Malacañang has thumbed down suggestions to allow tricycles to continue operating, saying social distancing is impossible in the three-wheeled vehicle.
Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles issued the statement as Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto appealed to the national government to reconsider the inclusion of tricycles in the transportation ban while Luzon is under an enhanced community quarantine due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.
Nograles said the government is concerned about allowing tricycles to operate because its limited space leaves no room for social distancing.
According to Nograles, who is also the spokesman of the Inter-agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases, local government units should find an alternative in order to serve the needs of their constituents.
Nograles added that jeepneys are preferred over tricycles because of its size. Jeepney operations are likewise suspended due to the enhanced community quarantine.
“Let’s all stick to the common ground rules. Yan po ang pakiusap namin… Ginagawa po natin itong lahat para lahat pantay-pantay at lahat,” he added.
Sotto earlier said he would allow tricycles to continue operating in his city to ferry health workers, front liners, those seeking medical attention, and for emergencies.
However, Nograles explained that using tricycles might just spread the deadly disease. (Argyll Geducos)