THE State recognizes that the right of every establishment to a fair return of investment carries with it a corresponding social responsibility to provide adequate facilities for the comfort of its clientele.”
Such recognition is expressed as part of what is now a national policy adopted through Republic Act No. 11311 that was recently signed by President Rodrigo Duterte.
The policy adopted by the Philippines also provides that with the recognition particularly of land transportation establishments’ social responsibility, the State shall require the provision of free internet services and clean sanitary facilities for clients.
R.A. 11311 or the An Act to Improve Land Transportation Terminals, Stations, Stops, Rest Areas, and Roll-On/Roll-Off Terminals, Appropriating Funds Therefor, and for Other Purposes, is an excellent example of a responsive law – one that serves the interests of the Filipino public by requiring the provision of services that effectively respond to the needs of specific members of that public, which in this case are the land travelers.
While this is a laudable action on the part of the government, particularly of the Philippine Congress, one cannot help what wonder why it has become necessary for the government to require what is supposed to be basic services that should be expected from concerned business establishments.
The provision of clean sanitary facilities, in particular, was not regarded a basic service for concerned establishments because as the absence of the same has been the “norm,” providing such basic service does not have business profit value.
It is sad that the absence of such value made concerned business establishments abandon the basic social responsibility of attending to the sanitary needs particularly of their clients.
The non-provision of internet services may still be acceptable and understandable but not the non-provision of clean sanitary facilities.
It is good that the new law qualifies that such services should be provided without cost to clients. Such qualification underscores the fact that a service as basic as clean sanitary facilities should not be a source of income and profit for business organizations.
Like any other law, the public interest value of R.A. 11311 can only be realized through effective implementation. This is where the basic governance responsibility of the government will come in. We hope that poor or mediocre implementation will not be the norm for this law.
