(Updated) Tri-wheel drivers, including drivers of pedicab, tricycles and kuliglig, expressed opposition over the Manila City Government’s plan to phase out all motorized tri-wheels and replace them with electric tricycles.
The planned phase out of tri-wheels in Manila should immediately stop according to Arthur Fidelis, spokesperson of Pagkakaisa ng mga Tri-wheel Organization para sa Kabuhayan (PATOK), a Manila-wide alliance of tri-wheel operators and drivers’ associations, in a press conference.
“Dapat itigil ang nakabadyang phase out ng tri-wheels sa Manila. Hindi makatarungan ang pamimilit at pananakot sa amin para tangkilikin ang modernong e-trike na tiyak na mapapagastos kami nang malaki (It is not just to force and threaten us into converting to the modern e-trike that will cost a fortune),” said Fidelis.
In February, Mayor Joseph Estrada formally launched the E-trike project. The Manila City Government reportedly appropriated P120 million for 10,000 seven-seater e-trikes.
On the other hand, the Department of Energy (DOE) have a $504 million E-Trike Project funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Clean Technology Fund. The project aims to deploy 100,000 e-trikes nationwide and replace gasoline-run tricycles.
Tri-wheel drivers’ woes
According to Fidelis, the local government will destroy their livelihood, source of income.
Fidelis said that the local government plans to charge drivers up to P250 a day for three to four years until the full amount of the e-trike has been fully paid and then it will be finally owned by the drivers.
Emmanuel Layog, a tricycle driver for 8 years, shared that he sometimes earns P500 a day, but needs to remit P120 day for his boundary and pay P50 a day for gasoline that will last for one and a half day. He said that his P330 net income a day is not even enough for his family’s needs like food, education, electricity and house rental.
“Minsan hindi pa sigurado ang P500, paano kung P300 lang ang kita namin? Mag-short pa kami sa obligasyon namin sa kanila? Papaano kakain ang pamilya namin? Nag-aaral pa mga anak naming (Sometimes the P500 income is not sure, what if we only earn P300? We’ll be short on our obligation with them [local government]? How will our family eat? Our children are still studying),” lamented Layog.
Layog has three children, two who are already in studying. Aside from driving his tricycle he strives to earn additional income as a tennis instructor.
Edgardo Moreno, a pedicab driver for 32 years, said that he earns only around P300 a day and cannot afford to pay for the e-trike.
“Dapat ay gumagawa sila (lokal na pamahalaan) ng trabaho para sa katulad naming maralita para hindi na namin kailangang maghanapbuhay sa kalsada (The local government should provide jobs for the poor like us so that we do not have to earn our income in the streets),” said Moreno.
Layog who shared the same sentiment said that if there’s a chance for a better job that will answer the needs of his family, he will not need to drive a tricycle.
E-trike impractical for tri-wheels drivers
Moreno is skeptic with the e-trikes capacity to last long in the streets of Manila.
“Baka hindi tumagal ng isang taon yang mga e-trike, hindi pwedeng pumasada kapag bumabagyo at baha dahil magiging grounded (Those e-trikes might not stand for more than a year, we won’t be able to use it when there’s typhoon and flood because it might get grounded),” Moreno added.
Fidelis said that the local government’s plan to place charging stations is not clear if how many will be installed. He said that if there will be two charging stations in Binondo as reported, it will be impractical because there will be long queues to avail of the charging and will waste the time of the drivers.
“Kung sa bahay naman icha-charge yan, konsumo pa rin namin sa kuryente yan. Pinaliwanag ba kung ilang kilowatt hours ang konsumo niyan? Hindi (If we will charge it in our homes, it’s still our electricity consumption. Was it explained to us if how many kilowatt hours will be consumed for its charging? No),” said Fidelis.
Traffic solution, not profiteering?
“Hindi totoong makakatulong ang E-Trike Project para mawala ang trapik at polusyon sa syudad ng Maynila, kami ay naniniwala na ito ay malinaw na negosyo kung saan ay pagkakakitaan kami (It is not true that the E-Trike Project will help to solve the traffic and pollution problem in Manila, we believe that clearly this is a business where they can profit from us),” said Fidelis.
Ernesto Perdigon, President of the Zone 76, 77, 78 Pedicab Operators and Drivers Association (ZPODA) belied the accusations that tri-wheels are the cause of traffic in Manila.
“Nasa secondary roads kami, wala kami sa major roads kaya hindi kami ang pinagmumulan ng trapiko. Kaya dapat si Mayor pag-isipan muna (ang proyekto), tumatanggap siya ng negosyo, ipapashoulder sa amin ang hirap (We are on the secondary roads, not in the major roads that’s why we are not the primary source of traffic. The Mayor should think about the project, he accepts this business, but it will be us who will suffer),” said Perdigon.
Moreno on the other hand called on the President Rodrigo Duterte to look at their situation.
Tri-wheel drivers and operators from different parts of Manila are set to hold a protest at the Manila City Hall on October 17 to register their opposition to the phase out of tri-wheels. They hope to face Mayor Estrada in a dialogue.
