Republic of the Philippines 
House of Representatives 
Quezon City, Metro Manila 
Nineteenth Congress 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. ________ 
Introduced by Representative Jorge Antonio P. Bustos 
AN ACT 
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PROVIDING 
FOR 
STRICTER 
ENFORCEMENT 
IN 
THE 
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CONSTRUCTION, 
INSTALLATION 
AND 
MAINTENANCE 
OF 
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PUBLIC SAFETY SIGNAGES 
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Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
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Congress assembled: 
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SECTION 1. Short Title. – This act shall be known as the “Public Safety 
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Signages Accountability Act.” 
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SEC. 2.  Declaration of Policy. – It is the declared policy of the State to 
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safeguard the life, health, property, and the general welfare of the people.  
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Towards this end, the State shall provide the people with appropriate information 
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through the construction, installation and maintenance of accident-prevention or 
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risk-reduction signages in areas identified as potential risks or dangers.  
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SEC. 3.  Public Safety Signages. – Consistent with the above policy, the 
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Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), the Metropolitan Manila 
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Development Authority (MMDA) and local government units (LGUs), shall 
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undertake the construction, installation, and maintenance of public safety 
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signages. They shall ensure that these signages are strategically located, clear, 
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visible and properly maintained.    
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For purposes of this Act, public safety signages refer to direction or 
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informative signs, advisory, regulatory, messages, markings, including 
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infrastructure project announcements and descriptions, traffic signs and accident 
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warning devices, expressway and special purpose signs, warning signages in 
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communities vulnerable to fire, flood, landslide, tsunami, earthquake and other 
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catastrophes, and other risk reduction devices that are officially designed and 
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erected by or through the National Government or any of the local government 
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units pursuant to any government project or campaign and for the purpose of 
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public safety.  
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SEC.4. Public Safety Signages Standard. – All public safety signages shall 
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conform to the standard specifications prescribed under Presidential Decree No. 
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1096, otherwise known as the “National Building Code of the Philippines,” the 
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DPWH Road Signs and Pavement Markings Manual, the Manual on Uniform 
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Traffic Control Devices and the Outdoor Landslide Warning Signage of the 
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Department of Environment and Natural Resources – Mines and Geo Sciences 
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Bureau (DENR-MGB). 
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SEC. 5. Public Safety Signages on Geologic Hazards. – Under the 
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framework of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council 
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(NDRRMC) the DENR-MGB in collaboration with the Philippine Institute of 
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Volcanology and Seismology, Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and 
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Astronomical Services Administration, National Mapping and Resource 
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Information Authority and the Office of Civil Defense shall update the geohazard 
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map and identify areas that are susceptible or prone to various geologic hazards, 
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such as floods and landslides, earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions and 
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similar natural or man-made calamities, and make proper coordination with the 
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city or municipal engineer of these areas. The city or municipal engineer, in 
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coordination with the local disaster risk reduction and management (LDRRM) 
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office, shall be responsible for putting up public safety signages on geologic 
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hazards and ensure that these signages conform to the standard specifications 
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under Section 4 of this Act and are strategically located, clear, visible and 
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properly maintained.    
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 SEC. 6. Road and Traffic Public Safety Signages. – The DPWH through 
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the respective district engineers in the case of national roads, the MMDA through 
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the director of the Traffic Engineering Center in the case of national roads in 
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Metro Manila and the LGUs through the city or municipal engineers in the case 
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of local roads shall be responsible for the construction, installation and 
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maintenance of road and traffic public safety signages such as warning, 
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regulatory, hazard, informative, expressway and special purpose signs and ensure 
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that these signages conform to the standard specifications under Section 4 of this 
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Act and are strategically located, clear, visible and properly maintained.  
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SEC. 7. Administrative Penalties. – In case an injury or death occurs due 
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to: (a) lack of an installation of  public safety signages despite being identified as 
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potential risk or danger by the DENR-MGB; (b) construction of public safety 
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signages contrary to the standards provided under Section 4 of this Act; or (c) 
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lack or poor maintenance of public safety signages; the DPWH district engineer, 
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the MMDA director of the Traffic Engineering Center or the city or municipal 
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engineer shall, after due notice and hearing, suffer the administrative penalty of 
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suspension of one (1) month and one (1) day to three (3) months, for the first 
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offense; three (3) months and one (1) day to six (6) months, for the second 
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offense; six (6) months and one (1) day to one (1) year, for the third offense;  and 
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dismissal from the service, for the fourth offense. 
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SEC. 8.  Funding. – The amount necessary for the initial implementation 
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of this Act shall be charged against the current appropriations of the concerned 
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agency or city or municipality. Thereafter, such sum as may be necessary for 
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continued implementation shall be included in the annual budget of the concerned 
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agency or city or municipality. 
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SEC. 9. Implementing Rules and Regulations. – Within sixty (60) days 
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from the approval of this Act, the Secretary of Interior and Local Government, in 
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coordination with the Secretary of Public Works and Highways and Secretary of 
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Environment and Natural Resources, shall promulgate the necessary rules and 
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regulations implementing the provisions of this Act. 
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SEC. 10.  Repealing Clause. – All laws, decrees, orders, or rules and 
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regulations which are inconsistent or contrary to the provisions of this Act are 
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hereby amended or repealed accordingly.  
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SEC. 11.  Effectivity Clause. – This Act shall take effect fifteen days (15) 
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days after publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general 
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circulation. 
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Approved, 
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Republic of the Philippines 
House of Representatives 
Quezon City, Metro Manila 
Nineteenth Congress 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO._____ 
Introduced by Representative Jorge Antonio P. Bustos 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
Section 5, Article II of the 1987 Constitution provides: 
“The maintenance of peace and order, the 
protection of life, liberty, and property, and the promotion 
of the general welfare are essential for the enjoyment by 
all the people of the blessings of democracy.” 
Likewise, Article 2189 of the Civil Code provides: 
“Provinces, cities and municipalities shall be liable 
for damages for the death of, or injuries suffered by, any 
person by reason of the defective condition of roads, 
streets, bridges, public buildings, and other public works 
under their control and supervision.”  
The aforementioned constitutional and statutory provisions mandate the 
government to promote the general welfare of the people and prevent loss of life 
and damage to property.  For this purpose, government agencies are providing 
the people with appropriate information through the construction, installation 
and maintenance of the necessary traffic signs, accident-prevention or risk-
reduction devices or other public safety signages as measures for the general 
public against imminent dangers and risks.  Nevertheless, these public safety 
signages are often improperly maintained, if not totally lacking or absent in 
conspicuous and strategic places. 
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2:59 pm


Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority reveal that the number of 
persons involved in highway traffic accidents has been increasing.  In 2014, a 
total of 25,794 Filipinos figured in road accidents nationwide. These traffic 
incidents, however, may perhaps be prevented if proper safeguards such as clear 
and visible road signs were in place. 
 On the other hand, based on the 2019 Status Report on Disaster Risk 
Reduction in the Philippines by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk 
Reduction and the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center, the Philippines ranked 
third among all of the countries with the highest risks worldwide according to 
the World Risk Report 2018, with index value of 25.14%.  
It was likewise reported that at least 60% of the country’s total land area 
is exposed to multiple hazards, and 74% of the population is susceptible to their 
impact.  Accordingly, this is largely due to the location and geographical context 
as the risk involving coastal hazards such as typhoons, storm surges and rising 
sea levels is high.  
Further, tectonic plates, earthquakes and volcanoes are posing serious 
risks to the safety of the populace, as the islands are located within the “Ring of 
Fire.”Flooding, landslides, droughts and tsunamis also contribute to the exposure 
to natural hazards.  Of these, hydro-meteorological events including typhoons 
and floods, accounted for over 80% of the natural disasters in the country during 
the last half-century.  
The main challenge for the government lies in identifying methods on 
accident-prevention and risk reduction with the increasing incidence of road 
accidents and disasters aggravated by climate change and geo-hazards. It is 
therefore imperative for the government in coordination with the concerned 


 
 
 
national agencies to construct, install and maintain in strategic and conspicuous 
places, traffic and other warning signages in communities vulnerable to 
inundation, fire, landslide, tsunami, earthquake and similar natural or man-made 
calamities.  
 
This bill seeks to provide stricter enforcement in the construction, 
installation and maintenance of public safety signages and accountability to the 
responsible city or municipal engineering the case of local government units, or 
the director of the traffic engineering center of the Metropolitan Manila 
Development Authority (MMDA) in the case of Metropolitan Manila 
administrative region, or the respective district engineer of the Department of 
Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in the case of National Government.  
 
In view of the foregoing, the passage of this bill is earnestly sought.  
 
 
 
JORGE ANTONIO P. BUSTOS