FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE ) 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES ) 
Second Regular Session 
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SENATE 
Introduced by Senator Antonio “Sonny” F. Trillanes IV 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
In the early morning hours last Tuesday, October 21,2008, Dr. Francisco “Toto” 
Sarabia was driving his car along the North Bound lane of EDSA, near Santolan 
Road when his vehicle was rammed by a speeding Joanna Jesh Transport bus. 
The bus was reportedly racing with another Joanna Jesh Transport bus in an 
apparent bid to beat the later to the bus stop in order to be first in picking up 
passengers waiting of their ride. 
Dr. Sarabia’s car violently spun several times. Qr. Sarabia’s companion was 
pulled-out of the wreck by bystanders before the vehicle burst into flames and 
exploded. It took the attending emergency personnel around fifteen minutes 
before they were able to put out the fire and recover Dr. Sarabia’s charred 
remains. 
The driver of the bus, Martinito Madrid, who later surrendered, admitted having 
figured in another accident just this April 2008, which accident resulted to injuries 
to a number of individuals. According to news reports, however, Madrid was 
involved in no less than seven (7) traffic accidents before the fatal incident which 
killed Dr. Sarabia. 
Enough is enough! Too many lives have been claimed and too many dreams have 
been extinguished already by reckless, senseless drivers, often times driving 
hulking public utility buses (PUBS), container trucks, passenger vans, taxis and 
jeepneys, in wanton disregard of the safety and well-being of others on the road. 
It is time to hold these drivers accountable their acts of putting the lives and limbs 
of fellow drivers, passengers and commuters in harm’s way. 
Likewise, the operators andor owners of these offending vehicles have to be 
made directly responsible for any damages, prejudice and injuries which may be 
caused by their wayward drivers in their employ in order to compel them to 
exercise extra-ordinary diligence in the selection and supervision of said drivers. 
To date, however, reckless driving has not been defined as a crime in the statute 
books but is only penalized as a quasi-offense under Article 365 of the Revised 
Penal Code as reckless imprudence resulting to homicide, physical injuries and 
damage to property. 
This bill seeks to define reckless driving in itself as a criminal offense and to 
provide stiffer penalties for its commission. Likewise, the bill makes the owner 
and/or operator of the offending vehicle principally and directly liable for the 
damage, injury and/or prejudice resulting from the incident unless they can show 
that they exercised extra-ordinary diligence in the selection and supervision of 
their drivers. 
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It is the hope that when passed into law, this bill will work to deter this pernicious 
practice or at the very least, keep reckless drivers away from our thoroughfares. 
The immediate passage of this bill is most earnestly requested. 
Sen. WT=b 
nt io “Sonny” F. Trillanes IV 
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FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE ) 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES ) 
Second Regular Session 
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SENATE 
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Introduced by Senator Antonio “Sonny” F. Trillanes IV 
AN ACT 
DEFINING THE OFFENSE OF RECKLESS DRIVING AND PROVIDING 
PENALTlES FOR THE COMMISSION THEREOF AND FOR OTHER 
RELATED PURPOSES. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in Congress 
assembled: 
SECTION 1. Declaration and State Policy. - It is hereby declared that 
act of driving recklessly is pernicious to public interest. Hence, it is the policy of 
the State to consider the same as a criminal offense and to severely penalize the 
same. 
SEC. 2. Deflnitlon. - Any person who is in control of any vehicle 
traveling upon a highway, or upon public or private property open to public use, 
drives the same carelessly, imprudently and heedlessly or without due caution and 
circumspection, or at a speed or in a manner as to endanger or be likely to 
endanger any person or property, or who passes when there is a prohibition 
against passing, shall be guilty of reckless driving and upon conviction shall be 
punished as provided in Section Three (3) hereof; 
SEC. 3. Penalties. - Any person found to be guilty of reckless driving 
shall be subjected to a penalty of imprisonment from one (1) month to six (6) 
months andor a fine of Ten Thousand Pesos @hP l0,OOO.OO) or both. 
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In case the offender’s act results to slight physical injuries to any party, the 
penalty imposable shall be imprisonment of six (6) months and one (1) day to two 
(2) years plus a fine of Twenty Thousand Pesos (PhP 20,000.00). 
In case the offender’s act results to less serious physical injuries to any 
party, the penalty imposable shall be imprisonment of two (2) years and one (1) 
day to four (4) years plus a fine of Forty Thousand Pesos (PW 50,000.00). 
In case the offender’s act results to serious physical injuries to any party, 
penalty imposable shall be imprisonment of four (4) years and one day to six (6) 
years plus a fine of Eighty Thousand Pesos (F‘hF’ 80,000.00). 
In case the offender’s act results to the death, permanent injury or 
mutilation of any body part of any party, the penalty imposable shall be 
imprisonment of six (6) years and one (1) day to twelve (12) years plus a fine of 
One Hundred Thousand Pesos (PhP 100,000.00). 
When the execution of the act cowfed by this article shall have only 
resulted in damage to the property of another, the offender shall be punished by 
imprisonment of six (6) months to two (2) years and/or a fine ranging from an 
amount equal to the value of said damages to three times such value, but which 
shall in no case be less than Ten Thousand Pesos (PhP l0,OOO.OO). 
The trial court shall also award the actual and compensatory damages to 
the victims, based on the evidence presented and pursuant to existing rules and 
jurisprudence. 
Any government official or employee, who by neglect or connivance, has 
in any manner aided or abetted in the violation or circumvention of the provisions 
of this Act, shall be held criminally liable as co-principal under this section and 
shall, in addition, suffer the penalty of perpetual absolute disqualification to hold 
public office. 
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SEC. 4. Direct Iiabilig of Operator and/or Owner of the offending 
vehicle. - The owner and/or operator of the vehicle driven by the offender shall 
be directly and principally liable together with the offender for the fine and the 
award against the offender for civil damages unless he or she is able to 
convincingly prove that he or she has exercised extra-ordinary diligence in the 
selection and supervision of his or her drivers in general and the offending driver 
in particular. 
This rule shall principally apply to the owners andlor operators of public 
utility vehicles, commercial vehicles like delivery vans, cargo trucks, freight 
trucks, container trucks, etc., as well as school and company buses, hotel 
transports, car or vans for rent, taxi cabs, etc. 
In any case, the subsidiary liability of the owner and/or operator of the 
vehicle driven by the offending driver shall remain. 
SEC. 5. Repenfed offenders. - In case a person is found guilty of reckless 
driving for two (2) or more times committed within a period of five (5) years, the 
same shall be a ground for the permanent revocation of his license by the Land 
Transportation Office (LTO). 
SEC. 6. St.uerabiZity. -E 
any provision ofthis Act or the applicability of 
such provision to any person or circumstance shall be held invalid, the validity of 
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the other provisions of this Act and the applicability of such provisions to other 
persons or circumstances shall not be affected thereby. 
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SEC. I. Repealing Clause. - All laws, executive issuances, orders and 
rules and regulations contrary to or inconsistent with this Act, or any part thereof, 
are hereby repealed, amended andor modified accordingly. 
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circulation in the country. 
SEC. 8. EflecttZvi@. - This Act shall take effect upon its approval and 
upon publication in the Official Gazette and two (2) newspapers of general 
Approved, 
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