CEBU Gov. Pamela Baricuatro has proposed a unified truck ban schedule during a meeting with 14 Metro Cebu traffic managers on Tuesday, April 14, 2026, as part of efforts to address inflation and logistics delays.
The proposal aims to harmonize inconsistent local regulations that force delivery trucks to stop at city borders, increasing transport and food costs.
Traffic managers agreed to submit the standardized plan to their respective mayors in a bid to help stabilize the province’s rising inflation.
Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed Cebu Province’s inflation rate rose to 9.1 percent in March 2026, up from 8.0 percent in February 2026 and 3.8 percent in March 2025.
PSA also reported that Central Visayas posted the highest regional inflation rate at 7.4 percent in March 2026, driven by transport costs, which rose by 9.9 percent, and food and non-alcoholic beverage prices, which increased by 3.0 percent.
In Cebu, transport remained a key driver of inflation, with gasoline inflation at 22.2 percent and diesel inflation surging to 39 percent.
Baricuatro said varying truck ban hours, penalties, and exemptions have caused confusion and slowed the movement of goods.
“We agreed that we need to come up with a unified time for truck ban, as well as standardize penalties and exemptions,” she said in an interview on Wednesday, April 15, noting that presentations from local government units—from Sibonga to Danao City—showed inconsistent schedules.
Sibonga, Compostela, Danao City, and Carcar City have no truck ban policies, while Cebu City, Lapu-Lapu City, Mandaue City, Talisay City, Minglanilla, Cordova, Consolacion, City of Naga, and San Fernando implement their own restrictions.
The lack of uniformity has resulted in trucks being allowed in one jurisdiction but restricted in another, forcing drivers to wait along roadsides for bans to lift and worsening traffic congestion.
“We have to come up with a unified time for truck ban. Maluoy sab ta sa truckers (Let’s pity the truckers). This is bureaucracy at its best here,” Baricuatro said.
The meeting also highlighted wide differences in penalties, including a P5,000 fine for third offenses in Talisay City, P2,000 per violation in Mandaue City, and P500 for first-time offenders in the City of Naga.
Exemptions likewise vary, with some LGUs allowing trucks carrying essential goods such as rice, perishables, livestock, and petroleum products, as well as government and emergency vehicles.
Others extend exemptions to private contractors of government projects, while Lapu-Lapu City requires logistics firms to secure permits instead of granting automatic exemptions.
Provincial Board Member Stanley Caminero said crafting a province-wide ordinance remains “sensitive but doable,” noting that LGUs already have their own truck ban policies and enforcement systems.
Talisay Traffic Operations and Development Authority head Jonathan Tumulak said Talisay City serves as a key access point for vehicles traveling between northern and southern Cebu and Cebu City, handling heavy traffic volume daily.
Assistant Provincial Administrator Aldwin Empaces said multiple fees imposed along the supply chain—from entry to delivery—have contributed to rising prices.
“The target of the meeting is how to mitigate the crisis,” he said, noting that inflation in Central Visayas has reached nearly eight percent.
Maria Theresa Sederiosa, Industry Development Chief of the Department of Trade and Industry in Central Visayas (DTI-7), said the agency has been urging logistics stakeholders to help address rising commodity prices.
She added that harmonizing logistics regulations is among the key measures identified, alongside a long-term proposal to establish a national agency for logistics.
The provincial government continues to hold consultations with logistics stakeholders and traffic managers as part of its mitigation efforts.
A consolidated proposal is expected on April 28, which may lead to an executive order or provincial ordinance standardizing truck ban policies across Metro Cebu. / CDF