The Department of Agriculture (DA) and four other government agencies have agreed to exempt accredited vehicles transporting agricultural commodities from the existing truck ban in the National Capital Region (NCR).
The DA said it has inked a memorandum of agreement (MOA) for the Food Lane Project with the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), and the Philippine National Police (PNP) on Monday.
Under the MOA, the government will designate food lanes where truckers could travel to prevent delays in transporting rice, fresh fruits and vegetables, livestock and poultry, fish products, feeds, fertilizers and frozen meat.
“The government will designate food-lane routes that could be used by vehicles that are exempt from the ban on access by trucks and large vehicles on major lanes imposed by the MMDA on major streets and highways in the NCR,” Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel F. Piñol said in a statement.
“The project is in line with President Duterte’s campaign against corruption and kotong [mulcting] cops by ensuring the elimination of additional fees and checkpoints, which actually add to the cost carried by farmers and fishermen,” Piñol added.
Piñol added the implementation of the food-lane routes will reduce postharvest losses estimated at 22 percent of retail cost. “It will also reduce trading layers by 18 percent and eradicate informal cost by 2 percent.”
Under the MOA, Piñol said the DA will accredit all individuals or companies that deliver farm and fishery goods and products so they could use the food-lane routes and be exempted from the truck ban.
Piñol added interested companies applying for food-lane route accreditation must be duly registered with the DA and has no pending complaint.
“All transport carriers for livestock, poultry and by-products must also be registered with the Bureau of Animal Industry and the National Meat Inspection Service prior to the approval of the food-lane accreditation,” Piñol added.
At present, the MMDA implements a truck ban in some of the major thoroughfares in Metro Manila from 6 to 9 a.m. and from 5 to 9 p.m. every day, except Sundays and holidays.
The MMDA also implements a “total truck ban” along Edsa, between Edsa Magallanes to North Avenue, Quezon City, every day, except Sundays and holidays.
Under the MOA, cargo trucks carrying goods could pass along the following identified food-lane routes in addition to the existing alternate routes identified by the MMDA for cargo trucks that wish to go to and from the Port Area:
Route 1: From Nlex to A. Bonifacio then unload at Balintawak Market and back to A. Bonifacio passing through C-3, then left to R-10 going directly to Divisoria.
Route 2: From Nlex to A. Bonifacio take a U-turn at Cloverleaf then turn right to Quirino Highway, then turn right to Tandang Sora Avenue going to Katipunan straight to Libis all the way to C-4, then Slex.
Route 3: From Nlex to A. Bonifacio take a U-turn to Cloverleaf then turn right to Quirino Highway then turn right to Tandang Sora Avenue, then right to Mindanao Avenue then left to North Avenue to Elliptical Road going Commonwealath Avenue to University Avenue straight to C.P. Garcia going to Katipunan straight to Libis all the way to C-5 then Slex.
Route 4: From Nlex to A. Bonifacio take a U-turn to Cloverleaf then right to Quirino Highway, then right to Tandang Sora Avenue then right to Mindanao Avenue to Elliptical Road going to Commonwealth to University Avenue straight to C.P. Garcia going to Katipunan straight to Libis all the way to C-5, then Slex.
From Airport to Slex: From Ninoy Aquino International Airport Road turn right to Domestic Road to Airport Road, then Andrews Avenue then Villamor Air Base then Slex.
Piñol said delays in delivering critical agricultural commodities to customers in the NCR would cause farmers and truckers to incur losses and hike food prices.