MANILA, Philippines — Manila City’s e-tricycles were allowed to operate due to its dispatch system that is solely for servicing health workers, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) explained Friday.

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DILG Secretary Eduardo Año said this is different from letting tricycles operate on their own, which defeats the purpose of limiting the public’s movements, as would have been the case in Pasig City.

“The difference kay mayor ng Manila, yung e-trike, e-vehicles ay hindi pumapasada. Ito ay hinire o cinommission ng Manila on dispatch system for the purpose of bringing health workers to the hospital,” Año said in a press briefing.

(The difference of the Manila mayor is that the e-tricycles, e-vehicles are not operating on their own. They were hired or commissioned by the Manila government on a dispatch system for the purpose of bringing health workers to the hospital.)

Manila’s local government said it will allow 189 e-tricycle to service health workers going to public hospitals while there is a suspension of public transport operations due to the enhanced community quarantine.

The said e-tricycles will be assigned to the city’s district hospitals, Gat Andres Bonifacio Memorial Medical Center, Ospital ng Tondo, Justice Jose Abad Santos General Hospital, Ospital ng Sampaloc, Ospital ng Maynila, and Sta. Ana Hospital, only to service frontliners or medical personnel.

“They are on dispatch system to pick up the health workers specifically. Hindi yung pumipick up ka ng pasahero at alam mo naman, pag pinayagan mo mamasada kahit konti lang yan, you can’t control it anymore,” Año said.

(They are on dispatch system to pick up the health workers specifically. They don’t pick up other passengers. And you know that when you allow them to operate, even if it’s just a small number, you can’t control it anymore.)

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

This move, however, was thumbed down by DILG since the general public might take the tricycles to go to their places of destination.

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Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto said they would heed to the guidelines and that he is only giving the national government an idea of what they observe on the ground.

Año said he would not want the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) to focus on checking tricycles around the metro, which he said could be up to 270,000 in number.

“Of 270,000 tricycles, sabihin natin 100,000 tricycles, I don’t want the AFP and PNP to check 100,000 tricycles every moment just to check kung sino ‘yung sakay. I’d rather have them focus their efforts on keeping the people stay at home,” Año said.

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

EDV

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