Muntinlupa Mayor Ruffy Biazon said the Land Transportation Office (LTO) did not hold any consultation when it announced that e-bikes and e-trikes would be banned from plying major roads. 

E-trikes in Muntinlupa in a 2018 photo (Photo from Mayor Biazon's Facebook account)

The LTO earlier announced that starting Dec. 1, e-bikes and e-trikes plying national highways will be impounded. It later deferred the implementation to Jan. 2. 

“Napag alaman natin noong November 27, 2025 ang pahayag ng LTO na ipapagbawal ang paggamit ng e-trikes sa mga pangunahing lansangan simula ng December 1, 2025. Ito ay naging pahayag ng LTO bilang tugon sa mga pag tulak ng mga senador sa issue habang tinatalakay ang budget ng LTO sa Senado (On November 27, 2025, we learned of the LTO's announcement that the use of e-trikes will be banned on major roads starting December 1, 2025. This was the LTO's statement in response to senators' pushback on the issue while discussing the LTO budget in the Senate),” Biazon posted on Facebook. 

He added, “Bilang Local Chief Executive, ako ay nabigla sa pahayag dahil wala naman naunang pasabi o notice sa bagong patakaran. Dahil hindi nagkaron ng notice at consultation, hindi malinaw ang mga detalye ng implementation ng nasabing bagong policy (As the Local Chief Executive, I was shocked by the announcement because there was no prior notice or notice of the new policy. Since there was no notice and consultation, the details of the implementation of the said new policy are unclear).” 

He clarified that he is also concerned with accidents caused by the proliferation of e-trikes on roads in addition to users who have no knowledge of road rules and regulations and methods of safe road use.

“Ang kakulangan sa kaalaman ng traffic and driving rules ay nagdudulot din ng pagbigat ng trapiko sa lungsod (Lack of knowledge of traffic and driving rules also contributes to traffic congestion in the city),” he said. 

Biazon said on March 25 last year, the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA), based on a decision by Metro Manila mayors, issued Memorandum Circular No. 04, "Prohibiting Certain Types of Transportation and Other Forms of Conveyances from Traversing National Roads, Circumferential Roads and Radial Roads in Metro Manila." 

The National Road in Muntinlupa is not included in the MMDA regulation. 

But the mayor said he mentioned to the Muntinlupa City Council about having an ordinance on the use of e-trikes in Muntinlupa. 

“Pinag-aaralan natin yan ng mabuti. Darating din tayo diyan, pero titiyakin natin na may proseso ng consultation at pagpasa ng ordinansa at IRR. (We are studying it carefully. We will get there too, but we will ensure that there is a consultation process and the passage of the ordinance and IRR),” he said. 

If LTO pushed through with the implementation of the ban on e-trikes and e-bikes on national roads, Biazon said Muntinlupa was not ready. 

“Kailangan muna malaman ng ating MTMB [Muntinlupa Traffic Management Bureau] ang detalye ng implementation (Our MTMB needs to know the details of the implementation first),” he said. 

But if LTO operatives implement it, that is within its powers. 

Biazon said it seemed that LTO was forced to give a commitment to implement the policy due to pressure during the budget hearing in the Senate. 

“On a side note, sa aking opinyon, mukang napilitan lang ang LTO na magbigay ng commitment na ipatupad ang policy sa December 1 dahil sa pressure nung nakasalang sila sa budget hearing ng Senado noon. Sa mga ganyan na policy na malaki ang epekto sa grassroots, hindi dapat pabigla-bigla ang policymaking (On a side note, in my opinion, it seems like the LTO was forced to give a commitment to implement the policy on December 1 because of the pressure they put on the Senate budget hearing. With such policies that have a big impact on the grassroots, policymaking should not be rushed),” said Biazon.