THIRTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC ) 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
1 
Second Regular Session 
1 
Introduced by Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
Common carriers, by the very nature of their business and for reasons of public 
policy, have a duty to exercise' extraordinary diligence in protecting the safety of its 
passengers. The Civil Code, Article 1755 provides: 
A common carrier is bound to cany passengers safely as far as 
human care and foresight can provide, using the utmost diligence 
of very cautious persons, with a due regard for all the 
circumstances. 
The Department of Transportation and Communications reported that more than 
60% of passengers use public utility vehicles as opposed to private vehicles. 'Land-based 
vehicles for public use include jeepneys, buses, trains, mini-buses and tricycles 
Tricycles, in particular, have been occupying a larger role in the public commuter's life. 
In a 1999 study conducted by the Asian Development Bank on the transport 
industry in Quezon City and Palawan with particular focus on the tricycle sub-sector, it 
was found that jeepneys and buses dominate the primary roads of Quezon City; tricycles 
on the other hand, ply within the inner areas and communities. Most of the time, 
tricycles provide supplementary services by transporting the commuting public from 
tertiary roads to the primary roads, and vice-versa, where four-wheeled vehicles operate. 
Furthermore, many commuters were found to have preferred the use of tricycles for 
reasons such as (i) high accessibility; (ii) availability; (iii) affordability; (iv) no waiting 
time; and (v) convenience. 
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Because of the demand for tricycles and the relatively small capital needed to start 
a tricycle business, a proliferation of tricycles over the past years is noticeable. Based on 
the data from Land Transportation Office (LTO), total vehicle registration in the Quezon 
City area exhibited a 114% increase from the 1990 - 2003 levels. Motorcycle and 
tricycle registration generated a 212% increase for the same period and i s  considered the 
third major contributor, next to cars and utility vehicles, for the significant increase in 
vehicular population in the area. In 2004, the Tricycle Regulation Unit (TRU) reported a 
total of 20,316 tricycles registered in Quezon City. 
Unfortunately, the increased volume of commuters has also translated into higher 
number of accidents, According to statistics compiled by the Philippine Pediatric 
Society, 54% of all injuries in the Philippines occur in the streets. Pedestrian and 
vehicular accidents when combined as traffic-related injuries account for 30% of injury in 
previously healthy children; and passenger tricycle injury ranks 4' 
in causing motor 
vehicle injury. 
Since an increasing number of commuters rely on tricycles, the granting of 
franchises to operators of these vehicles must be accompanied by adequate measures that 
ensure driver safety skills. Considering that tricycles ply residential areas with heavy 
pedestrian traffic, .and they handle differently than standard motorcycles, this bill 
proposes that a tricycle driver safety training and awareness program be instituted at the 
national level and specific tasks be delegated to the local government units. 
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THIRTEFNTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC ) 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
1 
Second Regular Session 
1 
:-&,- 
Introduced by Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago 
AN ACT 
ESTABLISHING TRICYCYLE DRIVER TRAINING AND MOTORIST 
AWARENESS PROGRAMS 
SECTION 1. Short Title. -This Act shall be known as the “Tricycle Driver Safety 
Program.” 
SECTION 2. Definition of Terms. - For purposes of this Act, 
(1) “Tricycle” means a motor vehicle composed of a motorcycle with not 
more than two (2) cylinders of five hundred cubic centimeters (500cc) 
engine capacity filled with single-wheel side car designed to 
accommodate three (3) passengers only including the driver. 
(2) “Tricycle Driver Safety Program” means any formal program of 
instruction that provides accident avoidance and other safety-oriented 
operational skills to tricycle drivers, including innovative training to 
meet unique regional needs. 
(3) “Motorist Awareness” means individual or collective motorist 
awareness of- 
(A) The presence of tricycles motorcycles on or near roadways; 
(B) Safe driving practices that avoid injury to tricycles, 
motorcyclists, bicyclists, and pedestrians; 


(4) “Motorist awareness program” means any informational or public 
awareness program designed to enhance motorist awareness that is 
developed by or in coordination with the Land Transportation Office and 
the local government unit authority having jurisdiction over tricycle 
regulation; 
(5)“LTO’: means the Land Transportation Office; 
(6)“TESDA” means the Technical Education and Skills Development 
Authority. 
SECTION 3. Implementing Agency. - The Land Transportation Office with the 
assistance of TESDA shall : 
(1) 
Develop and implement a nationwide Tricycle Driver Safety Program 
in coordination with tricycle regulation offices of local government 
(3) 
units 
Develop and implement a nationwide Motorist Awareness Program 
in coordination with the tricycle regulation offices of local 
government units 
Collect and analyze data on tricycle accidents and other information 
that can be used to monitor the effectivity of the programs and for 
research, technical assistance, and policy development; 
Provide continuous information and awareness campaigns to the 
target drivers and the general public on transportation safety issues. 
(4) 
SECTION 4. Role of Local Government Units. - The office of each local 
goveinment unit that is in charge of regulating the tricycle sector in their jurisdiction shall 
ensure that tricycle drivers shall not operate without first undergoing the Tricycle Driver 
Safety Program. A franchise shall not be granted until a certification issued by the LTO 
to the drivedapplicant has been presented. 
SECTION 5. Appropriations. - To cany out the provisions of this Act, such 
amount as may be necessary is hereby authorized to be appropriated itom the National 
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Treasury. Thereafter, the amount necessary for the continuous operation of the program 
shall be included in the annual appropxiations of the Land Transpoitation Office. 
SECTION 6. 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 I. 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 8. Effectivity Clause. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days 
after its publication in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation. 
Approved, 
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