VP Sara Duterte: Everyone should adhere to traffic rules

Vice President Sara Duterte reminded on Monday, May 5, 2025, that road safety should not only be the responsibility of traffic enforcers, but that everyone needs to adhere to traffic rules. File photo

MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte said that road safety should not only be the responsibility of traffic enforcers, but that everyone must adhere to traffic rules.

In a statement on Monday, in time for Land Transportation Safety Month, Duterte said over 11,000 Filipinos died in 2021 due to road accidents. According to her, most of these casualties are pedestrians, motorists, and tricycle passengers.

The vice president said most of these casualties are aged 15 to 29.

“Ang road safety ay hindi lang trabaho ng traffic enforcers. Tungkulin ito ng bawat isang mamamayan, pribadong sektor, at pamahalaan,” said Duterte.

(Road safety is not only the job of traffic enforcers. It is the job of each individual, the private sector, and the government.)

“Mga kababayan, sumunod tayo sa batas-trapiko. Gamitin ang tamang tawiran. Iwasan ang paggamit ng cellphone habang nagmamaneho o naglalakad. At i-report agad ang mga panganib sa daan. Simpleng disiplina, malaking ambag sa kaligtasan,” she added.

(Let us adhere to traffic rules. Use pedestrian lanes. Avoid using cellphones while driving or walking. Immediately report road accidents. A simple discipline goes a long way to ensure one’s safety.)

Her statement came at the time as authorities were confronted with tragic road accidents in days that included last week’s deadly multi-vehicle collision at the northbound exit toll plaza of the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEx) in Tarlac City, where 10 people were killed and 30 were injured.

READ: 10 dead in SCTEX toll plaza crash 

The private sector, meanwhile, was also reminded by Duterte to train drivers and ensure that vehicles are in proper condition.

“Panatilihing maayos ang mga sasakyan. At seryosohin ang mga polisiya para sa kaligtasan. Hindi lang ang inyong empleyado ang napoprotektahan—pati ang bawat taong nasa kalsada,” said Duterte.

(Ensure that vehicles are in proper condition. Take all policies seriously to ensure everyone’s safety. It’s important to know that employees are protected, as well as people on the road.)

“Tungkulin naman ng gobyerno na panatilihing ligtas ang mga imprastraktura. Mahigpit na ipatupad ang batas trapiko. At palaganapin ang kaalaman tungkol sa road safety,” Duterte said.

(It is the government’s job to make sure that each infrastructure is safe, implement traffic rules, and spread awareness for road safety.)

In May last year, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and its partners developed a framework aimed at reducing road crash fatalities in the National Capital Region by 35 percent by 2028.

READ: MMDA aiming to reduce road crash fatalities by 35 by 2028

The framework, called the Metro Manila Road Safety Action Plan (MMRSAP) 2024-2028, was formed after a three-day stakeholders’ meeting, which was part of the celebration of Philippine Road Safety Month.