Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS
Second Regular Session

HOUSE BILL NO. 7439

Introduced by Representative Florida P. Robes
EXPLANATORY NOTE

According to the World Health Organization Global Road Safety Reports, 1.24
million deaths & 50 million injured are added to the long list of casualties and
victims of road crash and accidents yearly. Relative thereto, the United
Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution 64/255 “Improving Global Road
Safety”, where it calls to action by “Encouraging Member States to continue to
strengthen their commitment to road safety, including its observance of the World
Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims on the third Sunday of November
every year” on March 2, 2010. The Philippines as a signatory to the said
resolution ratify it through the issuance of Presidential Proclamation 2092 on
June 18 2010 by then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. The proclamation
declared every 3 Sunday of November as the national day for the “World
Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims” and designated a Working
Committee headed by the Department of Transportation (DOTR) with
member agencies, Department of Interior & Local Governments (DILG),
Department of Health (DOH), Department of Education (DEPED), and the
Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA). On April 28, 2011, President
Benigno S. Aquino III, proclaimed the year 2011 as the "Decade of Action for
Road Safety" in the Philippines. This recognized the importance of addressing


the alarming number of deaths and injuries caused by road crashes through a
Philippine Road Safety Action Plan. A total of 6,806 in 2006, number of deaths in
road crashes leaped to 8,636 in 2014 representing a 27% increase over the seven-
year period. Annually, this translated to an average increase of 4%. While there was
a slight reduction in 2011, the pioneer year of Decade of Road Safety in the
Philippines, the number of road crash deaths increased again starting 2012. During
the same period, road crash death rate in the Philippines has been slightly
increasing. Death rate recorded an average annual increase of 1.4% from 2006 to
2014. The burden of grief and distress experienced by this huge number of
people is all the greater because many of the victims are young. It is because
many of the crashes could and should have been prevented. It is also because
the response to road death and injury for the families is often inadequate,
unsympathetic, and inappropriate to the loss of life or quality of life.

The House of Representatives recognizes that road safety is a shared
responsibility and acknowledges the magnitude of the humanitarian crisis of fatal
road crashes that devastate families & destroy aspiration. Both the government &
the civil society organizations’ collective action can be accelerated towards a
sustainable engagement campaign by actively supporting the United Nations World
Day of Remembrance for Road Crash Victims & Survivors. It further accepts its vital
responsibility to establish an annual venue of collaboration for road safety
stakeholders from the academe, business, police, hospital, emergency, and relevant
government institutions as an affirmation to the urgent need for public recognition
commitment to life-saving road safety programs. As such, this measure which
seeks to respond to the great need of road crash victims for public recognition
of their loss and suffering shall convey the importance the government accords to
the task of reducing road traffic casualties and to stop the carnage. This Act
mainly derives its inspiration from & dedicates its results to the collective human
experience of the Families of Road Victims & Survivors Association
Philippines, an advocacy arm firmly committed towards humanitarian service to
countless victims and their families and the enactment and reinforcement of life


saving legislations. If enacted into law, the Philippines will be the 1% country in the
Southeast Asian region to fully adopt a law that firmly establishes this solemn day
for road crash victims, survivors, & families.

In light thereof, the approval of this "Road Safety Memorial Day" legislation is

earnestly sought.
a P. Robes


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS
Second Regular Session

HOUSE BILLNO. 7439

Introduced by Representative Florida P. Robes

AN ACT DESIGNATING THE 3°° SUNDAY OF NOVEMBER AS THE NATIONAL
DAY OF REMEMBRANCE FOR ROAD CRASH VICTIMS, SURVIVORS &
FAMILIES

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

SEC. 1. Title — This Act shall be known as the “National Day of
Remembrance for Road Crash Victims, Survivors, & Families Act.”

SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. — It is the policy of the national government
to ensure the protection and safety of its people from any form of road hazards and
to value human lives by way of remembering the victims of road crashes and
recognizing the sufferings of their affected families and communities. Toward this
end, a National Day of Remembrance for Road Crash Victims, Survivors, & Families
must be declared to raise the awareness of the people on the causes,
consequences, and costs of road deaths & injuries, and for the strengthening of
advocacy to prevent such traumatic incidents thru a collaborative platform that
brings together multi sector stakeholders.

SEC. 3. Commemoration Day. — Every 3 Sunday of November of each
year is hereby declared as the “National Day of Remembrance for Road Crash
Victims, Survivors, & Families."

SEC. 4. Mandatory Activities. — To ensure the meaningful observance of
the day as herein declared, the following activities shall be undertaken under each
local government unit:

a) Special commemoration to remember all road crash victims, survivors, &
families by way of religious mass services & flower laying ceremonies lead by LGU
Officials (city / municipality);


b) Enactment of city & municipal ordinance / resolution for the designation of
an identified local government unit public spaces as a memorial tribute for victims &
‘survivors;

C) Special blood donation campaign per local government unit as coordinated
thru the Department of Health, Philippine Blood Center, and the Philippine Red Cross
in the area;

d) Special recognition day for emergency/ rescue personnel, volunteers, &
stakeholders;

e) Special inter faith & inter religious commemoration in all local government
Offices and police stations; and

g) Public awareness campaign, solidarity march, & road safety advocacy
Programs and services;

SEC. 5. National Working Committee. - To oversee the activities under
this Act and prepare a program for the meaningful commemoration of the Memorial
Day, the Department of Transportation (DOTR) shall be designated as the
Chairperson, with the following as members:

a) Department of Health (DOH),

b) Department of Education (DEPED),

c) Commission on Higher Education (CHED),

d) Department of Interior and Local Governments (DILG),

e) Department of Social Welfare & Development (DSWD),

f) National Youth Commission (NYC),

g) Presidential Communications Office (PCOO),

h) Philippine Information Office (PIO),

i) Philippine National Police (PNP),

j) Philippine Blood Center (PBC),

k) League of Provinces of the Philippines (LPP),

|) League of Cities of the Philippines (LCP),

m) League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP),

n) Liga ng mga Baranggay (LB),

0) League of Governors & Vice Governors of the Philippines (LGP &
LVGP),

p) League of Mayors & Vice Mayors of the Philippines (LMP & LVMP),

q) Provincial Board Members League of the Philippines (PBML),

r) Philippine Councilors League of the Philippines (PCL),

s) Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines (ULAP),

t) Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA)

u) Philippine Red Cross (PRC) National Head Quarters


SEC. 6. Appropriation. — The sum of Fifty million pesos (P50,000,000) for
the National Capital Region Activity and the sum of Five million pesos (P5,000,000)
for each local government unit is hereby appropriated from any available funds from
the National Treasury for the initial implementation of this act. Thereafter, such sum
or so much thereof shall be included in the Approved Annual General Appropriations
Act.

SEC. 7. Implementing Rules and Regulations. — Within sixty (60) days
from the effectivity of this Act, the Commemoration Day Working Committee shall
promulgate the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) for the effective
implementation of this act. The IRR shall provide procedures geared towards
streamlined processes that will support the National Day.

SEC. 8. Separability Clause. — If any provision or part thereof is held
invalid or unconstitutional, the remainder of the act or the provision not otherwise
affected shall remain valid and subsisting with full effect implementation.

SEC. 9. Repealing Clause. — Any act, law, decrees, ordinance, resolution,
executive orders rules and regulations, or administrative issuance contrary to or
inconsistent with the provisions of this act is hereby repealed, amended, or modified
accordingly.

SEC. 12. Effectivity. — This act shall take effect Fifteen (15) days after
publication in designated two (2) newspapers of general circulation.

Approved,