House panel to look into issues on child car seat law

The House Committee on Transportation is set to conduct an inquiry next week into the issues surrounding the implementation of the Child Safety in Motor Vehicles Act, its chairperson, Samar Representative Edgar Sarmiento said Thursday.

In a phone interview shared with reporters, Sarmiento said the inquiry is scheduled for Wednesday, February 10.

"Nag-usap kami kahapon ni Speaker Lord Allan Velasco, gusto niya i-hearing talaga para siyempre nalalaman din ng lahat," he said.

"I presented to him, sabi niya go with the meeting. Of course, it has to be guided by the Speaker," he added.

Signed by President Rodrigo Duterte in February last year, the Child Safety in Motor Vehicles Act mandates that children aged 12 and below use the child restraint systems or car seats and are only allowed to take the front seat if they meet the 4'11' height requirement, on top of using the regular seat belt.

The full implementation of the law was set on February 2, but the Land Transportation Office said it would focus on the intensified information drive rather than apprehending or issuing tickets against its violators.

Sarmiento said the inquiry would focus on looking into the implementing rules and regulations of the law to determine if it was properly crafted.

"Gusto natin malaman kung talaga bang pinag-aralan ito nang husto," he said.

"Maliwanag naman dito sa batas na kailangan ang Department of Transportation (DOTr), collectively kasama niya dapat dito ang Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Health. Lahat ng ahensya pati Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, and Philippine National Police Highway Patrol Group kung talagang pinag-aralan din," he added.

Apart from this, Sarmiento said the committee will also delve into the issue of Private Motor Vehicle Inspection Centers (PMVIC), which the DOTr plans to roll out nationwide.

"Matapos i-roll out itong project na ito, gustong makita ng Kamara yung manuals and processes na sinusundan," he said.

Among the resource persons to be invited in the hearing are representatives from the DOTr, LTO, Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board, and the land transportation sector, Sarmiento said.

At least six senators earlier called on the LTO and the DOTr to defer the implementation of the Child Safety in Motor Vehicles Act "until necessary guidelines are put in place and agency mandates are fulfilled."

Meanwhile, Senator Grace Poe also sought an inquiry into the PMVIC rollout due to the additional expenses that the policy imposed on motorists amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/774488/poe-probe-additional-fees-imposed-by-dotr-accredited-vehicle-inspection-centers/story/