Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso —MARIANNE BERMUDEZ
MANILA, Philippines – E-tricycles may soon be phased out in the capital city, as Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso promised to ban them from the roads despite the national government’s thrust to shift to environment-friendly vehicles.
Although Domagoso had yet to issue a formal directive banning e-trikes, Manila traffic enforcers started apprehending their drivers on Thursday.
The ban seems to be rooted in the mayor’s desire to rid the roads of e-bikes, which are unregulated and currently considered as “toys” by the Department of Transportation.
E-trikes, on the other hand, should be registered with the Land Transportation Office and regulated by the local government’s tricycle regulatory offices (TRO).
Domagoso said the e-bikes and e-trikes that plied Manila’s roads were unregistered and unregulated with no fixed routes, resulting in chaos.
Joseph (not his real name), an e-trike driver, said the vehicles were awarded to them by then Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada last year.
The drivers reported to both the Manila Traffic and Parking Bureau and the city’s TRO, and were asked to pay P150 that went straight to the city’s coffers. They were never formally issued a franchise, Joseph admitted.
Should Domagoso follow through with his threat, around 300 e-trikes could be put out of business, said Julius Leonen, city public information officer.
Joseph expressed hope that the city government would arrive at a resolution “at the soonest possible time so we can go back to earning a living.”