Official Website of Philippine Senator Pia Cayetano

Category: Sustainable Development

  • Pia vows to help fulfill SONA development goals

    Senator Pia S. Cayetano has vowed to carry out the legislative work necessary to fulfill President Rodrigo Duterte’s vision for the country, as outlined in his fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA).

     “The main message is really simple. The President wants a better and more comfortable life for the Filipinos,” she told reporters in an ambush interview after the President addressed the joint session of Congress on Monday.   

    “I look forward to helping him see his dream for our country come true in the next three years,” the returning senator added. 

    Several legislative items mentioned by the Chief Executive in his SONA already have counterparts filed in the Senate by the senator. 

    These include the measures creating a Department of Disaster Resilience (DDR); the National Land Use Policy Act; and the salary hike for public school teachers, which the President wants expanded to cover all government workers, including nurses, by introducing  amendments to the Salary Standardization Law. 

    She described the President’s call to lift six million Filipinos from poverty as his most daunting challenge to members of the House and Senate. 

    “Yun ang talagang pagtutuunan ko ng pansin. From education, to health, to livelihood, sa mga ikagaganda ng buhay ng mga vulnerable, lalo na ‘yung mga senior citizens, may kapansanan, lahat po ‘yun,” she emphasized. 

    In line with these objectives, Cayetano has filed her version of ‘Build, Build, Build’ bills seeking to fast-track infrastructure requirements for public education and health services, respectively. 

    Meanwhile, Cayetano’s proposed Education Roadmap Act seeks to align the skills and competencies of students with the evolving needs of industry to make our graduates globally competitive and job-ready. 

    The senator has also filed the Tulong Puhunan bill to assist the growth of the micro and small enterprises sector, the role of which was also cited in SONA.

    Another measure mentioned by the President that has also been filed by Cayetano is the bill creating a National Academy of Sports for high school students. 

    The pronouncement, she said, reflects the President’s regard for the important role of youth and sports in national development. #

    Senator Pia Cayetano delivers a manifestation on the Senate floor at the opening of the first regular session of the 18th Congress.
    Returning and newly elected senators take their oath during the first session of the Senate.

  • Biking senator files National Bicycle Act

    Senator Pia S. Cayetano is pushing for a law that would officially recognize bicycles as an alternative and sustainable mode of transportation throughout the country.

    A biking and fitness enthusiast, Cayetano has filed the ‘National Bicycle Act of 2019,’ which shall mandate the development of policies, infrastructure, and facilities to properly integrate bicycles as part of the public transportation system.

    “It is time to change our mindset about traffic and find alternative means to move forward from this perennial problem,” Cayetano said of the yet unnumbered bill, which she filed among her second batch of measures for the 18thCongress.   

    The returning senator said cycling not only offers an efficient means of mobility amid the daily traffic gridlock, but is also an affordable, environment-friendly, and healthy alternative to motor vehicles.

    “We should do away with the old thinking that cars are for the rich and bikes are for the poor. Increasingly, we see more people coming to work on two wheels, young and old, from vendors to workers, professionals, and even executives,” the senator observed.

    “Many startups are also switching to using bicycles, like courier and food delivery services. Biking is not just a means of leisure or past time, it has become a way of life for many Filipinos,” she added.   

    Cayetano herself regularly uses a bike to visit and interact more directly with residents in urban communities and to reach far-flung towns and mountain villages in the provinces. She also joins triathlons and bike festivals that highlight local sports and eco-tourism. During the last electoral campaign, cycling groups joined the former Taguig City representative to promote her candidacy and advocacies through her ‘bicycle-cades.’  

    The senator admitted that the major downside remains safety. “News and social media posts regularly report about bikers being sideswiped or ran over by undisciplined drivers of motor vehicles. And so this is one reason why we need to enact a national policy to ensure the protection of bikers,” she stressed.         

    Under her bill, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), in coordination with local government units shall take the lead in designating bicycle lanes, which shall serve as exclusive passage for cyclists. Motor vehicles will be prohibited from being driven or parked on any bike lane. 

