Anakalusugan party-list Rep. Michael Defensor has filed a bill seeking to grant the country’s 1.5 million persons with disabilities (PWDs) a 20 percent discount on the tollway fees collected by skyways and expressways.
Defensor, who is running for Quezon City mayor in the 2022 elections, filed House Bill No. 10558 on the occasion of International Day of Persons with Disabilities.
Dec. 3 of every year is observed globally to promote the rights and welfare of individuals with long-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairments.
Under Defensor’s bill, PWDs “shall be entitled to a 20 percent discount on the toll fees of skyways and expressways whose fees are paid through radio frequency identification devices (RFIDs) or similar devices.”
In availing of the discount, the motor vehicle using the skyway or expressway must be registered in the name of the PWD, who shall present and submit a copy of his or her PWD ID card to the tollway operator when applying for an RFID tag.
“Our measure, once enacted, will give greater meaning to the mandate of the 1987 Constitution for the State to prioritize the needs of vulnerable Filipinos,” Defensor said.
HB 10558 requires the Department of Transportation’s Toll Regulatory Board to issue the implementing rules to enforce the discount.
The bill seeks to amend the Magna Carta for Disabled Persons that grants them a wide range of benefits and privileges, including a 20 percent discount and exemption from the value-added tax on the sale of certain goods and services.
At present, PWDs already enjoy a 20 percent discount on public transport fares, including light rail transit rides.