off areas;
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(b) Vending, selling, or servicing of foods, magazines, newspapers, cigarettes, brooms,
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watches or jewelries, shoes and other footwear, shoe-shine and shoe repair, and/or
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any other commodities, items, and services;
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(c) Alms or donation-seeking activities;
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(d) Doing house chores such as washing clothes, hanging clothes, and bathing;
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(e) Repair of vehicles of all types;
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(f) Dumping garbage;
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(g) Sports, games, and amusements;
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(h) Use of walkway to install pens of animals or keep animals in chains or tether;
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(i) Holding picnics/gatherings or storage of foodstuffs and beverages for such gatherings;
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(j) Drinking liquor;
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(k) Storing of junks and recyclable materials;
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(1) Storage of construction materials for sale (pipes, tubings, lumber, cement, and the
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like).


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(m) House extension or stall/store extension including installation of roofs or awnings;
(n) Installation of temporary or permanent fences;
(o) Use of walkways for plants, trees and plant boxes; and
(p) Signs or signboards above sidewalks and detached from the business establishment.
SECTION 6. Obstructions as nuisance per se. -  Without prejudice to the prosecution 
of prohibited acts defined under the immediately preceding section, all obstructions along 
elevated walkways are hereby presumed or declared nuisances per se and, as such, are subject 
to summary abatement without need of judicial proceedings.
Obstructions include any structure, permanent or otherwise, movable or immovable, 
erected along, standing on, abutting or in any manner impeding safe and convenient passage 
through any elevated walkway; Provided, That property of the government including 
structures erected or installed for the purpose of regulating the flow of traffic shall not be 
deemed obstructions.
SECTION 7. Penalties. -  The principal penalty for any violation of the provisions of 
this Act or its implementing rules shall be summary abatement, dismantling, forfeiture, and 
disposal of the obstruction to the walkway.
In addition, any person, corporation, trust, firm, partnership, association or entity 
found violating this Act or the rules and regulations promulgated hereunder shall be punished 
by a fine of Three Thousand pesos (P3,000.00) which shall accrue to the National Treasury, 
or imprisonment of not more than 30 days, or both, at the discretion of the court. When the 
offender is a juridical entity, the officers or agents responsible for the violation shall be meted 
with said penalties.
Any officer of the duly designated enforcement agency who neglects or fails to 
enforce the provisions of this Act shall be administratively liable and in addition, punished by 
a fine of not less than Twenty Thousand Pesos (P20,000.00), without prejudice to the filing of 
other appropriate administrative charges.
The Secretary may enlist the assistance of other departments or government agencies 
to carry out this section.


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SECTION 8. Implementing Rules and Regidations. - Within thirty (30) days after this 
Act takes effect, a committee composed of the following members shall be created to 
formulate the draft implementing rules and regulations of this Act;
a. ) The Secretary of DPWH, or an authorized representative, who shall serve as chair
of the committee;
b. ) A representative from the Department of Transportation;
c. ) A representative from the Department of Budget and Management;
d. ) A representative from the National Economic and Development Authority;
e. ) A representative from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources;
f ) A representative from the Metro Manila Development Authority;
g. ) A professor from the University of the Philippines School of Urban and Regional
Planning;
h. ) Two (2) representatives from non-government organizations which advocate for
alternative modes of transportation; and
i. ) Other representatives of concerned entities and organizations as determined by the
committee as members.
Upon the release and consideration of the above draft implementing rules and 
regulations and in no case beyond six (6) months after this Act takes effect, the Secretary of 
DPWH shall promulgate and disseminate the implementing rules and regulations.
SECTION 14. Appropriations. -  To carry out the provisions of this Act, such amount 
as may be necessary is hereby authorized to be appropriated from the National Treasury. 
Thereafter, the amount necessary for the continuous operation of the Program shall be 
included in the annual appropriation of the DPWH.
SECTION 15. Separability Clause. - If any provision of this Act is declared 
unconstitutional or invalid, other parts or provisions hereof not affected thereby shall 
continue to be in full force and effect.
SECTION 16. Repealing Clause. - Any law, presidential decree or issuance, 
executive order, letter of instruction, administrative order, rule or regulation contrary to or is


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inconsistent with the provision of this Act is hereby repealed, modified, or amended 
accordingly.
SECTION 17. Effectivity Clause. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its 
publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation.
Approved,