Bicol Saro Party-list Rep. Terry Ridon has thanked President Marcos for suspending the planned impoundment of e-trikes and e-bikes that was supposed to be implemented by the Land Transportation Office (LTO) Monday, Dec. 1.

Ridon, chairman of the House Committee on Public Accounts, also thanked LTO Chairman Markus Lacanilao for the decision to suspend. This, after the solon's stern pushback against the transportation official's justification for the impoundment.

"Maraming salamat Pangulong Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Department of Transportation Secretary Giovani Lopez at LTO Chief Markus Lacanilao sa pagsuspindi ng impounding operations ng light electric vehicles (LEVs) tulad ng e-trike at e-bikes bukas, Dec. 1, 2025," Ridon said.

(Many thanks to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Department of Transportation Secretary Giovani Lopez, and LTO Chief Markus Lacanilao for suspending the impounding operations of LEVs such as e-trikes and e-bikes tomorrow, Dec. 1, 2025.)

"Mahalagang hakbang ito para mabigyan ng pagkakataon ang mga LEV users na makapaghanda sa pagkakaroon ng mga bagong patakaran at pagpapatupad ng mga umiiral nang patakaran ng pamahalaan," said the lawyer-legislator.

(This is an important step to give LEV users the opportunity to prepare for the implementation of new policies and the enforcement of existing government regulations. )

Earlier, Ridon said that the LTO cannot use the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of Republic Act (RA) No.11697 or the Electric Vehicle Industry Development Act (EVIDA) as legal basis for the impoundment of e-trikes and e-bikes.

"A basic reading of the EVIDA law and its [IRR] shows this is not correct," said the Bicol Saro solon, who said that the law itself was clear in exempting LEVs from LTO registration.

“The law provides a blanket exemption to [LEVs] such as e-trikes and e-bikes from being registered with the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and its attached agencies like the LTO. As such, the land transportation law, [RA] No. 4136, does not apply to LEVs, even if these vehicles use public roads," he explained.

"Necessarily, if RA No. 4136 does not apply to LEVs, its penalties, including impounding, also do not apply to them,” he noted.

Ridon said that a mere IRR cannot amend or restrict an act of Congress. "A blanket exemption granted by Congress for private-use LEVs cannot be cut down by mere implementing agencies through additional requirements that are not found in the law itself.”

"Sa bahagi ng Kongreso, tiyak na makikipagtulungan kami sa mga transport agencies at sa lahat ng mga apektadong sektor para linawin at pasimplehin ang proseso ng registration ng LEVs at paglilisensya sa mga gumagamit nito," he said moving forward.

(On the part of Congress, we will certainly cooperate with the transport agencies and all affected sectors to clarify and simplify the process of registering LEVs and licensing their users.)