Vico Sotto makes good on promise, suspends 'odd/even' scheme in Pasig City

MANILA, Philippines — Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto made good on his word that he would suspend the “odd/even” traffic scheme in his city.

News5 reported Sotto signed his first Executive Order Monday that included a suspension order of the “disjointed and unjust odd even scheme.”

The EO ordered the creation of the traffic management task force which will “review and propose new solutions for the current mobility and traffic situation.”

Sotto, who posted a photo of him and his first EO on Facebook, said that the task force is given 45 days to submit a report.

“We will make decisions based on the data and numbers,” the Pasig Mayor said.

Last March, during the height of campaign for the 2019 midterm elections, Sotto said that he was the lone councilor who opposed the proposed "unfair and ineffective" traffic scheme.

"I will remove it on my first day of office," he added.

Happy to report that I was the only councilor who opposed the odd-even scheme. It is unfair and ineffective if we look at the big picture. I will remove it on my first day of office.

— Vico Sotto (@VicoSotto) March 26, 2019

In December 2016, Pasig City implemented the odd/even traffic scheme in an attempt to lessen the vehicles plying the area.

READ: Pasig implements own number coding scheme to ease traffic

Pasig City implemented the odd/even traffic scheme on December 12 in the following area:

• San Guillermo Avenue/Buting Eastbound
• Elisco Road/Nascor Westbound
• Elisco Road/M. Concepcion St./R. Jabson St. Intersection
• San Lorenzo, Greenwoods/Sandoval Avenue Northbound and Southbound
• F. Legaspi Westbound

In the traffic scheme, vehicles with license plate numbers ending 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9 cannot use certain roads in Pasig City on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

Vehicles with license plate numbers ending in 0, 2, 4, 6 and 8 meanwhile may not pass certain roads on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

In the 2019 midterm elections, Sotto toppled the nearly three decade reign of Eusebios in Pasig. — Kristine Joy Patag