Manila Mayor Honey Lacuna-Pangan signed into law on Monday, May 13, Ordinance No. 9047 or “Move Manila Car-Free Sundays By The Bay.”

Under the ordinance, both lanes of Roxas Boulevard from Padre Burgos Street to Quirino Avenue in Manila will be closed to traffic and declared "Car-free" from 5 a.m. to 9 a.m.  every Sunday starting May 26.

Move Manila program promotes health and wellness and a pollution-free fitness routine in the city.

The mayor signed the ordinance a day after inspecting the said stretch in the presence of city officials who will be involved in the direct implementation of the measure authored by Councilor Philip Lacuna.

The ordinance, according to Councilor Lacuna,  was based, on Section 21 (a) of the Local Government Code of 1991, which states that "a local government unit may, pursuant to an ordinance, permanently or temporarily close or open any local road, alley, park, or square falling within its jurisdiction."

Councilor Lacuna-Pangan stressed that Manileños will gain several benefits from the program such as increased physical activity, reduced air pollution exposure, improved mental well-being, lowered risk of chronic diseases and enhanced community engagement.

"The Move Manila Program encourages Filipinos to move more and engage in age and health appropriate regular exercises, which align with and implement the Philippine National Guidelines on Physical Activity published in 2010 by the Department of Health (DOH). It promotes mental well-being as provided in the Mental Health Act (Republic Act 11036)," he said.

The councilor also noted that the re-routing of traffic flow on affected areas during the time of closure was carefully planned and managed by the appropriate agencies to ensure the commuters of continued timely travel and efficient delivery of goods and services without delay.