MMDA: No more truck ban exemptions

MANILA, Philippines - The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) has indefinitely suspended all truck ban exemption passes.

The suspension will be in effect until the MMDA and the Inter-Agency Council on Traffic (I-ACT) completes their evaluation and assessment of the problem.

 In a memorandum circular dated Sept. 1, MMDA general manager and acting MMDA chairman Thomas Orbos ordered the suspension of the passes and called on all trucking firms and operators to observe the truck ban routes and window hours.

However, the MMDA memorandum circular does not cover trucks running under the Terminal Appointment Booking System, which books trucks in advance for the delivery of goods going in and out of the Port of Manila.

The special traffic committee of the Metro Manila Council (MMC), the policy-making body of the MMDA composed of the 17 mayors of Metro Manila, earlier issued Resolution No. 3 authorizing the MMDA to “exclusively issue truck ban conduct passes to all truckers outbound and inbound Metro Manila.”

The MMC also passed several resolutions to regulate the use of major thoroughfares by truckers, including the implementation of the one-truck lane policy along C-5 Road, Katipunan Avenue, Congressional Road, Mindanao Avenue and Road 10. 

The I-ACT, formed as a traffic management superbody for Metro Manila, is composed of representatives from the MMDA, Land Transportation Office, Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board, Highway Patrol Group and Department of Transportation.