Advocates slam ‘car-centric’ policies amid petrol price surge

A transportation advocacy group warned Sunday that government reliance on car-centric policies has left Filipinos with few safe alternatives as the country braces for a massive fuel price hike of up to P22 per liter next week.

The Make It Safer Movement (MISMO) said that while the government is calling on the public to carpool and cycle to conserve fuel, infrastructure for active transport has actually regressed since the pandemic.

Middle East tensions have driven global oil prices upward, prompting the Armed Forces of the Philippines and other agencies to consider a return to teleconferencing measures similar to those used during the Covid-19 pandemic.

MISMO Coordinator Alyssa Belda said in an online interview that active transport infrastructure is being dismantled across Metro Manila. She cited San Juan City’s removal of protected bicycle lanes to favor cars and cited that barriers in other areas have been destroyed by motor vehicles without being replaced.

“Many of our active transport infrastructure has been dismantled, either through our leaders backpedaling on it, or just simply that procurement takes a long time,” Belda said, calling the situation a failure for commuters and taxpayers.

The group also criticized the Land Transportation Office and the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority for cracking down on light electric vehicles (LEVs), such as e-bikes and e-trikes.

Belda described the current restrictions as “half-baked,” noting that while the government offers incentives for full-sized electric cars, it continues to stall on clear classifications for more affordable LEVs.

While the Philippine Development Plan 2023–2028 officially prioritizes pedestrians and cyclists, Belda argued that the reality on the ground still favors the 6 percent of Filipino households that own cars.

She cited that current policies, such as building pedestrian overpasses instead of at-grade crosswalks, continue to prioritize motorists over the 94 percent of households that do not own vehicles.