Congress OKs measure on student fare discount

MANILA, Philippines — The Senate and the House of Representatives ratified the “Student Fare Discount Act” before Congress adjourned last week.

The measure institutionalizes the grant of 20 percent fare discount to students in all land, air and water transportation, even during weekends and holidays.

Sen. Paolo Benigno Aquino IV, principal author of the measure, said it would strengthen the mandate for the student fare discount. 

Senate Bill 1597, which is contained in Committee Report 166, is in substitution of the bills authored by Aquino and Sens. Sonny Angara, Francis Escudero and Sherwin Gatchalian.

Escudero steered the passage of the measure as chairman of the Senate committee on education, arts and culture.

The counterpart measure at the House was authored by Quezon City Rep. Alfred Vargas.

Currently, the privilege is being enforced by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) through a memorandum circular it issued in October 2017, stating that students can avail themselves of the 20 percent fare discount from Monday to Sunday, including summer breaks, legal and special holidays.

Once the bill is enacted into law, all Filipino students – from elementary to college as well as those enrolled in technical-vocational schools – will be entitled to a 20 percent discount in buses, jeepneys, taxis, tricycle, transport network vehicle services or TNVS, Metro and Light Rail Transit as well as in airlines and passenger ships.

Those enrolled in dancing and driving schools, short-term courses of seminar type and post-graduate studies such as medicine, law, masteral and doctoral degrees are not covered by the discount, the measure stated.

Students who travel abroad for education, training and competition are exempted from paying travel tax upon presentation of “proof or documents of the intended purpose.”

Students who will be refused the privilege may file their complaints with the LTFRB, Maritime Industry Authority or MARINA and Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) for land, sea and air transportation utilities, respectively. – With Cecille Suerte Felipe