Manila remains firm on continued ban against unloaded trucks

The local government of Manila denied the request by truckers' groups that unloaded trucks be allowed on the city's streets during the 10 a.m.-to-5 p.m.-truck-ban window applied to trucks with cargo. In a report on GMA 7's “24-Oras” on Friday, Alberto Suansing of the Confederation of Truckers Association of the Philippines said their delivery operation were greatly affected by the truck ban. “Marami paring natitira dahil hindi nagagalaw lahat because restricted parin yung kilos,” Suansing explained. He added that the delivery cycle for their trucks takes much longer due to the changes brought by the truck ban. But Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada would not budge on the ban. “'Yung walang laman [na truck], aba gumising sila ng maaga. 'Di ba? Ganyan lang yan, eh. You have to sacrifice,” Estrada said. Recent changes to the truck ban allowed trucks with cargo to ply the streets of Manila from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Unloaded trucks are still banned from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. The amended truck ban will be tried out for two weeks. “If we find it successful then we will amend this [ordinance] according to what we agreed,” Estrada said. Parking Meanwhile, Estrada released a list of streets where trucks can park while waiting for the truck-ban window.

• Delgado St. from 25th to 21st St.
• Railroad St. from 20th to 13th St.
• Atlanta St. from 14th to 18th St.
• 16th and 18th to 20th St. from Delgado to Railrod St.
• 15th and 17th St. from Delgado to Atlanta St.

Estrada also asked the Philippine Ports Authority to help provide the truck with parking spaces. “Let those trucks go inside the PPA [compound] and provide them parking lot there inside. Ang laki laki ng space nila doon. They can even accommodate 10,000 trucks,” he said. Other truck bans Caloocan City is set to make changes to its truck ban, as Mayor Oscar Malapitan fears that truckers trying to avoid Manila's ban will pass through his city. “Sa amin magtatago lahat 'yung mga truck na hindi makapasok ng Manila... Magiging parking space kami,” Malapitan said on GMA New's “State of the Nation with Jessica Soho” Friday night. Caloocan's current truck ban is based on the Metro Manila Development Authority's, with trucks prohibited on the city's street from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m., and 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. The city's amended ban will prohibit trucks from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. The amended ban will take effect on March 7. Meanwhile, Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista said he will still have to check future government road projects before deciding on a truck ban. “No plans [right now] of following the lead of the city of Manila in imposing a truck ban... Let's see,” Bautista said. — Andrei Medina/DVM, GMA News