ADB Grant Launched to Help Tricycle Drivers in Puerto Princesa

PUERTO PRINCESA, PHILIPPINES – A scheme backed by an ADB
grant of $240,000 to provide alternative livelihoods to tricycle
operators and help cut down on pollution in Puerto Princesa City was
launched today.
The grant is extended through the Poverty and Environment
Program (PEP), which will pilot test a number of strategies, as well as
livelihood support activities among tricycle drivers to tackle
environmental and the underlying social issues surrounding tricycles in
the city.
Taking a participatory approach, the project will strengthen
the technical and entrepreneurial knowledge base of tricycle operators
and drivers and establish a fund for drivers to upgrade the efficiency
of their tricycle engines. It will also help enhance the city
government’s enforcement of its Clean Air Act, especially for roadside
emission monitoring and catching smoke belchers. The lessons learned
from the project will assist in the formulation and replication of the
strategies in other cities in the Philippines.
Puerto Princesa, which prides itself as the cleanest city in
the country, is noted as a tourist destination as the capital of
Palawan, the province known as the “last frontier” of the Philippines.

However,
just like any other thriving city in the country, it is confronted with
problems of ambient air and noise pollution, particularly from the
proliferation of motorcycles and tricycles.
Noise
emissions reach 90-97 decibels (dB), a serious problem given that some
studies suggest that prolonged exposure to noise levels at or above 80
dB can cause deafness. The bikes clog the streets with their number and
relative low speed and are perceived to be more accident prone than
four-wheeled vehicles.
The
number of tricycles have been increasing due to high unemployment and
absence of alternative livelihoods among the drivers; the limited road
network; and the rise in the size of the commuting population.
Compounding
the problem is the fact that most tricycle drivers are low earners. In
a survey conducted by ADB, the majority (70%) of the drivers earn a
daily net income of between P100 and P150, or less than $3, which
leaves little room for tricycle maintenance that could cut down on
noise and maintenance.
The
project was inaugurated today by city Mayor Edward Hagedorn.
Representatives from tricycle operators’ and drivers’ associations and
nongovernment organizations, and officials from the central government
are expected to attend the event.
(Source: adb.org)