LTO nixes proposal for kuliglig to be registered

MANILA, Philippines - The Land Transportation Office (LTO) thumbed down yesterday a proposal for motorized pedicabs or kuliglig to be registered with the agency.

LTO chief Virginia Torres said kuligligs are not classified as motorcycles that could be registered. She said motorized pedicabs are known to run only on “generators” and have neither chassis number nor motor number.

“We need a law to be enacted by Congress for” the registration of kuliglig, she said, adding that the LTO is ready to work on the implementing rules and regulations of such a law.

Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada said yesterday he is keen on studying if motorized pedicabs can part of mainstream transportation – registered and covered by traffic rules and regulations.

Estrada, chairman of the Senate committee on Labor, Employment and Human Resources Development, said he also wants the motorized pedicabs to meet safety and public service standards, especially for their passengers; and paying corresponding taxes and fees to the government.

Instead of looking at kuliglig as “pests of the road,” Estrada said they could in fact be seen and appreciated as another fruit of Filipino ingenuity.

He said motorized pedicabs cater to residents’ need for short trips to and from nearby markets, grocery stores, drug stores, health centers, schools and main transport stops and terminals along major highways.

Estrada said if the activities of kuliglig drivers and operators are curbed or if the vehicles are phased out, it would mean so many opportunities and so much income lost.

“In resolving this issue, thorough studies of the matter as well as extensive consultations with all concerned sectors should be undertaken,” said Estrada, also chairman of the joint congressional oversight committee on labor and employment.

‘Mopeds’

Estrada said laws in several countries recognize the wide use of “mopeds” (motor-pedal vehicles), under which the kuliglig could be categorized.

He said the US state of Iowa, in 2006, included in its code the following provisions: the vehicle must have a manufacturer’s label attached to it, certifying that the vehicle meets all the safety standards, and indicating therein if the vehicle is to be titled and registered for use on a street or roadway; with speed not exceeding 30 miles per hour; complying with traffic rules and regulations; securing a registration and appropriate licensing; and paying corresponding taxes and fees.

“This issue about the kuliglig is indeed complicated, and needs balancing of all related concerns: the traffic rules and the problem with congestion and hazards in major roads, the safety of passengers, taxes and fees, the travel needs of communities which they cater to and the livelihood of the kuliglig drivers and operators,” Estrada said. – With Jose Rodel Clapano