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House to pass bill deferring implementation of child car seat law


Lawmakers in the House of Representatives on Wednesday agreed to create and pass a bill that will defer the implementation of the Child Safety in Motor Vehicles Act.

"The chairman will stand that the House will move on a different path and that is we pass a House bill rather than a House resolution to remedy the issue on Republic Act 11229," House Committee on Transportation chairman Edgar Sarmiento said in a hearing.

"Gagawa po kami ng batas to defer first the implementation of the law. Kongreso po ang gumawa ng batas, Kongreso din muna ang magdi-defer muna dito," he added.

In February 2020, President Rodrigo Duterte signed Republic Act 11229, which states that children aged 12 and below should use child restraint systems or car seats, and should only be allowed to take the front seat if they meet the 4'11' height requirement, on top of using the regular seat belt.

Some senators have urged the Land Transportation Office and the Department of Transportation to defer the implementation of the law until necessary guidelines are put in place and "agency mandates are fulfilled."

A challenge

LTO chief Edgar Galvante admitted that implementing the law has been a challenge to them.

"'Yun nga po ang malaking challenge sa amin, kasi wala po kaming kapangyarihan na mag-defer ng batas. Bagama't kahit may mga move po na ganyan, 'yung magagawa po ng LTO na naaayon doon sa pinaguutos ay nagagawa na po," he said during the hearing.

Galvante further vowed that they would continue to educate the public about the law.

Sarmiento earlier said it is better to implement the mandatory use of car seats for children after the country recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic.

He said the public is not fully-educated and well-informed about it and that others could not afford car seats for their kids because of the effect of the health crisis. —KBK, GMA News

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