SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE )
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES )

Third Regular Session )
19 UL 31 ANT 30
SENATE ' Mm
s.No. 1897 t

Introduced by SENATOR LEILA M. DE LIMA

AN ACT
PROVIDING FOR THE CREATION OF THE PHILIPPINE ROAD SAFETY
INSTITUTE UNDER THE U.P. NATIONAL CENTER FOR TRANSPORT
STUDIES

EXPLANATORY NOTE

Road Safety is a problem in the country, especially in highly urbanized areas.
It is considered a public health issue, having contributed significantly to the
mortality rate. According to World Health Organization, pedestrians make up 19% of
road deaths in the Philippines. Road crash incidents are caused by driver error,
defective vehicle condition and bad road condition. The Department of
Transportation and Communication (now Department of Transportation) reported
that fatalities due to road crashes increase by almost 14.6% each year. With this data,
it is estimated that by 2020, about 300,000 will die annually due to road mishap
without any intervention.2

In 2003, the DOTC (now DOTr) developed the Philippine Road Safety Action
Plan (PRSAP). The PRSAP aims to reduce road death rates. The institutional support
for the PRSAP requires that the Department establish a clear delineation of
responsibilities among all stakeholders, with adequate technical and financial
support in managing road safety activities; and to harmonize these activities towards
an integrated and well-coordinated national road safety action plan and its program
implementation. DOTC coordinates road safety by virtue of Administrative Order

* World Health Organization. Global status report on road safety 2015. Retrieved from

http://www.who.int/violence injury prevention/road safety status/2015/en/. Accessed 21 June 2018
2 DOTC Assistant Secretary Dante lantin, Road Safety in the Philippines Country Report. Presented during an
Expert Group Meeting in South Korea, May 8-10, 2013. Retrieved from

http://www.unescap.org/sites/default/files/2.19.Philippines.pdf. Accessed 21 June 2018.
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184 in 2007 and since 2003 the preparation of the road safety action plans had been
under the DOTC. Meanwhile, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) has taken
over for the 2017-2022 plan.

[At present, some of the programs of DOTr include the Data for Road Incident
Visualization, Evaluation, and Reporting System (DRIVER System), promoting the
Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) System, BRT Accessibility Infrastructure and Urban
Development in some urban centers, and PUV Modernization.

In other countries, there are established road safety institutes to promote road
safety — by providing trainings, piloting scientific research and regularly conducting
road safety assessments/data gathering, and policy research and development. The
same is proposed in this legislation in order to address the road safety issues
currently faced. While there are many programs implemented now that are able to
contribute to transportation management and road management, and road safety,
what is proposed here is a center/institute that will look closely in the road safety

aspect.

In the Philippines, the University of the Philippines - National Center for
Transport Studies (UP NCTS) has the competency and knowledge in the field of
transportation studies. Among their advocacies are sustainable transport, integrated
transport system, road safety, and institutional development.

This bill creates the Philippine Road Safety Institute (PRSI) under the UP
NCTS, an institute specializing on the transport sector, which will have the proper
mandate and funding to regularly provide technical advice on road safety in support
of government programs and initiatives.

The PSRI mandate shall cover all aspects of road safety situation in the
country, which shall include regularly collecting data pertinent to road safety,
developing road safety policy framework, recommending legislation and
promulgation of necessary rules and orders, and standards to be adopted by


government agencies, among others, and develop road safety annual reports and
related study.3

In view of the foregoing, the passage of this measure is earnestly sought.

ILA M. DE :

2 Presentation: Philippine Road Safety Action Plan (PRSAP) 2011-2020
http://www.who.int/roadsafety/decade of action/plan/plan_philippines.pdf. Accessed 21 June 2018.

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SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE )
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES )
Third Regular Session )

13 WL 31 At 30

Introduced by SENATOR LEILA M. DE LIMA

AN ACT
PROVIDING FOR THE CREATION OF THE PHILIPPINE ROAD SAFETY
INSTITUTE UNDER THE U.P. NATIONAL CENTER FOR TRANSPORT
STUDIES
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in

Congress assembled:

SECTION 1. Title. - This Act shall be known as the “Philippine Road Safety
Institute Act of 2018.”

Sec. 2. Declaration of Principles. - It is hereby declared the policy of the State
to improve road safety and to protect pedestrians and motorists in our streets,
towards the greater goal of national economic and social development. It shall also
be the policy of the State to establish information systems that will provide data to
ensure the proper research, planning and development of road safety programs.

See. 3. Definition of Terms.-

(a) Road Safety refers to methods and measures for reducing the risk of a
person using the public roads or road networks being killed or seriously
injured;

(b) Public roads refer to roads designed by the national government or local
government units as roads for public use such as, but not limited to, national
highways, provincial roads, city, municipal and barangay streets.

Sec. 4. The Philippine Road Safety Institute. - There is hereby established a

body to be known as the Philippine Road Safety Institute (PRSI). The PRSI shall be
attached to the University of the Philippines National Center for Transport Studies



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(UP NCTS). Its principal flag office shall be in Metro Manila, but it may establish
other branches or offices elsewhere in the Philippines as may be necessary or proper
for the accomplishment of its purposes and objectives.

