MANILA, Philippines — The House of Representatives moved closer in providing students 20 percent travel discount.
The House committee on transportation has approved the measure providing the discount to students who travel by land, sea and air.
House Bill 7269 authored by Rep. LRay Villafuerte was among the measures consolidated by the House committee on transportation headed by Catanduanes Rep. Cesar Sarmiento into a substitute bill that will eventually be approved in plenary.
“This will mostly benefit indigent students and their families who have to cope with rising prices of basic goods. A discount on transport fares would help ease the daily woes of low-income families, especially parents sending more than one kid to school,” Villafuerte said.
The administration lawmaker called on his colleagues to help pass the piece of legislation that will hopefully institutionalize a 20 percent discount for all students.
The Camarines Sur congressman said the discount will provide students, mostly non-earners, a means to help cope with inflation.
Under the bill, a student shall be entitled to a 20 percent discount on the regular domestic fares of all kinds of public transportation utilities upon presentation of a duly-issued and validated school ID card, supported by any document to properly establish identity.
A substitute bill was made to institutionalize the grant of fare discount currently being enforced by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board even during weekends and holidays and which covers all means of transportation year round.
The Senate approved its version of the measure on third and final reading last October.
Student leaders’ day
Villafuerte also urged Congress to officially declare Nov. 17 of every year as “National Student Leaders’ Day” to honor the hard work of young Filipino leaders and enable the youth to gain inspiration and guidance from their noteworthy efforts.
Under House Bill 8328, Villafuerte wants both public and private schools nationwide to mark this day through a program of activities honoring Filipino student leaders.
“These activities, sanctioned by the Department of Education and Commission on Higher Education, with the support of the National Youth Commission (NYC), should give focus on the lives of past and present student leaders so that students would learn from them and be encouraged to reflect on their own values and aspirations,” he said.
By declaring an annual National Student Leaders’ Day, Villafuerte hopes that leadership “will not be a foreign concept to our youth but a way of life.”
This day also aims “to foster academic excellence among students of the present,” he said.
The NYC has been named as the lead agency in implementing the activities marking National Student Leaders’ Day.
Villafuerte also filed House Bill 7858 mandating the Department of Education to include “life education” and peer counseling programs in schools to foster positive mental health among elementary and high school students and check the recent surge in youth suicides resulting primarily from depression.
In filing HB 7858, Villafuerte also called on the DepEd to institutionalize the Youth Suicide Prevention program to ensure “that the mental health needs of our youth are taken care of.”