Philippines’ Marcos Jnr urges delay in ban on light vehicles: ‘we need more time’

“We need more time for the widespread dissemination of information on this ban,” Marcos Jnr said in a statement on Thursday, three days after the ban went into effect.

His announcement has been met with appreciation from commuter advocacy groups who hoped it would lead to a reconsideration of the ban, which they consider to be unfairly biased towards car owners.

In February, the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) – a government agency under the Office of the President overseeing transport and road safety across the capital region – issued a resolution banning small electric vehicles such as e-bicycles and e-tricycles on nearly 20 national roads and highways in Metro Manila.

This sparked anger from members of the public, including from commuter groups and alternative transport advocates.

Community-led cycling groups such as the Make It Safer movement led a protest on April 10 at the human rights commission in Quezon City, days before the ban was to be implemented.

The president said he has instructed the MMDA to provide some leeway to the affected vehicles travelling along the roads identified in the resolution.

“Under the grace period, no tickets, fines, or impounding of [e-tricycles] will be issued. If they will be flagged, this is so our authorities can properly educate them on the roads they can use, and remind them of the new rules to reinforce safety and order on our roads,” he said.

The president did not specify a time frame for the grace period.

Ira Cruz, director of Alt Mobility PH, an advocacy group for pedestrian and commuter rights, told This Week in Asia that the group welcomed the president’s decision to delay the ban.

“We would like to see it as an indication that the president listens to public sentiment. We