Bicol Saro Rep. Terry Ridon on Saturday said the Land Transportation Office was wrong to claim that the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of the Electric Vehicle Industry Development Act (EVIDA) allow the enforcement of a new policy restricting e-bikes and e-trikes from major roads.
Ridon, chair of the House Committee on Public Accounts and a member of the House Transportation Committee, said the EVIDA IRR cannot serve as the legal basis for the LTO’s plan to begin impounding e-bikes and e-trikes on Dec. 1, 2025.
He said a plain reading of the EVIDA law and its IRR shows this is incorrect.
Ridon explained that the law clearly exempts light electric vehicles (LEVs) such as e-trikes and e-bikes from registration with the Department of Transportation and its attached agencies, including the LTO. Because they are exempt, the land transportation law, Republic Act 4136, does not apply to LEVs—even if they use public roads—meaning its penalties, including impounding, also do not apply.
He added that the IRR improperly narrows what Congress explicitly granted by inserting new conditions before an LEV can enjoy exemption, such as being “not intended for use on public highways” or “not intended to be operated at all.”
“A mere implementing rule cannot amend an act of Congress,” Ridon said.
He warned that enforcing impounding based on such a provision would be unjust. “The LTO can insist the IRR is valid unless reversed by the courts, but insisting on impounding LEVs on December 1 based on a flimsy, legally questionable IRR will be a grave injustice,” he said. “We will fight this in Congress, and the LEV and alternative mobility sector may challenge this in court.”
Ridon said Congress will act immediately to stop the implementation. “On Monday, we will file a House Resolution urging the Department of Transportation to direct the LTO to stop the impounding of LEVs beginning December 1. The same resolution will also review the impounding mandates of the LTO and other agencies, including the MMDA.”
