DOTr official admits info campaign on child car seat law lacking

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Transportation (DOTr) could have implemented a better information campaign on the Child Safety in Motor Vehicles Act, Assistant Secretary Mark Steven Pastor, who is in charge of road transport, admitted during a hearing of the Senate public services committee on Tuesday.

“Yes, we recognize that we could have done more,” Pastor told Sen. Joel Villanueva, who had asked him if he believed the information campaign on the law was lacking.

Earlier, Villanueva pointed out that under Section 11 of the law, the DOTr, the Philippine Information Agency, the Department of Health, the Department of Education, and private agencies and organizations were mandated to undertake “regular nationwide information, education and communication campaign” within six months from the passage of the law.

“What activities have these agencies undertaken from February 2019 to August 2019 in relation to this provision?” Villanueva asked.

Pastor said that “several campaign achievements” had been conducted through print, television, and radio commercials.

He said the private partners had also been engaged in “disseminating the information so that our public will be fully apprised of the situation.”

“However, we also recognize that when we were supposed to have a seminar last March 19, 2020, it was canceled due to the fact that we were already on lockdown at the time,” he added.

Enacted into law in February 2019, the Child Safety in Motor Vehicle Act (Republic Act No. 11229) aims to provide additional safety measures for child passengers, such as requiring them to used child car seats.

Its implementing rules and regulations (IRR) were approved on Dec. 23, 2019.

The law took effect last Feb. 2. The DOTr, however, deferred its full enforcement during the coronavirus pandemic as it was still finalizing protocols for its enforcement.

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