Mobility Awards urges Senate to restore PHP 1.13-B active transport budget
QUEZON CITY, 3 November 2026 – Nearly three in four Filipino adults believe that more people would ride bicycles for transportation if roads were made safer, according to a Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey released on 30 October. Convenors of the Mobility Awards said the finding adds to mounting evidence that public demand for safe walking and cycling is far ahead of government spending, and called on senators to fully fund the PHP 1.13 billion that the Department of Transportation (DOTr) proposed for active transport in the 2027 national budget.
The SWS Second Quarter 2026 survey, conducted from 20-29 June, found that 73 percent of respondents agreed that more people would use bicycles as transportation if roads were safer. It also recorded that 23 percent of households, or an estimated 6.3 million, owned a bicycle in June 2026, up from 16 percent in March 2024. Bicycle-owning households now outnumber car-owning households five to one, the highest ratio in the survey series, which dates back to 2020.
These findings echo the Pulse Asia survey commissioned by the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities in May 2026, which found that 94 percent of Filipinos support safer and wider bicycle lanes and walkways.
Despite this demand, the House of Representatives approved about PHP 33.9 million for active transport in the proposed 2027 General Appropriations Bill, about three percent of the PHP 1.13 billion requested by the DOTr. The Mobility Awards noted that funding for active transport has been declining in the years since the pandemic, from a high of PHP 2 billion in 2022 to PHP 105.38 million in 2026. The Senate can still restore the full amount during its deliberations on the budget.
“Filipinos are already cycling, and more people want to join them but need safer roads. Three in four say so. Yet the House gave active transport just three percent of what the DOTr asked for. The Senate must put the budget where the public already is and restore the full PHP 1.13 billion,” said Amber Garma, national coordinator for the Mobility Awards.
ABOUT
The Mobility Awards recognizes outstanding champions of active transport across the Philippines. It is convened by the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities, MNL Moves, The Climate Reality Project Philippines, 350 Pilipinas, and Pinay Bike Commuter, in partnership with local active transport organizations nationwide.
CONTACT
Denise Fontanilla, Communications Coordinator: denise@350pilipinas.org, +63 917 851 4890
