Foreign chambers back bill creating Transportation Safety Board
MANILA, Philippines — A coalition of foreign business groups backed the passage of a measure creating a Philippine Transportation Safety Board Thursday as they expressed optimism over its prospects for enactment into a law.
In letters sent to the House and Senate leadership, the members of the Joint Foreign Chambers urged Congress to expedite the ratification of the bill seeking to establish a non-regulatory and independent agency attached to the Office of the President to be responsible for the conduct of investigation on transportation-related accidents.
"This important reform bill creating the PTSB is ready for immediate passage. With the bicameral conference committee of both chambers having been convened, the JFC eagerly awaits the ratification of the reconciled version," the letter reads. "Once enacted, the new PTSB can commence its programs to prevent the major transportation accidents causing the lives of too many Filipinos."
The groups pointed out that for over two decades, the PTSB bill — most recently in the form of the reconciled version of the Bicameral Conference Committee of Senate Bill No. 1077 and House Bill No. 9030 — languished in Congress. It was only in the 18th Congress that the bill reached the advanced stage in both chambers. Once ratified, the bill can be endorsed to President Duterte for approval into law.
The main objectives of the proposed Philippine Transportation Safety Board include:
- improve transportation safety measures that will help in the prevention of transportation accidents and mitigation of dangers to human lives and property
- ensuring the implementation of transportation safety standards.
The foreign chambers argued that as an independent and impartial transport safety body, the board can address what it said was "the gap in bureaucracy which allegedly contributes to inefficiency in the implementation of transportation-safety schemes and ineffectual safety measures."
"At present, different agencies handle different sectors of transportation with regard to accident investigations such that the CAAP has authority over aviation disasters while the Maritime Industry Authority has authority to investigate major maritime disasters," the group's statement reads.
For road accidents involving public utility vehicles, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board has jurisdiction but road accidents may also be investigated by the Philippine National Police, Land Transportation Office, and Metro Manila Development Authority.
The PTSB would be tasked to coordinate all the actions of relevant public and private entities toward the common goal of ensuring transport safety but also holds regulatory, investigatory, and fact-finding functions. The groups said this "will allow the agency to implement a proactive approach and be in control of situation even before it happens."
The joint statement was signed by the following entities:
- American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines
- Australian-New Zealand Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines
- Canadian Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines
- European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines
- Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Philippines, Inc.
- Korean Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, Inc.
- Philippine Association of Multinational Companies Regional Headquarters, Inc.
The Safe Travel Alliance, International Air Transport Association, and Air Carriers Association of the Philippines also joined the calls.
"As a country that is generally dependent on inter-modal transportation systems to facilitate the movement of goods, cargo, and people to, from, and within its archipelago, institutional reforms to enhance the standards of transportation safety measures, prevent transportation accidents in the future, and mitigate dangers to human lives and property is mostly needed," the group's statement also reads.
— Franco Luna with a report from Kaycee Valmonte
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