% 
no 48 
THIRTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session 
, 
I .  
SENATE 
S. No. - 
781 
w: L 
INTRODUCED BY HON: MANUEL B. VI~LAR. JR. 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
Overloading of jeeps, buses and ships has become a common occurrence that 
authorities don’t usually see it as a grave concern, until death or tragedy 
happens. 
In the recent years, we have seen how overloading of vehicles can claim 
innocent lives. Of course, the overloading is often times caused by greed, willful 
neglect and irresponsibility of those manning the said transportation. 
Hence, this bill seeks to address the foregoing considerations by imposing stiffer 
penalties for overloading of land-based and sea-based passenger carriers. 
For the protection of the commuting public, immediate passage of this bill is 
strongly recommended. 
MANUEL B. 
Senato 


THIRTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session 
W :  
SENATE 
.: 111 
t
-
 
.. 
F h ;  
S. No. 
781 
INTRODUCED BY HON. MANUEL B. VILLAR, JR. 
AN ACT 
CRIMINALIZING OVERLOADING OF PASSENGER SHIPS, FERRIES AND LAND 
COMMUTER VEHICLES, PROVIDING THE PENALTY OF RECLUSION TEMPORAL 
AND RECLUSION PERPETUA TO DEATH, AS THE CASE MAY BE, FOR THOSE 
FOUND TO HAVE ACTED IN VIOLATION 
THEREOF AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES 
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled: 
SECTION 1. Declaration of Policy. It is hereby declared a policy of the State to 
effectively and adequately ensure the safety and convenience of its riding public given 
the increasing risk of sea and land travel. 
SECTION 2. Definition of Terns . For purpose of this Act, the following terms 
shall be defined as follows: 
a. Owner - the person whose name appears in the registration papers of the 
vessel or vehicle, as the case may be, duly registered with the government 
agency concerned; 
b. Operator - the person who may or may not be the owner, as defined in 
paragraph (a) hereof, whose name appears in the Certificate of Public 
Convenience and other franchise record duly issued and certified by the 
government agency concerned; 
c. Ship Captain - the person who is the over-all in charge of the vessel, or one 
who is designated as such in accordance with naval and maritime rules and 
regulations; 
d. Crew members - the person who compose the staff of the ship captain and 
have direct supervision over the technical operation of the seafaring vessel; 
e. Driver - the person who is in command of the vehicle as the actual handler 
of the steering wheel and its other maneuvering mechanisms, or one who is 
designated as such and actually performs the same; 
f. Conductor - the person who assists the driver in collecting the 
transportation fares and calls the attention of the passenger; 
g. Land Commuter Vehicles - vehicles, which travel by land, used in 
transporting goods and people from one place to another such as, but not 
limited to, taxicabs, passenger jeepneys, buses, and other Public Utility 
Vehicles (PUVs) 


h. Seafaring Vehicles or vessels - marine transportation crafts such as, but not 
limited to ferries, boats, ships, twin-hulled vessels, skippers, barges, car 
boats, cargo ships, and other water sailing vessels used in transporting 
goods and people from one place to another. 
i. Overloading - refers to the act of loading goods or people over and above the 
designated maximum loading capacity of the land commuter vehicle or 
sea-faring vehicle, as the case may be. 
Section 3. Prohibited Acts. It shall be unlawful for owners, operators, drivers, 
conductors, ship captains, and all other persons, private or public officials or 
employees in charge of the operations of land or marine transportation to load their 
land commuter vehicles or seafaring vessels as the case may be, over and above their 
designated maximum loading capacity. 
Section 4. Penalties. The act of overloading, as defined as this Act, shall be 
given the penalty of reclusion temporal and a fine of One Hundred Thousand Pesos 
(P100,OOO.OO) in the case of land commuter vehicles; and the penalty of reclusion 
temporal and a fine of One Million Pesos (P1,000,000.00) in the case of sea-faring 
vessels. 
In case the act of overloading shall result in the death of any passenger of the 
above land or sea-faring vehicles, the penalty of reclusion perpetua, and a fine of One 
Million Pesos (P1,000,000.00) for every death resulting therefrom for land commuter 
vehicles; and the penalty of reclusion perpetua and a fine of Two Million Pesos 
(P2,000,000.00) for every death resulting therefrom for sea-faring vessels, shall be 
imposed. 
The driver and conductor of the land vehicle and the captain of the shipping 
vessel including all its crew members shall be primarily responsible for any violation of 
the provision of this act, provided that, if the owner or operator of the vehicle or vessel 
had knowledge of such violation and failed to report the same to proper authorities or 
undertake actions to prevent it, they shall also be held liable as principals to the said 
violation. 
Section 5. Liabilities of Government Officials and Employees - Any official or 
employee of the Land Transportation Office (LTO), 
Philippine Coast Guard, Maritime 
Authority (MARINA), Philippine National Police (PNP), Metro Manila Development 
Authority (MMDA) found to have tolerated the overloading of the vehicles or vessel 
shall suffer the same penalties herein mentioned. Said government officials and 
employees shall also be dismissed from office. In addition, subject officer or employee 
shall henceforth be disqualified from holding any other public office. 


Section 6. Rules and Regulations. The Department of Transportation and 
Communication (DOTC) and the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), 
in coordination with other government agencies concerned, shall promulgate the. 
necessary rules and regulations for the effective implementation of this Act. 
Section 7. Effectivity. This Act shall take effect thirty (30) days following its 
complete publication in at least five (5) newspapers of general circulation. 
Approved,