More bills to install speed limiters on PUVs filed

MANILA, Philippines - The House Committee on Transportation has received four separate bills, all seeking the installation of speed limiters in public utility vehicles, especially buses.

These measures are: HB 3151 authored by Buhay Party-list Reps. Mariano Michael Velarde, Jr., Jose L. Atienza, Jr., and Irwin Tieng; HB 1762 filed by Rep. Joseph Gilbert Violago (2nd District, Nueva Ecija); HB 3624 by Rep. Jerry Treñas (Lone District, Iloilo City); and HB3798 filed by Reps. Rufus Rodriguez (2nd District, Cagayan de Oro City) and Maximo Rodriguez, Jr. (Abante Mindanao Party-list).

HB3151 or the proposed “Speed Limiters Act of 2013” seeks the mandatory installation of speed limiters in all public utility vehicles, whether already in operation or to be constructed, produced or manufactured.

HB 1762 is entitled “An Act promoting road safety by requiring the mandatory installation of speed limiters in all public utility vehicles and the enforcement of certain speed limits in various streets and highways.”

HB 3624 is “An Act requiring the installation of speed limiters in all public utility buses, providing penalties for violations thereof and for other purposes.”

HB 3798 is “An Act requiring the mandatory installation of speed limiters on all public utility buses which would limit their maximum speeds to 60 kilometers per hour for Metro Manila buses and 80 kilometers per hour for provincial buses, providing penalties for violations thereof and for other purposes.”

Corollary to this, House Bills and Index records (through congress.gov.ph) also shows that Rep. Enrique ‘Henry’ Cojuangco (1st District, Tarlac) had earlier filed HB 3377 or “An Act setting a speed limit for freeways all over the country, amending for the purpose thereof Republic Act No. 4136 Subsection (b).”

“There is need to update the present rules and regulations on road safety and traffic management by including freeways or controlled access highways in the classification of roads and set a uniform speed,” Cojuangco said.

“The recent incidence of fatal crashes of buses would continue unabated if we just leave to the discretion of our public utility bus drivers who would certainly continue to drive their vehicles with reckless abandon,” Treñas, who proposed a 60KPH speed limit for buses, said.

On the other hand, Rep. Violago proposes that both driver and operator and/or owner of the PUV who continuous in their business of transporting passengers without the required speed limiter shall suffer arresto mayor (one month and one day to six months imprisonment), the immediate cancellation of the PUV’s franchise and a fine of P50,000.

Likewise, Violago said tampering of speed limiter of any PUVs shall be punished with prision correccional (6 months and one day to six years) and a fine amounting to P50,000.

The lawmakers are all proposing a provision in the proposed consolidated statute that no PUV shall be registered by the Land Transportation Office without the proper speed limiter installed and set.

The Committee on Transportation, chaired by Rep. Cesar V. Sarmiento (Lone District, Catanduanes), is considering the various measures for consolidation.