Manila tweaks truck ban, opens 10am-3pm window

MANILA, Philippines – The city government of Manila conceded to the requests of truckers and exporters on Friday, February 21, to modify its planned daytime truck ban.

From an outright ban of trucks during daytime, Manila will now allow trucks to enter during a 5-hour window, from 10 am to 3 pm.

Philippine Exporters Confederation (PhilExport) president Sergio Ortiz-Luis said the compromise was made after business owners told Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada a daytime window was “very practical because most employees and students have already gone to work and school by this time.”

The city announced early February that it would impose a daytime ban on trucks – only allowing “cargo trucks, gravel and sand trucks, cement mixers and other heavy cargo trucks with 8 wheels and up or whose gross vehicle weights exceed 4,500 kilograms” to enter the city from 9 pm to 5 am, and only through specified routes.

The implementation of the ban, originally set for February 10, was moved following complaints from truck owners and operators.

PhilExport also proposed identifying public parking lots that can be used as parking areas for trucks while they wait for the ban to be lifted.

Truckers and exporters earlier expressed concern that the evening window would be too short, disrupting businesses. The customs bureau even considered changing office hours to accommodate the ban.

The truck ban is the Philippine capital’s latest policy that hopes to improve heavy traffic in the congested city. Earlier, the local government introduced a ban on buses without terminals in the city. The ban was later modified following protests from bus operators and commuters.

Manila Vice Mayor Isko Moreno earlier said the truck ban would not be the last of the city’s new regulatory policies. Public utility vehicles, jeeps, and even tricycles will come next, said Moreno. – Rappler.com