Today, March 18, 2019, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) signed an agreement with Sesame Workshop, the producers of the long-running children's show Sesame Street, to educating children on road safety, Topgear.com.ph reports.
MMDA chairman Gen. Danilo Lim signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with Sesame Workshop Asia Pacific director Will DePippo for a three-year partnership to launch an educational campaign that will teach children about road safety, caring for the environment, and preparing for emergencies with the help of familiar characters, such as Elmo, Cookie Monster, Big Bird, and the rest of the Sesame Street gang.
"It is everybody’s responsibility to teach kids respect for the rules and compassion for the community, and we at the MMDA are proud to be with Sesame Workshop at the frontline of this endeavor,” says Lim said.
The MMDA hopes to instill in young kids road safety lessons they will take with them into adulthood as Sesame Street has done for the past 50 years.
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A few of the activities lined up through the partnership are the creation of a children's exposition (a cross between an educational theme park and experimental museum) that can be taken everywhere, an MMDA children's handbook on road safety, and a family fun run.
The MMDA also plans to put up road safety wall art along major Metro Manila roads. It's similar to the wall art depicting proper road etiquette with Elmo and Cookie Monster already up at MMDA's Children's Road Safety Park, which families can visit for free. (Read our story about the MMDA Road Safety Park here.)
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And speaking of road safety, the mandate to use car safety seats whenever kids below 12 years are riding motor vehicles (Republic Act No. 11229, or the Child Safety in Motor Vehicles Act) drew different reactions.
While many applauded the new law, others lamented the expensive cost of car seats on our social media platforms. Many cited the need for child safety measures in public utility vehicles. Taxis, jeepneys, and buses are currently exempted from the law until further review and recommendation by the Department of Transportation (DOTr).
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOWThe ride-hailing firm Grab, however, expressed their readiness to comply with the law. Lawyer Nicka Hosaka, the public affairs manager of Grab, shared it has been in talks with a third-party supplier of car seats in compliance with international safety standards and the Philippine law.
"We are ready to carry it out...as soon as the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of the law are made available," Atty. Hosaka said in a statement published in Inq.net. "Our cooperation in the implementation of this new law is assured as part of our commitment to provide safer rides and more pleasant Grab experience to our passengers every day," she added.
