Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATTIVES,
Quezon City

15™ CONGRESS
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILL NO. 1485

Introduced by REP. SALVADOR H. ESCUDERO III

EXPLANATORY NOTE

To translate the state policy on health provided for in Article II, Section 15 of the
Constitution which reads:

“The State shall protect and promote the right to health of the people and
instill health consciousness among them.”

into a particular legislative measure is but a modest contribution to the enormous task of
health protection.

This particular Bill proposes the construction of public restroom along the National
and Provincial Road. This shall serve the interests (both for convenience and health reasons)
of the riding public availing of land carriers. Said restrooms shall be established and
constructed with a reasonable distance from each other along the National and Provincial
Highway.

Operationally, the public restrooms shall be maintained and supervised by the
barangay, where it is situated. Every passenger-user of the public restrooms shall pay a
reasonable amount. The collections shall accrue to the barangay funds which shall be used to
maintain and further improve the facilities.

Aside from health reasons, albeit foremost, the measure intends to reduce the
unsightly view of men and women passengers scampering for a place where they may be able
to answer their basic needs. This same bill was passed by the House of Representatives
during the early part of the 10" Congress; the Philippine Senate then, however, “lacked the
material” time to tackle the same.

For the above reasons, approval of this Bill is earnestly requested.

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SALYV. RH. ‘UDERO IIL
Representative

1 District, Sorsogon


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATTIVES
Quezon City

15™ CONG!
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILL NO. 1485

Introduced by REP. SALVADOR H. ESCUDERO II

AN ACT
PROVIDING FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF PUBLIC RESTROOMS ALONG
NATIONAL AND PROVINCIAL HIGHWAYS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY,
APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in
Congress assembled:

SECTION 1. This Act shall be known as the “Land Transport Support Facilities for
Hygiene and Convenience Act”.

SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. — It is the policy of the State to provide public
restrooms along national and provincial highways and to develop hygienic practice among
land transport passengers.

SEC. 3. Public restrooms shall be constructed every thirty (30) to fifty (50) kilometers
apart along national and provincial highways throughout the country. These shall be erected
within a distance of at least three (3) meters from the shoulder of the highway, zoning
ordinance provision to the contrary notwithstanding.

SEC. 4. The maintenance and supervision of the public restrooms shall be vested in
the council or any nongovernmental organization (NGO) of the particular barangay where it
is situated. A reasonable payment per head of passenger/user which shall be determined by
the council/NGO shall accrue to the barangay.

‘SEC. 5. The collection from the use of the public restrooms shall be held in a trust
fund. Income derived from the public restrooms operation shall be used for the development
projects of the particular barangay and shall be fully covered with proper documents for
purposes of audit, and to serve as a guide for the city or municipal mayor who shall exercise
overall supervision over the utilization of such trust fund.

sl 6. The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), in coordination
with the Department of Tourism (DOT), the Department of Health (DOH) and the
Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), shall be mainly responsible for the
production of the standard-sized public restrooms and the programming of the
implementation of this project. It shall see to it that these public restrooms are provided with



accessibility features for disabled persons and are consistent with the provisions in Section 54
of Presidential Decree No. 856, otherwise known as the Code of Sanitation of the Philippines.

SEC. 7. 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. 8. All laws and parts thereof inconsistent with any provision of this Act shall be
deemed repealed or modified as the case may be.

SEC. 9. This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in a newspaper
of general circulation.

Approved,