Defund Toll Regulatory Board? Better to replace its head, says Gatchalian

MANILA, Philippines — Instead of defunding the Toll Regulatory Board (TRB), Senator Sherwin Gatchalian on Monday said it would be better to replace its head with a “qualified” one.

Gatchalian reiterated his call for the removal of TRB’s executive director following the warning of the House transportation committee chairman that he would request for the veto of the board’s 2021 budget should it not address the problems with the cashless toll system.

“This is really out of sheer frustration and I’ve talked to some congressmen in Central Luzon, in Bulacan, our neighboring province, and they’re very frustrated by the TRB. This is a statement out of sheer frustration,” Gatchalian said in an interview over ABS-CBN News Channel.

But the senator underscored the need to have a regulator in place to supervise the toll operators in the country.

“Definitely, we need a regulator. Whether it’s in the form of the TRB or it’s another government agency. We need a regulator to supervise and regulate that monopoly. If you ask me, it’s better to just get a qualified executive director,” he said.

“I’m sorry to say this, but with all due respect, the executive director is not doing his job. And this could be avoided if he has been on his toes, monitoring and making sure that the operators are performing up to the standard,” Gatchalian added.

Last week, Valenzuela City suspended the business permit of NLEx Corp. for failing to address the heavy traffic that its cashless toll collection has been causing in the city.

The suspension order means motorists will be able to pass through the NLEx system without paying toll fees.

READ: What NLEX operator will do to ease traffic

NLEx Corp. said it is reopening cash lanes to prevent congestion from forming along NLEx.

Meanwhile, the TRB had previously said that the board was dealing with the problems caused by the shift to a cashless toll collection.

The TRB added that it had ordered the tollway operators to replace worn-out and defective sensors, radio frequency identification (RFID) tags and equipment, and relocate RFID installation and reloading lanes to prevent congestion on the turnpikes.

JE