Farmers in Benguet load cabbage onto a truck to be sold in different markets including Manila on February 28, 2020. Alren Beronio, ABS-CBN News

MANILA (UPDATED) — A group of truckers in Central Luzon criticized the approval of toll increase in North Luzon Expressway effective Sunday, March 2, saying it had been done without public consultation and would lead to higher prices on goods.

Under the new toll matrix, motorists will be paying an additional P5 for Class 1 (cars, motorcycles and most other personal vehicles), P13 for Class 2 (buses and trucks) vehicles, P15 for Class 3 (large trucks) vehicles.

Motorists traveling from Balintawak, Quezon City to the end of the expressway in Santa Ines in Mabalacat, Pampanga will be paying a total additional toll of P57 for Class 1 vehicles, P142 for Class 2 vehicles, and P171 for Class 3 vehicles.

Connie Tinio, head of the Alliance of Concerned Truck Owners and Organizations - Central Luzon, said the increase is "untimely" and would motorists' pockets.

"Hindi ko maintindihan kung bakit ang Toll Regulatory Board nag-a-approve siya, gumagawa siya desisyon nang hindi man lang kinokonsulta yung mga stakeholders," she told ABS-CBN News in a phone interview Sunday.

(I don't understand why the Toll Regulatory Board allowed this. They are making decisions without consulting stakeholders)

Tinio said the raised toll fees will mean higher prices for agricultural products, raw materials, and most goods that need to be transported. 

NLEX toll rates to rise starting March 2

"Kasi siyempre kami, kapag nag-increase, hihingiin din naming kay client na increase-an din kami. So tataas 'yung bayad sa'min, kanino nila ipapasa 'yan? Ang tail-end niyan, 'yung mga taumbayan, mamimili," she stated.

(Of course, if they raise the toll fee, we will also increase our rates. If our clients pay us more, who will they pass that cost on to? At the tail end will be the consumers)

She added that any toll rebate should cover all truckers, not just those that transport agricultural goods since the entire sector will be affected by the higher fees.

Tinio said the truckers' groups plans to write to newly appointed Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon to appeal the toll hike and call for it to be suspended pending consultation with stakeholders like ACTOO.

Dizon, on his first day in office this month, announced the suspension of a policy requiring cashless payments on tollways and penalizing motorists who don't have cashless payment stickers or devices installed. He said the policy was discriminatory towards poor motorists.

He has also hinted at a review of issues surrounding the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program.

"Unfair sa ating mga motorista na nagbabayad tayo ng mataas na toll, tapos hindi natin nasusulit yung binabayad natin. Okay lang na mataas yung toll, basta maayos yung serbisyo," Tinio said.

(It is unfair to us motorists to pay a high tolls and not get the most of our money. High tolls are OK as long as the service is good)

The Philippine government has privatized its expressways, letting private firms build and operate them for profit.

Privatization, touted as being more efficient while costing the government less, comes with concerns of higher costs to users as private partners seek to make the most profit on their investments.

New DOTr secretary suspends 'cashless-only' toll collection policy

'COMMITTED TO PERFORM'

In an earlier interview with Teleradyo Serbisyo, TRB spokesperson Julius Corpuz said that the toll hike petition went through a thorough review and that operator NLEX Corp. has committed to continuously improve its systems.

Corpuz said that NLEX Corp. has complied with the terms of its contract with government but that TRB expects the firm to prove that the increased tolls lead to better service.

"Iparamdam nila sa ating mga motorista na yung binabayaran nila is sulit naman sa serbisyong ibinibigay ng NLEX," he said.

(NLEX Corp. will make motorists feel that the service they receive is worth the toll fees they pay)

Corpuz added that TRB allowed the increase as part of a contractual obligation "to give our operators investor to recoup their investment".

The TRB spokesperson said the petitions for toll increases were published in a newspaper and that there was no opposition to the hike.

The TRB official assured the public that the second tranche of toll hike petitions scheduled next year will undergo another round of study.

He added the board will review the latest toll fee increase and can lower it or put further increases on hold if it "finds a very justifiable reason."

Meanwhile, NLEX maintained that the toll increase is much needed for improving its services and operations.

"Kinakailangan din po nating magtaas talaga ng toll rates kasi kakailanganin din po natin yung pangtustos sa pinagpapagawa, 'yung ating maintainance, actually pagpapagawa nung bagong Candaba Viaduct third bridge kasama na po dito," NLEX Traffic Operations Head Robin Ignacio told ABS-CBN News in a phone interview Sunday, March 2. 

He noted that they have monitored no concerns or problems on their toll lanes since Saturday night up to Sunday afternoon, March 2 -- the first day of implementation of the toll increase. 

Ignacio also said the toll hike petition had been long discussed and reviewed by their management and the TRB.

"Karapatan po nila 'yung kanilang hakbang na gagawin. Pwede po nilang isagawa kung anuman po yung naiisip nila, pero para rin po sa aming side ng NLEX, kinakailangan po talaga itong mga 'to. Kung yung concern po nila dito sa ating mga RFID, mula po nung nag-implement tayo, malaki na po talaga yung improvement," Ignacio said.

Ignacio assured they will abide to whatever the government will decide on the matter. 

"Kung anuman po 'yung desisyon ni DOTr ay darating po tayo diyan. Sigurado po meron naman pong hakbang na gagawin ang ating pamunuan together with amin pong regulation with the TRB, antayin lang po natin in case na magkaroon ng pangyayari pong ganyan," he said. 

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