The President has recently signed into law Republic Act No. 8750,
 otherwise known as the  Seat Belts Use Act of 1999.

 The following are the salient provisions of the law that 
 are relevant to us:

1)  the driver and the front and back seat passengers of private vehicles, except jeeps, jeepneys,   vans buses and such other private vehicles as may later be determined by the LTO, are required
to use their set belt devices while inside a "vehicle of running engine" (i.e., operating and standing)

on any road or thoroughfare (note: by definition of the law, the term "private vehicles"    includes government-owned and diplomatic  vehicles);

2)  the same requirement is imposed on the driver and front seat passengers of  public motor vehicles (except that in the case of public utility buses,  school services and such other special service vehicles as may later be determined by LTO, the requirement also applies to passengers at the first row immediately behind the driver);

3)  operational motor vehicles, both public and private, which are not equipped with the required seat belts, are given one (1) year from the  issuance of the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) by the LTO,  to retrofit appropriate  seat belt devices in their vehicles (note the LTO is presently working on the IRR);

4)  infants and/or children  with ages 6 years and below are prohibited to sit in the front seat of any running motor vehicle; if the LTO deems it necessary, it may require in the IRR the use of special  car seats for  infants;

5)  no new motor vehicle will be allowed registration and succeeding renewal of registration unless it is equipped with seat belt devices; renewal of regisration of in-use vehicles without the     necessary seat belt devices will not be allowed one (1) year from the effectivity of the law; and

6)  the penalties to be provided in the IRR are: for drivers of private motor vehicles (for failure to wear the seat belt or to require his passenger to wear it), a fine of from  Ps 100 to Ps 5,000 (depen-ding on the  number of violations) and a one-week  suspension of driver's license for the third vio-lation; for drivers and operators  of public motorvehicles, a fine of Ps  300 to Ps 3,000  for  every violation.

      While the law takes effect on Sept. 1, 1999,  it is believed that mandatory  enforcement of the use of seat belt devices begins upon promulgation and taking effect of the IRR. The penalties will begin to be imposed 6 months  thereafter.