SAFETY AMONG REASONS FOR NEW REGULATION
The prohibition was implemented following an information and awareness campaign.
MMDA chairman Don Artes in a Monday press conference said violators will only be given a verbal warning for the first two days of implementation. A ticket will be issued from Wednesday onwards.
Several transport groups had earlier urged the authority to reconsider the ban, which they said was anti-poor.
Advocates have also called on the government to prioritise greener options and offer tax incentives to light e-vehicle owners, as urban heat intensifies in the Philippines.
The Philippines, through its Electric Vehicle Industry Act which lapsed into law on Apr 15, 2022, had committed to “provide an enabling environment for the development of electric vehicles including options for micromobility”. Part of the aim is also to ensure the country’s energy security by reducing imported fuel dependency in the transport sector.
Mr Artes had said that the main consideration in passing the resolution was ensuring the safety of all motorists, and not just of e-vehicle users.
“Due to the proliferation of e-vehicles, the MMC deemed it imperative to regulate and penalise those who will traverse the national roads using such means of transportation,” he stressed.
“We are not totally banning the use of e-vehicles. We just want to regulate it, since it has been a common cause of traffic and road crash incidents.”
Last year, the MMDA registered 554 road crash incidents linked to e-vehicles.
Yet, advocates pointed out the lack of disaggregated data when it comes to such road crashes, and questioned whether e-vehicles were indeed at fault during these incidents.
“They failed to narrate as well that the majority of road crashes in Metro Manila are caused by motor vehicles,” said Mr Ladyong.
“Only around 2 per cent of the road crashes (involved light e-vehicles).”
Source: CNA
