The interior and local government department said tricycles and pedicabs cannot use national highways in areas under general community quarantine (GCQ) and modified GCQ.
Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) said: “Nililinaw po ng DILG na bawal pa rin ang tricycles at pedicabs sa national highways kahit pa nasa GCQ o MGCQ level na ang ilang lokalidad (The DILG is clarifying that tricycles at pedicabs are still banned from national highways even if some areas are already under GCQ o MGCQ).”
“Bago pa man magsimula ang pandemya ng Covid-19 ay ipinagbabawal na ito ng batas para na rin sa kaligtasan ng publiko (Even before the Covid-19 pandemic, this has already been prohibited by the law for public safety).”
He said only the “Road Clearing Operation 2.0” program was suspended and the law still banned tricycles and pedicabs on national highways, which could not be suspended by the DILG.
Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said local government units should administer the operation of tricycles and pedicabs in secondary roads following the directive of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-MEID) to impose the “one-passenger, no-back ride rule.”
The DILG reminded drivers to wear face masks or face shields and gloves. (Jojo Mangahis)