REPRESENTATIVE Terry L. Ridon, House Public Accounts Committee Chair and House Transportation Committee Member, has asserted that the Land Transportation Office (LTO) has no legal basis to impound privately used Light Electric Vehicles (LEVs).
In a statement, Rep. Ridon argued that while the LTO may cite Section 73 of DOTC–LTO Memorandum Circular 89-105, which mandates the impounding of unregistered vehicles, the Electric Vehicle Industry Development Act (EVIDA Law) explicitly exempts LEVs intended for exclusive private use from registration with the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and its attached agencies, including the LTO.
“In other words, the LTO cannot use DOTC–LTO Memorandum Circular 89-105 as the basis for impounding privately used LEVs, because these vehicles are not required to be registered with the LTO in the first place. A memorandum circular cannot override a later, specific national law,” Rep. Ridon stated.
Furthermore, Rep. Ridon emphasized that the EVIDA Law allows LEVs, whether privately used or for-hire, to use all major local and national roads, and mandates the creation of segregated lanes for LEVs or their integration into bicycle lanes along such routes. He clarified that while for-hire LEVs should be registered with the DOTr, its attached agencies, and local government units, a clear distinction must be made for LEVs used for exclusive private use, which EVIDA expressly exempts from registration.
Rep. Ridon highlighted the positive impact of private-use LEVs on marginalized communities, enabling families to transport children to school, visit churches, and purchase goods without incurring significant transportation costs. “The entry of private-use LEVs into the market has democratized transportation for marginalized communities… This is fully consistent with the objectives of EVIDA, which seeks to make micromobility ‘an attractive and feasible mode of transportation to reduce dependence on fossil fuels.'”
Rep. Ridon called on the DOTr, LTO, and MMDA to abandon any plan or policy to impound LEVs, particularly private-use LEVs, and to review their policies and guidelines to ensure full compliance with the EVIDA Law. He warned that these agencies will be held accountable, through appropriate congressional proceedings, for any overreach against private-use LEV users.
