DILG: Vico Sotto issue resolved; Pasig mayor complies with ECQ rules

The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) stated that the issue concerning Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto's initial decision to permit tricycle operations during the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) has been resolved legally.

DILG Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya acknowledged previous disagreements and miscommunication with Mayor Sotto, but confirmed that the Pasig City mayor has since halted the measure in adherence to the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) order.

The matter arose when the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) summoned Sotto to address accusations of potentially violating the Bayanihan to Heal As One Act.

Malaya echoed Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra's stance that Sotto could not be prosecuted under the Bayanihan Act as the alleged offenses occurred before the law's effectivity.

Malaya emphasized that the summons was a pointless political distraction since Sotto had already complied with the DILG's directive and the IATF guidelines regarding tricycle operations.

DILG Secretary Eduardo Año had previously differentiated between the tricycles permitted in Pasig and the e-trikes commissioned by Manila, clarifying that the latter were not for public transport.

The Pasig City government is utilizing its own vehicles to transport essential personnel, including medical workers, who are exempt from the ECQ.

Malaya urged that the matter be considered closed, advocating for a collective focus on combating COVID-19.