Several pedestrian walkways in Metro Manila are currently littered with illegal vendors and petty criminals, are poorly lighted and in various stages of deterioration. Pancho wants to improve this decrepit state of pedestrian overpasses through House Bill 5035, which seeks to ensure that users of public structures such as walkways are  provided with a safe,  well-lighted, clean and sheltered environment.

 “Currently, there is no national legislation to address this important concern.  House Bill 5035 seeks to address this need and help guarantee that our pedestrians will not only become safe from vehicular traffic and other hazards to improve the general quality of life of our citizens,” said Pancho, an active member of the National Unity Party (NUP).

He said pedestrian overpasses are often rendered useless because many people avoid it due to their congested and deteriorated state.

“More critically, the quality and efficiency of the existing infrastructure must be examined because infrastructure’s actual contribution to economic development is through improvement in the quality of life and its positive effects on private sector output and productivity,” Pancho stated in his proposal.

Pancho, a neophyte lawmaker,  said efforts of the State to protect public health and safety, particularly of pedestrians, should always be integrated in the policies and plans of the national and local governments.

Under Pancho’s measure, all existing pedestrian overpasses shall be modified and rehabilitated according to the requirements of the proposed law.

These requirements include ensuring sufficient lighting with the average light intensity at floor level pegged at no less than 200 LUX.

Moreover, every pedestrian overpass should  be shaded, have stairways designed to ensure that pedestrians would be secured against displacement by wind forces, rain and exposure to heat of the sun, Pancho said.

HB 5035 also provides the inclusion of railways and other safety features like appropriate signage, visibility, angle of inclination of stairways, and barriers in the design of all pedestrian overpasses.