By Chito Chavez
Tricycle drivers and passengers in Quezon City will now feel more secured after Mayor Herbert Bautista signed an ordinance that grants personal accident insurance for tricycles.
(Camille Ante | Manila Bulletin File Photo)
According to Quezon City Vice-Mayor Joy Belmonte, presiding officer of the Quezon City Council, Ordinance No. 2768 is the product of the city's concern for tricycle drivers since numerous families in the city depend on tricycles as a livelihood and also as a practical mode of transportation.
"Tricycles are used for short-distance travels, but we cannot disregard the fact that these vehicles get into accidents as well,’’ Belmonte said.
The signing of the ordinance was prompted by the thought that ordinary workers and hand to mouth individuals patronize tricycles making it difficult for them to shoulder any medical expenses in case of accidents.
“Now that we have an ordinance for this, the city government can help fund the insurance for our tricycle drivers including their passengers," she added.
If a tricycle driver or a passenger gets into an accident, the said insurance will provide a minimum of P7,500 to P50,000 to the victims depending on the severity of the damage suffered such as death, disablement, limb amputations, loss of sight, hearing, and speech; including the loss of thumb or the index finger.
According to the ordinance, the city government will subsidize 50 percent of the total amount of the insurance program for its first-year implementation while the other 50 percent will be shouldered by the tricycle operators.
"We are the first to implement this kind of ordinance, alongside our Road Safety Code which we have passed in early 2018, because we are concerned primarily with the safety of our people," said the vice mayor.
The city has allocated P20 million for the seed fund of the said program.
Belmonte reminded operators that those who will violate the ordinance will be penalized with the suspension of their permit to operate or the cancellation of their Certificate of Public Convenience.