DAVAO CITY – Authorities impounded 16 e-tricycles and apprehended 25 motorists during a back-to-back traffic enforcement operation in Davao City on Tuesday, Sept. 16, underscoring the city government’s campaign against unsafe and unregulated vehicles on public roads.

Personnel of the Davao City Police Office Traffic Enforcement Unit, under the supervision of Police Lt. Col. Christian Antonio Garcia, conducted a special operation targeting e-bikes and e-tricycles illegally traversing national highways and major city streets.

The operation confiscated 16 e-tricycles found violating Section 92 of the Davao City Traffic Ordinance, which bans such vehicles, including e-bikes, along national highways and major city streets. 

Police Executive Master Sgt. Roey Ociones, operations team leader, noted that using these vehicles on high-speed roads poses a serious hazard and increases the risk of road crashes, as e-bikes and e-tricycles are not built to withstand fast-moving traffic. 

These drivers’ practice also contravenes the Land Transportation and Traffic Code (Republic Act 4136), a pivotal law in the country regulating land transportation, vehicle registration, and traffic management, restricting road access to registered vehicles meeting safety standards.

In a separate operation conducted the same morning, TEU personnel apprehended 25 motorists for traffic violations. Offenses included non-compliance with RA 10054 or the Helmet Law and violations of RA 4136 and Davao City Ordinance 0334-12.

Police issued 25 citation tickets that were submitted to the Davao City Transport and Traffic Management Office for proper disposition. The one-hour operation ended at 10:30 a.m. without any untoward incidents.

Garcia said that these operations carried out under “Oplan: Kalsada” highlight the importance of strict adherence to traffic laws and local ordinances to ensure public safety and prevent accidents.