POE URGES AIRLINE FIRMS TO ABIDE BY 20-PERCENT STUDENT DISCOUNT LAW

Sen. Grace Poe has appealed to local airline companies to comply with the law granting students a 20-percent discount on fare.

Poe issued the reminder as she welcomed the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) for Republic Act No. 11314, also known as the Student Fare Discount Act, issued by the Civil Aeronautics Board.

The IRR takes effect November 1.

"Nananawagan tayo sa mga airline company na ipatupad ang batas para naman kahit papaano maging maluwag sa bulsa ng ating mga estudyante ang pagbiyahe," Poe, co-author of the law, said.

As the guidelines cover only the local air fare, Poe urged other concerned agencies to fast-track their respective IRR so that the students will feel the full impact of the law.

The law provides for a 20-percent student discount for regular domestic fares of all kinds of public transportation utilities such as public utility buses, public utility jeepneys, taxis and other similar vehicles-for-hire, tricycles, passenger trains, aircraft and marine vessels for the entire time that the students are enrolled.

The discount will be in effect even on weekends and holidays.

"Ang matitipid dito ay pwedeng idagdag sa pambili ng pagkain o kaya naman ay ibang gamit o bayarin sa eskwelahan," Poe said.

"We hope this will bring a little ease on families faced with high prices of goods and services," she added.

To avail of the discount, students must show their school ID or a validated enrollment form together with a government-issued ID.

The discount, however, cannot be availed of by post-graduate students (medicine, law, masteral, doctoral) or those enrolled in short-term classes like students of dancing and driving schools and seminars.

In case of air public transportation facilities, the discount will only apply to the base fare or the price of the ticket before taxes and costs for ancillary services.

The discount shall not apply to promotional fares.

If the students are not given the discount by the transportation service, they can complain to the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board for land transportation, Civil Aeronautics Board for air transportation, and Maritime Industry Authority for sea or water transportation.

The law has put in place varying degrees of penalties for the three types of transportation utilities, ranging from a P5,000 fine for first-time offenders in land transportation to P200,000 for the third offense by an airline.

The public transportation utility operator may claim as tax deduction the student fare discount it granted to students based on the cost of services rendered.