Motorists line up to have RFID stickers installed on their vehicles at the Balintawak Toll Plaza Customer Service Center parking area on Thursday, August 27, 2020, as the DOTr mandates vehicles plying the expressway to install RFID to promote contactless payment to reduce the risk of exposure to the coronavirus. INQUIRER file photo / GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Transportation (DOTr) will not fine motorists whose vehicles would not have radio frequency identification (RFID) tags by December 1, 2020 – but only during the Christmas season.
DOTr gave this assurance during Senate deliberations on the proposed 2021 budget of the agency on Tuesday.
During the deliberations, Senator Nancy Binay asked the DOTr about the amount of penalty that will be imposed on motorists whose cars are without RFID stickers.
DOTr officials present at the Senate told senators, through Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri, that they will not impose the penalty during the Christmas season.
“According to them, they will not impose a penalty. There’s a caveat: There will be a penalty but they will not implement daw, hindi daw sila mag-iimplement ngayong Pasko,” Zubiri told his colleagues.
Senator Grace Poe, who was defending DOTr’s 2021 budget, asked how much the fine would be.
When the DOTr officials were not able to immediately give an answer, Poe said: “Iniisip pa nila.”
“Ay ano ba ‘yan? Walang ka-plano-plano,” Senator Imee Marcos then lamented.
RFID refers to a cashless payment scheme whereby digital data encoded in the tags are captured by a reader via radio waves.
DOTr earlier ordered tollway firms to enforce RFID systems by December 1. This shift to the RFID system is part of efforts to minimize coronavirus transmissions.
KGA
RELATED STORY
FAQ: What is an RFID and how does it work on tollways?