MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte too doesn’t want to implement the child car seat law during this time, according to Sen. Christopher “Bong” Go on Saturday.
“Nakausap ko si Pangulong Duterte, siya po mismo ayaw rin niyang i-implement ito. Sabi niya, ‘not this time,’” Go said during the Laging Handa online press briefing.
(I talked to President Durterte, he too said that he does not want it to be implemented. He said ‘Not this time.)
“Hindi pa napapanahon na i-implement itong batas na ‘to,” he added.
(It is not yet the right time to implement this.)
Republic Act No. 11229 or the Child Safety in Motor Vehicles Act, aims to keep children safe while aboard motor vehicles. Under its implementing rules and regulations, children aged 12 years old and below and are under 4’11 are no longer allowed to take the front seat or to be left unattended inside a private vehicle.
The law also requires children to use child restraint systems (CRS) or child car seats that are appropriate for their age, height, and weight.
This law, signed by President Rodrigo Duterte on December 2019, was supposed to take effect on Feb. 2. However, transportation officials agreed to defer the implementation of the law as the Land Transportation Office (LTO) would conduct an information, education, and communications campaign for three to six months before strictly enforcing the law.
Go, meanwhile, said that the right time will come when it comes to implementing the said law.
“Nagkakahirap-hirap na ang Pilipino ‘wag na natin pahirapan pa. Darating din ang panahon na mai-implement ito dahil batas na po ito,” he said.
(Filipinos are already suffering, let’s not bring them down further. The right time will come for the implementation of the law.)