Day 2: Erap, truckers won’t budge on ban

MANILA, Philippines - Both Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada and truckers stood firm in their positions and refused to budge on the daytime truck ban imposed by the city government of Manila.

“Nobody is above the law. We (city government) are only thinking of the interest of the majority. We are only implementing the law. You (truckers) must understand what is good for the majority,” Estrada said yesterday in a television interview.  “They can protest whenever they want, but we will not bow down to them,” he added. 

Truckers’ groups are asking Estrada to suspend the implementation of the daytime truck ban in the capital because it has disrupted the flow of cargo. They have been on a truck holiday since Monday to protest the ban. 

Albert Suansing, director of the Confederation of Truckers Association of the Philippines, said that while the piling up of shipping containers at the ports was saddening, truckers are forced by circumstances to keep their trucks idle because the small window time for hauling cargo in and out of Manila made taking trips a losing proposition. 

Metropolitan Manila Development Authority Chairman Francis Tolentino, truckers groups, Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista, Pasay City Mayor Antonino Calixto and Parañaque City Mayor Edwin Olivarez met at the MMDA office yesterday to figure out a way to resolve the conflict over the ban. 

They urged Estrada to allow the implementation of the truck ban without apprehensions for 15 working days. 

Since Quezon City, Pasay City and Parañaque City are adjacent to Manila, they are affected by the ban as some of the roads in these cities are being used by trucks along their routes. 

Estrada said he is ready to face the truckers in court.   

He also said that the Department of Trade and Industry, MMDA and other government agencies cannot dictate on the Manila City government about the reforms it wants to implement in the capital, like the daytime truck ban.

He welcomed MMDA’s creation of a committee to study the ordinance. 

“But they cannot dictate on us. The mayor, the city council have the full control over the city,” Estrada told The STAR yesterday in a telephone interview. 

He also suggested that the Philippine Port Authority open its huge lands and allow these to be used as parking areas of trucks. 

The daytime truck ban runs from 5 a.m. to 10 a.m. and from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m., giving truckers a window period from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Trucks carrying oil products and perishable goods are exempted from the ban. 

“At least by 10 a.m., the students who are studying in Manila, the teachers and employees who are reporting for work in Manila, are already in their schools and offices. And by 9 p.m., the students, teachers and employees are already in their houses,” Estrada explained, noting that the issue is just a matter of accepting reforms for the benefit of the greater number of people in Manila. 

“There is one incident where a patient who was being rushed to the hospital did not make it because the ambulance carrying the patient cannot penetrate the Delpan Bridge because of the large volume of trucks that are parked there,” he added. 

Estrada also reiterated that the daytime truck ban is only experimental. If it is found to be detrimental to the economy, the Manila City government “will be more than willing to revise it.”  

But he dismissed as baseless the claim of truckers that the daytime truck ban is affecting the national economy. 

“We are actually losing P2.5 billion daily or roughly P876 billion every year because of traffic in Manila. They (truckers) should stop being selfish,” Estrada said. – With Rainier Allan Ronda, Evelyn Macairan, Marvin Sy, Mike Frialde, Artemio Dumlao