Proposed law mandates priority seating for seniors in public transport

Senator Grace Poe has filed a bill seeking to mandate the designation of priority seats for the elderly in public transportation.

Amending certain provisions of the Expanded Senior Citizens Act, Senate Bill No. 1367 will cover jeepneys, buses, rail services and commercial air and sea transport.

Poe said the cultural norm among many Filipinos in giving up their seats to the elderly must be institutionalized.

"Nararapat lamang na bigyang prayoridad ang kapakanan ng mga nakatatanda sa mga pampublikong transportasyon sapagkat hindi biro ang kalagayan nila at kadalasan sila ay may iniindang sakit o madaling mapagod. Unahin natin sila," said Poe.

The senator pointed out that mandating priority seating was absent in the Expanded Senior Citizens Act, despite having been amended several times.

This is in comparison to the Batas Pambansa 344 or the Accessibility Law, which requires the use of posters or stickers on public transport to generate awareness of the rights and needs of persons with disabilities (PWDs), including the marking of priority seats for PWDs.

Poe said that although there are currently reserved seats for the elderly in land transportation, there are "no hard rules" mandating the designation of priority seating for them in air and sea transport.

If enacted, it would also ensure that the seats closest to the entrance doors will be reserved for the elderly and they cannot be transferred to other seats on commercial air and sea transport without one week of prior notice.

The proposal states that passengers who use marked seats must vacate them if they are needed by an elderly passenger.

Poe's bill however stated that pregnant or disabled shall be exempted from the proposed amendment.

Public utility vehicles may face a fine of up to P5,000 and an imprisonment of two months to one year if they fail to comply with the law.

Rail transit operators meanwhile may be jailed for up to two years and fined up to P50,000; while commercial or sea transport providers may face imprisonment of five to 10 years, and a fine of up to P500,000. —ALG, GMA News