ILOILO – The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) is urging local chief executives (LCEs) of 42 towns and the component city of Passi in this province to ban tricycles, pedicabs and motorized pedicabs on national highways.
This call from DILG-Iloilo Provincial Director, Engr. Carmelo F. Orbista, came after the issuance of Memorandum Circular (MC) No. 195 by Undersecretary Marlo L. Iringan, OIC-DILG, on Dec. 6, 2013, titled “Reinforcement of the Prohibition on Tricycles, Pedicabs, and Motorized Pedicabs on National Highways”.
The memorandum targets provincial governors, city mayors, municipal mayors, and barangay captains.
“Our LGUs must reiterate the ban on tricycles on national highways. It’s high time we address this issue and find solutions to regulate tricycle traffic on these roads,” Orbista told Panay News.
He observed that many tricycles and pedicabs not only use the outer lanes but sometimes even venture into the inner lanes of national highways, risking both drivers’ and passengers’ lives.
“As evident on our national roads, tricycles frequently occupy the middle of the road,” Orbista added.
DILG Central Office’s memorandum reaffirms a long-standing campaign to keep tricycles and pedicabs off national highways. This initiative, part of the road clearing program, began before the COVID-19 pandemic but lost focus with the pandemic’s onset and was not revisited afterward.
Orbista stated that ideally, every LGU should have a Tricycle Route Plan to regulate tricycles on national roads, allowing them to use only the sides of the highways unless no alternative routes are available.
Starting this week, the DILG plans to conduct an inventory of LGUs with existing policies on the tricycle ban and those with national highways within their jurisdiction.
LGUs lacking such policies or route plans will receive assistance from the DILG in developing them.
Orbista said every LGU must implement the ban pending the inventory’s results, emphasizing that LGUs have the responsibility to enforce this policy since they are authorized to issue tricycle franchises.
Meanwhile, Ramon Sullano, Philippine Councilors League – Iloilo chapter president and ex-officio Provincial Board member, noted that LGUs face challenges in creating route plans due to potential impacts on livelihoods.
“Tricycles are a significant source of income for our constituents. Removing their livelihood demands a viable alternative,” Sullano said during an interview with Aksyon Radyo Iloilo.
Sullano highlighted the dilemma of formulating route plans and the leniency shown by agencies like the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) and the Department of Transportation (DOTr) towards drivers for humanitarian reasons.
“Since assuming chairmanship at the Sangguniang Panlungsod, I have yet to receive any route plan,” he added, urging tricycle drivers to exercise caution and comply with traffic regulations.
Sullano plans to collaborate with the LTFRB, the Land Transportation Office, and tricycle associations to educate drivers on traffic rules and regulations.
The MC emphasizes the significant role of tricycles, pedicabs, and motorized pedicabs in providing accessible transportation and livelihoods. However, it also points to concerns over their operation on national highways and related accidents.
In 2022, Metro Manila alone reported 2,829 road accidents involving bikes/e-bikes/pedicabs and 2,241 involving tricycles./PN
