Año says Manila commissioned e-trikes, Pasig allowed tricycles

March 20, 2020

Interior Secretary Eduardo Año on Friday said the rationale in letting  modes of transport to operate is the difference between the Manila's use of e-trikes and Pasig City’s tricycles.

In a press briefing, Año said Manila Mayor Isko Moreno commissioned the e-tricycles in the city to transport their health workers.

“The difference is Manila mayor, the e-trikes were hired or commissioned by Manila on dispatch system for the purpose of bringing health workers to the hospital,” he said.

“They are on dispatch system to pick up the health workers specifically. Not to pick up the passengers and you know, if you allow just one (tricycle), you can’t control it anymore,” he added.

The secretary said he wants the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) to focus on their job in controlling people during the quarantine period instead of checking tricycles around the metro.

Año said tricycles in Metro Manila could be up to 270,000.

“Of 270,000 tricycles, let’s say 100,000 tricycles (will operate), I don’t want the AFP and PNP to check 100,000 tricycles every moment just to check who are the passengers. I’d rather have them focus their efforts on keeping the people stay at home,” he said.

 Manila  allowed 189 e-tricycles to service health workers going to  district hospitals as mass public transportation is suspended during the enhanced community quarantine.

Pasig City allowed tricycle operations to service health workers and patients who might need emergency medical attention.

On Thursday, the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) appealed to Mayor Vico Sotto to stop allowing tricycles to operate after they received reports  health workers or patients were not the only ones allowed to ride.

Año said he also gave official communications to the local government units who are not abiding with government guidelines.

"I cannot name those LGUs but we are already doing official communication with them...," he said.

In a separate briefing, National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) said tricycle drivers who still operate in Pasig City, will be arrested under the government’s order to stop all forms of public mass transportation.

Police Major General Debold Sinas, NCR director, said he had ordered Pasig police chief Colonel Moises Villaceran Jr. to arrest tricycle drivers who will insist on operating.

“I just came from Pasig (City). We saw that (there were) only limited people around and no tricycle drivers and we instructed the chief of police of Pasig to  caution them and if they did not stop, arrest them,” Sinas said.

Sinas added Sotto had agreed to comply with the transport service restrictions for the duration of the enhanced community quarantine. Ella Dionisio/DMS