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Here is something many riders never think about. The tricycle you flag down in Bislig is not supposed to go wherever it likes. Every route has a number, set by city law, and the ordinances list Mangagoy as one end of every route.
Where the route numbers come from
The numbering began with Ordinance No. 2023-20, "An Ordinance Adopting the Bislig City Tricycle Route Plan," enacted by the Sangguniang Panlungsod on October 24, 2023. It was authored by then-Councilor David K. Salazar, Sr.
The plan was drawn up by the city's Tricycle Task Force and the Tricycle Franchising Regulatory and Traffic Management Board. It followed Department of the Interior and Local Government Memorandum Circular No. 2020-036, which barred tricycles from national highways and required every city and town to create a tricycle task force and a route plan. Mayor Florencio C. Garay created Bislig's task force through Executive Order No. 17 on February 24, 2020.
The 2023 ordinance set 18 routes, each listed as starting from Mangagoy. The routing diagram attached to it marks Terminal 1 at the Bislig City Central Public Market in Mangagoy and a second terminal at Scaling. The ordinance also said a driver needs a travel permit to carry passengers to places outside the assigned route, and assigned a City Treasurer's Office employee to the traffic management office, including on weekends, to issue those permits.
The switch to clusters
On March 31, 2026, the council passed Ordinance No. 2026-08, authored by Indigenous Peoples Representative Florio S. Josafat, Jr. Mayor Garay approved it on April 13, 2026. It replaced the route-based model with a clustering-based model, on the recommendation of the franchising board, after consultation meetings with city offices, drivers, operators and commuters found that the route plan needed changes.
The ordinance amended only the section listing the routes, so the rest of the 2023 law, including the travel permit rule, was not changed.
The 18 routes today
| Cluster | Route | Destination from Mangagoy |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Tabon |
| 1 | 2 | Comawas |
| 1 | 3 | Poblacion |
| 2 | 4 | San Fernando |
| 2 | 15 | Kahayag, Pamanlinan, Coleto |
| 3 | 5 | San Roque |
| 3 | 6 | Maharlika |
| 3 | 18 | Puerto, San Rafael |
| 4 | 7 | Sta. Cruz, Sibaroy, Bucto, Tumanan, Caguyao |
| 4 | 8 | San Vicente |
| 5 | 10 | San Antonio |
| 5 | 11 | San Isidro, Mone, Burboanan |
| 6 | 12 | Danipas |
| 6 | 13 | Labisma, Sua |
| 6 | 14 | Lawigan |
| 7 | 9 | San Jose |
| 7 | 16 | Pamaypayan |
| 7 | 17 | Sikahoy |
What changed from 2023
Comparing the two ordinances, a few routes were redrawn:
- Route 5 was Mangagoy to Scaling and Maharlika in 2023. It is now Mangagoy to San Roque.
- Route 6 was Mangagoy to Sanyata, Mamparasan and Mabog. It is now Mangagoy to Maharlika.
- Route 7 was Sta. Cruz to Caguyao. The 2026 list spells out Sibaroy, Bucto and Tumanan along the way.
- Route 15 was Pamanlinan and Coleto. Kahayag has been added.
The other routes kept the same numbers and destinations.
Why the clusters matter for fares
The same seven clusters are used in the city's 2026 tricycle fare matrix, Ordinance No. 2026-07, which links fares to the price of fuel. So if you know which cluster your barangay falls in, you can find your fare in the matrix more quickly. We covered how that fare matrix works in an earlier article.
Sources: City of Bislig, Sangguniang Panlungsod Ordinance No. 2023-20 (enacted October 24, 2023) and Ordinance No. 2026-08 (enacted March 31, 2026; approved April 13, 2026), published on the city's ordinances pages at bislig.gov.ph.