Senator Sonny Angara has urged the House of Representatives to immediately pass its version of the bill institutionalizing the grant of a 20-percent fare discount to students to ensure they will continue to enjoy reduced transportation expenses in the future.
The Senate has approved its own version of the measure as early as October last year.
A counterpart bill in the House remains at the committee level and has not yet been sponsored on the floor although it was already approved by the House transportation and ways and means committees.
“We are urging our honorable congressmen to pass the House version so that we can come up with the final bill that will be sent to Malacañang for President Duterte’s signature,” Angara said.
Last October, the Senate plenary approved on third and final reading Angara’s Senate Bill No. 1597 which seeks to institutionalize the grant of fare discount currently being enforced by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board.
The LTFRB, in October 2017, issued a memorandum circular stating that “students can avail of the 20-percent discount from Monday to Sunday, including summer breaks, legal and special holidays.”
Failure to provide the fare discount is a franchise violation that carries a penalty of a fine of P5,000 for the first offense, P10,000 and their vehicles impounded for one month for the second offense, and P15,000 and cancellation of franchise for the third offense.