    The bike lanes shall be separated by a physical barrier, whenever possible, and shall be clearly identified with signs or pavement markings. In cases where installation of a physical barrier is not feasible, the lane for bicycles shall be identified through reflectorized painted lines.

    Bike promotion measures also include improvements on sidewalks, traffic calming and speed reduction, pedestrian and bicycle crossing, traffic signages covering bicycles, off-street pedestrian and bicycle facilities, and traffic diversion, among others.

    Cayetano’s bill mandates all public places, government offices, schools, major business establishments, including malls, banks, restaurants, hospitals, and the like, to provide adequate racks for bike parking and other infrastructure as far as practicable.

    Meanwhile, the private sector will be encouraged to develop counterpart infrastructure, facilities and programs to help promote biking. 

    Aside from the Bicycle Act, Cayetano has also filed complementary measures, namely the Sustainable Transportation Act (SBN 65) and the Sustainable Cities and Communities Act (SBN 66).  #

    Senator Pia Cayetano pedals at the three-meter-wide protected bike lane, which stretches throughout the Laguna Lake Highway (C6 Highway) from Taguig City going to Pasig City.

  • Pia pushes for sustainable cities, transportation

    A green, bikeable, and walkable Metro Manila? It can be done!

    Senator Pia S. Cayetano is pushing for two measures that she hopes would augur the transformation of Metro Manila and other urban centers in the country into sustainable cities and communities. 


    Cayetano’s Senate Bill No.65, the ‘Sustainable Cities and Communities Act,’ envisions urban centers and human settlements that are ‘inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable,’ in line with the country’s commitments under Goal 11 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).  

    The bill tasks local governments to ensure public access to social services, preferential use of renewable resources, efficient waste management systems, as well as reliable mass transport, among others.

    Under the measure, the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) shall set targets based on key indicators to determine whether a city or community has fully transitioned into a sustainable city or community.

    The NEDA indicators shall measure how local governments units (LGUs) are managing urban population living in slums, public transportation access, sustainable urbanization rate (ratio of land utilization to population growth rate), and urban planning. 

    The targets would also factor in the performance of local governments with respect to cultural heritage protection, disaster preparedness, pollution control, and solid waste management. 

    The bill assigns the Department of interior and Local Government to provide technical assistance to LGUs, while NEDA would come up with an incentive system for local governments that are able to meet their sustainable development targets.

    On the other hand, Cayetano’s Senate Bill No.66, or the ‘Sustainable Transportation Act,’ seeks to promote mobility options to serve the people’s changing needs, such as walking, biking, and efficient mass transportation. 

    The bill pushes for sustainable and alternative modes of transport, not just to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but also to cut time and travel costs, and to promote an active lifestyle among citizens. 

    It mandates the Department of Transportation (DOTr) to come up with a Sustainable Transport Action Plan that shall lay down the roadmap for national and local transportation systems to be adhered to in all levels throughout the country. 

    Some highlights of the Sustainable Transport Action Plan are as follows: 

    -Installation of walkways;

    – Designation of bike lanes and provision of bike racks and parking spaces;

    -Public transportation as primary mobility option to the general public;

    – Establishment of a ferry system; 

    – Commissioning of a bus rapid transit system; and

    – Travel demand management programs (which includes promotion of car pooling and telecommuting programs). 

    Known as a biker and fitness enthusiast, Cayetano said it is high time to revisit our way of thinking and lifestyle in order to safeguard people’s health and the environment. 

    She cited the successful rehabilitation of Boracay and current efforts to clean up urban sidewalks, waterways, and public places of obstructions by newly elected mayors of Metro Manila as encouraging signs that urban renewal is possible.

    “We need political will at the local level to enforce laws and ordinances to put our cities in order, but it’s also the task of government to set an overall vision to achieve sustainable cities and communities. And so we hope to provide that vision with these two measures,” Cayetano concluded. #

    Senator Pia S. Cayetano at the bike lane along Laguna Lake Highway (C6) in Taguig City: It’s the task of government to set an overall vision to achieve sustainable development.