Press Release
July 24, 2009

To lessen the impact of the financial crisis on students and parents
ANGARA CALLS TO LEGALIZE STUDENT DISCOUNT ACT

Sen. Edgardo J. Angara leads the Senate to enact the grant for student fare discount into law on any public transportation not only on school days, but also on weekends, holidays and vacations.

Senate Bill 892 which the senator introduced seeks to give a 20% discount to students in the elementary, high school, university, vocational and technical school students as a measure of assisting the parents and the students in the transportation expenses relative to the rising cost of education in the country. Moreover, medical internships, legal apprenticeships, military training and specialized studies will also benefit from the bill.

"Under this measure, the impact of economic crisis to students and their parents can be lessened," notes Sen. Angara, who is currently the Senate Committee on Finance. He adds, "Extending the provision for discount to non-school days will enable these students to still travel at a discounted fare back to their communities, to their parents for the weekend, do research works or to meet their peers for group studies."

Offenders�drivers, conductors and ticket agents�are subject to penalties that range from one-, two- or three-month suspension of driving license on each respective offense, suspension of registration plates, and P500- to P5000-fines across all transport modes. Additionally, rail transport facilities are mandated to designate student and senior-citizen discount booth in their boarding stations.

Complaints regarding this matter usually report that jeepney and taxi drivers refuse to grant discount to students. Drivers and conductors often insist on full fare from students on non-school days at the pretext that they ride and pay as regular citizens, not as students going to school. A student recently complained on the online forum http://forums.gov.ph/ that bus conductors do not grant her discounts despite presenting her school ID. Furthermore, she lamented that after sending a complaint to the LTFRB's SMS hotline, she did not get a response.

Currently the grant of discount to students is only enshrined on a memorandum circular of the LTFRB. When this bill is passed into law, there will be no more reason for drivers, conductors and ticket agents to refuse students discounts to their fares at any day. The public may send their complaints to the Office of the Secretary of the DOTC, which will then relay the matter to the transport group concerned.

Sen. Angara concludes, "This should become a social responsibility for transport utility owners and operators, especially for the students and senior citizens."

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