Duterte signs law declaring ‘Day of Remembrance for Road Crash Victims’
Credit to Author: The Manila Times| Date: Thu, 30 Jan 2020 05:00:56 +0000
PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has signed into law a bill declaring a day of remembrance for road crash victims and their loved ones.
Duterte signed on January 24 Republic Act (RA) 11468 or an “Act designating the third Sunday of November every year as the National Day of Remembrance for Road Crash Victims, Survivors, and their Families.”
“It is the policy of the national government to ensure the protection and safety of its people from any form of road hazards and to value human lives by way of remembering the victims of road crashes and recognizing the sufferings of their affected families and communities,” the new law read.
“Towards this end, a National Day of Remembrance for Road Crash Victims, Survivors, and Their Families must be declared to raise awareness of the people on the causes, consequences, and the costs of road deaths and injuries, and for the strengthening of advocacy to prevent such traumatic incidents and promote road safety through a collaborative platform that brings together various stakeholders,” it added.
Under the new law, the Department of Transportation (DoTr), in coordination with the Department of Interior and Local Government, the Land Transportation Office, Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board, and the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, are mandated to hold commemorative ceremonies in cities, municipalities, and provinces for road crash victims and survivors; blood donations campaigns; special recognition of public officers, private stakeholders, volunteers and organizations who are instrumental in saving or supporting road crash victims; and public awareness campaigns.
Multisectoral symposia, conferences and consultations shall also be conducted by the DOTr, in coordination with the Department of Health and the Department of Social Welfare and Development, Department of Justice and other concerned agencies, focusing on: (1) how to improve the trauma care system and emotional support programs given to victims, survivors, and their families; (2) how to improve the legal response, including resolution of pending cases and investigations and immediate compensation of victims and/or their families: and (3) how to improve the road safety situation by addressing the key risk factors to prevent the occurrence of similar road crash incidents.
The flag-raising ceremonies in government offices the day or week immediately after the National Day of Remembrance shall be dedicated to road crash victims, survivors, and their families, and shall provide a platform for bereaved or affected employees to advocate the need for road safety.
The government shall also launch and maintain a website or a social media platform dedicated to road safety awareness, which will include a database registry that honors road crash victims, survivors, and their families.
RA 11468, which was released by Malacañang only on Thursday, will take effect 15 days after its publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation.
Sen. Grace Poe, the bill’s sponsor in the Senate, had cited the World Health Organization Global Status Report on Road Safety 2015, which said that the Philippines registers at least 10,379 road fatalities annually, which translates to 10.5 fatalities per 100,000 population per year.
Globally, an estimated 1.25 million people die from road crash every year, the report added.
“Oftentimes, the victims and survivors are reduced into mere statistics and only known by the numbers,” Poe has said. CATHERINE S. VALENTE