By Perfecto T. Raymundo, Jr.
MANILA – Nominees of the BTS Bayaning Tsuper Partylist running in the May 12, 2025 national and local elections (NLE) on Friday (Jan. 31) said that as a representative of the underprivileged and marginalized sector of the Philippine society, they will push for the “iconic road safety” once they are elected in the 20th Congress.
During the Relaunching of Balitaan sa Tinapayan #Halalalan hosted by NPC Director Benedict Abaygar, Jr. and Radyo Pilipinas reporter Lorenz Tanjoco, BTS Bayaning Tsuper Partylist First Nominee Atty. Alex Abaton, a transport leader, said that Boses ng Transport Sector was the precursor of BTS Bayaning Tsuper Partylist.
According to Abaton, it is their advocacy of “from womb to tomb” and their primary advocacy is the safety of the road users nationwide.
Almost 2,000 youth, mostly teenagers were victims of road-related accidents in 2023 such that almost 40 individuals die every day because of road accidents brought about by the worsening road situation in the country.
“Basically, this is what we are going to focus on, specifically the short term and long-term sustainable road safety program,” Abaton said.
Abaton was a former Regional Director of LTO in Region 9 and Spokesperson of LTO during the time of Chairperson Teofilo Guadiz.
“Our advocacy is road safety, which is an iconic advocacy that we would like to push in Congress such as the legalization of single motorcycle taxi, which in layman’s term is called ‘habal-habal’,” Abaton said.
However, Abaton said, as of 2025 there is still no legislative measure that legalizes or regulates single motorcycle taxi, which is very much needed in the mountainuous areas.
Despite the huge number of single motorcycle taxis, traffic has even become worse.
Abaton stressed that it’s about time there should be a law regulating the single motorcycle taxis.
He cited the case of a recent road accident in Marilaque Highway which resulted in the death of a motorcycle rider and the injury to another wherein the fatality even had no driver’s license.
“I for one, I am very very confident that we can do that,” Abaton said, adding that he has been a regional director of the LTO and Spokesperson of LTO before.
“We have to make a sensible legislation that would eventually benefit the public. It’s about time that we elect a partylist or an individual in Congress that knows the laws of the land,” he said.
“In Republic Act No. 8794, there is a special provision that 7.5% of the collection will be utilized solely and exclusively for road safety, which was amended wherein all the money collected will go to the national government,” Abaton said.
“Republic Act No. 11239 is the law that abolished the Road Safety Board,” he added.
“If our children go out of the home, so to speak, and the parents felt uneasy, something may have happened to their children,” Abaton said.
Thailand has Department of Road Safety, Vietnam has its own Road Safety Agency, but the Philippines does not have its own Road Safety Agency.
“BTS will see to it that those responsible for road safety violations will be held accountable,” Abaton said.
The predicate of the road safety action of the United Nations such that there should be a reduction of 50 % in road accidents worldwide so much so that by 2030, all the member countries of the UN such as the Philippines should have reduced by 50% the road accidents nationwide.
The UN has a ten-year plan on road safety, why there is the Road Safety Action of the LTO for 2020-2028? Why not align it with the UN’s Road Safety Action Plan.
When Abaton was with the LTO, they had the five pillars society such as road safety, law enforcement, legislation, community relations.
Republic Act No. 4136 on Radio Station Vehicle was enacted in 1964 where most of its provisions are not anymore relevant or outdated with the modern technology.
The Road Safety Action Plan started in 2020, and the there was a significant reduction of from 1.5 million down to 1.4 million or a hundred reduction on road accidents in so far as the UN is concerned.
Abaton explained that the acquisition of a vehicle car plate starts with the OVR (Original Vehicle Registration).
“The public should know the real score. The power resides on the people and let the people decide on it,” Abaton said, referring to the alleged “vested interest” when it comes to the “troublesome” acquisition of vehicle car plates for the longest time.
They proposed an amendment in a provision of RA No. 4136, but nothing happened to it.
Abaton cited that Joy Ride, Move It and Angkas are still in the “experimental stage”, and yet another five hailing apps were accredited by the LTO.
He noted though that there is still no law against road rage, adding that, the BTS Bayaning Tsuper Partylist would push for the passage of laws that would redound to the safety, welfare and well-being of the general public.
BTS Bayaning Tsuper Partylist Third Nominee Jovit Moya, a character actor and a former Police Captain, said that they have an advocacy and change is expected in the May 12, 2025 midterm elections.
Moya noted that there is a ‘zero” budget for Road Safety such that it’s very seldom that one can see that the road safety is aligned with international standards.
He said that there’s no budget in so far as the road safety is concerned, adding that, there’s really a big number of fatalities when it comes to road accidents.
The former police officer suggested that education on road safety should be included in the school curriculum of elementary students, saying that the law on road safety should be codified to be more effective.
“Let’s have one policy, one system that can help modernization,” Moya said.
He lamented that Filipinos are envious so much so that they seem not to like others to become well off.
“Congress is a collegial body. You cannot do it alone,” Moya said, adding that there could never be a Congressman who would want anybody to be a victim of road accident.
“You have to win everyone. Nobody would go against anything that is detrimental to anyone,” he said.
“Every human life is important and that’s what we are fighting for,” Moya said.
He cited that Uber, Grab, which are famous Transport Network Vehicle System (TNVS) in other countries, are paying for social protection for the retirement of drivers.
“We should stop slavery. Many minds can make a good plan. No need to invent a new one when there is a model that save lives. The need of the many outweighs the need of only one,” Moya said.
He scored the alleged “vested interest” on the acquisition of vehicle car plates such that there was already the budget or money for such an acquisition, but there seems to be a “run-around” in the process.
“If you believe in what we are saying, If you believe that we are agents of change, then you have to vote us (BTS),” Moya stressed.
“People should be reminded that if a nominee of a Partylist is elected into office, he becomes a Congressman, and therefore he could talk about and deliberate on issues and concerns that affect the society,” he said.
Moya stressed that there should be a nationwide minimum wage for private workers, noting that, the cost of living in the rural areas and urban areas of the country does not differ from each other.