Sec. 5. Powers and Functions.- The PRSI shall have the following powers and
functions:
(a) To plan and carry out research and development activities as a center of

knowledge and services in the area of road and traffic safety (road safety data
collection);

(b) To provide the data base or policy formulation that will improve the
national road safety status of the country;

(©) To organize and develop continuing training programs for transportation
planners, urban planners, traffic enforcers, emergency responders and other
professional workers and students, pertaining to road traffic safety;

(d) To formulate policies that would create public awareness through
educational activities, conventions, seminars, conferences, and the like by
focusing on the promotion of road safety;
(e) To receive and acquire from any person and/or government and private
entities, whether foreign or domestic, grants, donations and contributions
consisting of such properties, real or personal, including funds and valuable
effects or things, as may be useful, necessary or proper to carry out its purposes
and objectives and administer the same in accordance with the terms of such
grants, donations and contributions, consistent with its purposes and
objectives; and.
(f) To exercise such other powers and functions, and perform other acts as may
be necessary, proper or incidental to the attainment of its purposes and
objectives.
Sec. 6. Board of Trustees. - The governance and policy direction of the PSRI
shall be vested in, and its powers exercised by, a Board of Trustees, which shall be
composed of eleven members, as follows:

(a) The Secretary of DOTr, as Chairman;
(b) The Secretary of the Department of Public Works and Highways;



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(c) The Secretary of the Department of Interior and Local Government;

(d) The Secretary of the Department of Information and Communications
Technology;

(e) The Chief of the Philippine National Police Highway Patrol Group;
(f) The Chair of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority;

(g) The Chair of the Land Transportation Office;

(h) The Executive Director of UP NCTS;

(i) The Secretary-General or authorized representative of the Philippine Global
Road Safety Partnership; and

(j) A representative from the private sector

‘A majority of the members of the Board shall constitute a quorum for the
transaction of the business of the Board.

See. 7. Functions and Responsibilities of the Board. The Board shall have the

following functions:

(a) To formulate and adopt policies and measures for the management and
operation of the Institute;

(b) To approve the staffing pattern of the PSRI;

(©) To promulgate rules and regulations for the discharge of its powers and
functions and the internal operations of the PSRI; provided, that, the Chairman

of the Board of Trustees shall exercise the power to appoint, promote, discipline
or remove the personnel of the PSRI;

(©) To manage the financial affairs of the PRSI and approve an annual budget of
receipts and expenditures of the PRSI according to its requirements; and

(f To monitor and review periodically the programs and projects of the PRSI.
Sec. 8. President of the Institute. The Director of the UP NCTS shall be

appointed as the President of the PRSI. The President shall be the chief executive
officer of the Institute and shall receive such salary and remuneration as may be
determined by the Board. She/He shall have the following powers and duties:


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(a) To prepare, for the approval of the Board, the staffing pattern of the PRSI
which shall include the determination of the qualifications, and fixing the
number and compensation of such officials and personnel as may be necessary
for the proper discharge of the functions of the PRSI;

(b) To have control and supervision over the personnel, staff, operations and
internal administration of the PRSI in accordance with existing laws and the
rules and regulations promulgated by the Board of Trustees;

(©) To recommend to the Board of Trustees such policies and measures which
she/he deems necessary for the effective exercise and discharge of the powers
and responsibilities of the PRSI; and

(d) To submit an annual report to the Board of Trustees on the operations, the
status of the programs funded by, and the financial condition of, the PRSI,
including a recommendation for its budget for the ensuing year.

Sec. 9. Fees of Research Fellows and Associates. The PRSI is hereby
authorized to engage researchers and other professional staff from other government
offices and agencies to conduct specialized studies and researches for the PRSI.
Those so engaged by the PRSI shall be issued appointments as Research Fellows or
Research Associates and shall be paid, as they are hereby authorized to be paid, such
fees as determined by the Board in addition to whatever compensation or
emoluments they are receiving in their respective mother offices or agencies

Sec. 10. Government Coordination. - The PRSI shall assist, cooperate and
coordinate with other government agencies, for the implementation of the purposes
and objectives of this Act.

Sec. 11. Appropriations.—The amount necessary to carry out the provisions
of this Act shall be included in the General Appropriations Act of the year following
its enactment into law and thereafter.

Sec. 12. Implementing Rules and Regulations. - Within thirty (30) days from
the completion of their appointments, the Board shall convene and, in collaboration
with the UP NCTS, formulate the rules and regulations necessary for the
implementation of this Act. Said rules and regulations shall be issued within one
hundred eighty (180) days from the date of the Board's initial meeting and shall take
effect upon publication in a newspaper of general circulation.

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Sec. 13. Repealing Clause. - All laws, executive orders, presidential decrees,
presidential proclamations, letters of instruction, rules and regulations or parts
thereof which are inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed or
modified accordingly.

Sec. 14. 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.

Sec. 15. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days following its
publication in the Official Gazette or in two (2) newspapers of general circulation in
the Philippines.

Approved,