Palace rebuffs Vico Sotto: How can there be social distancing in tricycles?

The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases maintained on Wednesday that tricycles will not be allowed to ply roads during the Luzon-wide quarantine because social distancing is difficult to enforce inside.

“Concerned talaga ang gobyerno dito sa paggamit ng tricycle dahil hindi namin lubos na makita or maintindihan paano mag-social distancing sa tricycle,” Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said at a press briefing in Malacañang.

He insisted that local government units can make use of other vehicles, whether government-owned or borrowed from citizens, to transport frontline workers.

The statement came after Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto appealed to the national government earlier in the day to allow tricycles to operate to ferry people who need to go to hospitals for chemotherapy, dialysis, or routine check-ups, among others.

“May jeep ka or may multicab ka or four-wheel vehicle, either sayo or makihiram ka sa constituents mo or something. ‘Yong ibang LGUs naman nagco-comply,” Nograles said.

“Let’s all stick to the common ground rules, ‘yon po ang pakiusap namin… Ginagawa po natin itong lahat para lahat pantay-pantay at lahat maproteksyunan,” he added.

Sotto earlier said he would allow tricycles to continue operating within the Pasig for health workers and emergencies.

“Iniisip ko kung ano ang mangyayari sa atin kung pipigilan ang pagbiyahe ng tricycle sa Pasig. May libreng sakay tayo pero ‘di nito kakayanin ang libo-libong health worker at pasyente,” he said on Wednesday.

Mass public transportation was shut down on Monday as part of the enhanced community quarantine of Luzon that will last until April 13. -NB, GMA News