Senator Sonny Angara
MANILA -- More than 30 million students are expected to benefit from the recently-signed law seeking to institutionalize the discount on student fare, Senator Sonny Angara said on Monday.
Angara said the mandatory 20-percent student fare discount covers all forms of public transportation on land, air, water and rail all year round, including weekends and holidays.
“Noon pa man, nais na natin mabigyan ng pribiliheyong ito ang ating mga estudyante dahil ang pamasahe ang isa sa pinakamalaking gastusin para sa kanila (Even before, we have already wanted to give this kind of privilege to our students because fares have been one of their major expenses),” Angara said.
“Araw-araw ay bumibyahe ang mahigit sa 30 milyon na estudyante mula sa elementarya hanggang sa kolehiyo kaya napakalaking bagay ang pagpasa ng batas na ito para sa kanila at sa mga pamilya nila (Around 30 million students from elementary to high school travel to school everyday and this law would greatly benefit them and their families),” Angara added.
Under Republic Act 11314, Filipino students -- from elementary to college, as well as those enrolled in technical-vocation schools --would be entitled to a 20-percent discount on buses, jeepneys, taxis, tricycles, transport network vehicle services or TNVS, MRT, LRT, passenger trains, aircraft, and marine vessels upon presentation of their duly issued school ID or current validated enrollment forms.
“All the student has to do is to present a valid school ID or his or her current validated enrollment forms to avail of the fare discount. So now students will enjoy the same privilege granted to our senior citizens and persons with disabilities,” he said.
“This is a year-round benefit that students can avail so they can have discounted fares whenever they want to go home to their families, even during holidays, he added.
Excluded from coverage of the law are individuals enrolled in dancing or driving schools, short-term courses of seminar-type and post-graduate studies such as those taking up medicine, law, masters and doctorate degrees, the senator further noted.
Duterte signed the “Student Fare Discount Act” on April 17 but was released only to the media on Monday. (PNA)
