Press Release
January 18, 2018

SPONSORSHIP SPEECH OF SENATOR GRACE POE ON THE "NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD ACT"

Mr. President, distinguished colleagues, good afternoon.

As chairperson of the Committee on Public Services, I rise to sponsor Committee Report No. 218, which recommends the approval of Senate Bill No. 1637, otherwise known as the proposed "National Transportation Safety Board Act."

Mr. President, sa bawat limang minuto ng aking talumpati, posibleng may nangyayaring aksidente o insidente sa mga kalsada ng Maynila. This claim is based on the MMDA's Metro Manila Accident and Recording Analysis System (MMARAS), which recorded 109,322 road incidents in 2016--katumbas ng 300 na aksidente bawat araw o 12 na aksidente kada oras. This figure refers to land incidents in Metro Manila and does not even include marine and aircraft-related incidents nationwide.

Obviously, all transportation incidents and accidents carry hefty price tags. According to a 2005 study by the University of the Philippines, a single road crash can cost up to P420,000 to P3.47 million in terms of damage to property and lost productivity. Maliit man o malaki ang halaga, hindi malalagyan ng presyo ang buhay na inagaw ng nagkarambolang sasakyan.

Mr. President, nakakapanghinayang na maaaring iwasan ang karamihan ng mga aksidente sa Maynila. Halimbawa, ayon sa datos ng MMDA, 'driver error' ang sanhi ng 80 percent ng aksidente sa Metro Manila. Marami sigurong buhay ang maisasalba kung hihigpitan ang pagbibigay ng lisensya at ang paghuli sa mga hindi sumusunod sa batas trapiko.

Compounding the situation is our convoluted governance of the transport sector. For example, as many as four national government agencies--LTO, LTFRB, MMDA, and the PNP-Highway Patrol Group--and six local government units have jurisdiction over buses that pass through EDSA. Ngunit may nalalaglag pa rin na bus sa Skyway. These agencies deal only with aspects of road safety, but not with road safety per se.

Thus, this committee proposes the creation of a seven-member National Transport Safety Board (NTSB) composed of experts that will investigate air, highway, railroad, pipeline and maritime incidents. The result of such investigations will be submitted to Congress within 60 days from completion.

Not all accidents are caused by drivers. Halimbawa, baka dahil sa kapabayaan ng LTFRB o LTO, dahil pinayagan ang pagbyahe ng isang sasakyan na hindi naman roadworthy ay nagkaroon ng disgrasya na dapat nilang panagutan. Tulad niyan, ngayon pa lang magkakaroon ng MVIS ang LTO kahit na matagal na itong kinailangan. With an NTSB, government agencies can be found liable for road crashes or transport-related incidents. They will not be acting as judges of their own mistakes.

Sa ngayon, may mga investigative agencies na siya rin ang operating body. For example, the CAAP, per RA 9497, has conflicting responsibilities as regulator, operator, and investigator. These conflicts have made the agency weak as a regulator and ineffective as an operator of airports.

A separate bill is needed to amend the CAAP law. However, with regard to the investigative aspect of air traffic incidents, it is the NTSB that should have jurisdiction for the purpose of making timely and comprehensive safety recommendations. This will be separate from the findings of the CAAP, since the NTSB will be an independent and nonregulatory agency mandated to determine the probable cause of transportation-related incidents.

In addition, the NTSB will proactively conduct studies on making the entire transport sector safer. Hindi ba lagi nga nating sinasabi na prevention is better than cure. Wala pang aksidente, aaksyunan na nila ang mga safety problems sa transportation sector. As such, the Board will look into the causes and determinants of accidents and help craft policies to prevent accidents and transportation incidents from recurring.

The NTSB can save lives. Hindi dapat na kung kailan may aksidente ay doon pa lamang tayo kikilos. Policy recommendations should be based on facts and thorough research and not on knee-jerk reactions and band-aid solutions.

Mr. President, hindi magiging papel na tigre ang NTSB. Bibigyan natin sila ng sapat na pangil na imbestigahan ang mga aksidente at magbigay ng rekomendasyon. Halimbawa, bibigyan natin ng kapangyarihan ang NTSB para makapasok sa lugar na may nangyaring aksidente. Maari rin nilang suriin ang anumang parte o component ng motor vehicle, vessel, aircraft o pipeline na naging sanhi ng isang insidente.

Ayon sa MMDA, 22,000 na tao ang nasaktan o namatay dahil sa road incidents noong 2016. The enactment of the National Transport Safety Board Act will be the first step towards safer transportation for all Filipinos. Sana umabot tayo sa punto na sa lumang sine na lang tayo makakakita ng mga kuma-karambolang sasakyan. Let's leave transport-related crashes and incidents on the big screen as the outdated legacy of a bygone, more hazardous era.

Maraming salamat po.

News Latest News Feed