By Rizal Obanil
The local government of Mandaluyong passed an ordinance that aims to establish a minimum fare of P20 for tricycles under the quarantine period.
Mandaluyong City Hall (WIKIPEDIA / MANILA BULLETIN)
In a Facebook post on Monday, June 1, the Mandaluyong City Public Information Office said that Ordinance No. 779, S-2020, seeks to establish a minimum fare of P 20 for tricycles during the implementation of “Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine (MECQ), General Community Quarantine(GCQ), Modified General Community Quarantine (MGCQ) or other Community Quarantine as may be imposed by the National Government in the City of Mandaluyong.”
The Sanguniang Panlungsod of Mandaluyong recognizes that although under GCQ, public utility vehicles like tricycles are already allowed to operate, they will be doing so on a limited capacity, specifically one passenger per sidecar because of the requirements to maintain social distancing.
Because of this, the city council believes that the said policy will have “an adverse effect on the income of tricycle drivers and operators.”
Therefore, the city council saw it “imperative to temporarily increase the minimum fare of tricycles during the MECQ, GCQ, MGCQ and other quarantine periods that the national government will implement.
The city government has been conducting mass testing for COVID-19 on tricycle drivers in line with the government’s efforts to prevent the spread of the dreaded disease.