MANILA -- The House of Representatives has adopted a resolution calling for the construction and hygienic maintenance of public toilets within the eastern and western nautical highways in the country.
According to a statement issued Friday, the lower chamber adopted House Resolution 1418 urging the Department of Tourism (DOT), through the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA), to allocate funds for the purpose.
Malabon City Rep. Federico Sandoval II, the principal author of the resolution, said the construction and maintenance of hygienic public restrooms are an important public health service and a basic necessity for travelers.
"The construction of clean and accessible public restroom facilities helps to promote tourism and safe travel for all, regardless of economic status or purpose of travel," Sandoval added.
The resolution said the House of Representatives conducted an 11-day inspection trip by land and sea travel using the Road Roll-on/Roll-off Terminal System (RRTS) to observe the state of the main arteries, tourism infrastructure, and public transport system along the western and eastern nautical highways of the country.
Among the places inspected include the Western Nautical Highway that consists of Batangas City, Oriental Mindoro, Western Visayas, Negros Islands Region, and Dipolog City, as well as the Eastern Nautical Highway that consists of Surigao del Norte, Dinagat Islands, Southern Leyte, Leyte Province, Samar, Masbate, and Sorsogon.
The House Inspection Team noted the unavailability of clean public restrooms in passenger terminals. (PNA)
