EDITORIAL - Comfort rooms

Basic sanitation should not need legislation. Still, it should help that President Duterte has enacted into law Republic Act 11311. Signed on April 17 and released on June 19, RA 11311 requires public access to clean toilets in all transportation terminals, stations, stops, rest areas and roll-on-roll-off terminals.

The law requires such toilets to have separate rooms for males, females as well as senior citizens and persons with disabilities. The facilities must have adequate lighting, ventilation, safe running water, soap, mirror and hand dryer. Toilet seats must have covers and a working flush, with the cubicles having door locks and supplied with tissue paper and garbage bins.

RA 11311 also requires the public transportation facilities to provide diaper-changing and breastfeeding areas as well as wi-fi access where internet service is available.

All these facilities must be provided for free to the public. Fees may be collected only for special lavatories with upgraded facilities, amenities and services. Transport operators will be fined P5,000 for every day of failure to comply with the requirements, with a separate fine of P5,000 daily for failure to provide a lactation area, and another P5,000 for unauthorized collection of fees.

The public is encouraged to report violators to transportation agencies. The law is best enforced, however, if complemented by changes in the way people use public toilets. Often, tissue paper runs out quickly because people use too much, with some individuals even taking with them entire rolls. There are still people who squat with their feet on the toilet seat, and then refuse to clean up their mess.

The country cannot compete with the quality of public lavatories in Japan, the world leader in toilet comfort, with heated toilet seats, integrated bidet, paper liners for the seats, automatic flush, alcohol dispensers in the cubicles and even built-in sound effects to mask the sounds of relieving oneself.

But complying with the detailed requirements in the new law is a significant step in turning public toilets across the Philippines into rooms that truly provide comfort. This new law must be fully enforced.