Image: Courtesy of the Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation
MANILA, Philippines — The Tollway Regulatory Board (TRB) is eyeing to implement the three-strike policy against motorists abusing the cashless toll collection in two weeks or once toll operators are able to meet minimum operating standards, an official of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) said Wednesday.
During the meeting of the House Committee on Transportation, DOTr Undersecretary Garry de Guzman stressed the three-strike policy is not yet being implemented.
“Hindi pa po sinisumulan. Kailangan magkaroon muna ng information dissemination. Ang target po namin diyan is two weeks from now, mga February 22,” De Guzman said.
(This is not yet implemented. We need to have proper information dissemination. Our target is to implement this two weeks from now, around February 22.)
De Guzman, however, underscored this is only a target date and that the transportation department will have another dialog with toll operators on February 18, to see if the three-strike policy can be implemented.
“Kung nakita namin na ready sila (toll operators), then we will proceed with the proposed three-strike policy,” De Guzman said, adding that toll operators are already addressing issues such as loading, among others.
(If we see that toll operators are ready, then we will proceed with the proposed three-strike policy.)
De Guzman explained that the three-strike policy was proposed following data showing radio-frequency identification (RFID) sticker users entering lanes without load amid the deferment of the implementation of the cashless toll policy.
Meanwhile, DOTr Assistant Secretary Banoy Lopez assured there will be proper information dissemination for the motorists before the policy is implemented.
Under the three-strike policy, for the first offense, motorists will be reminded to reload for the RFID lanes. On the second offense, the driver will be warned, and on the third offense, the driver will be slapped with appropriate fines.
Toll operators need to be compliant, too
In the same hearing, Muntinlupa Rep. Ruffy Biazon asked if the TRB is also contemplating a three-strike policy against toll operators amid reports of delays in the opening of barriers and inefficient reading of RFIDs, among others.
Biazon added that there are also reports of disappearing loads.
“Nasa final stages na kami ng pag-draft at pag-adopt ng minimum standards and key performance indicators for the operators,” De Guzman said.
(We are in the final stages of drafting and adopting the minimum standards and key performance indicators for the operators.)
“Sa kauna-unahang pagkakataon, maga-adopt ang TRB ng mga minimum performance standards and may corresponding penalties,” he added.
(For the first time, the TRB will adopt minimum performance standards with corresponding penalties.)
Asked if it would be fair to first ensure that toll operators are compliant with the minimum performance standards before implementing the three-strike policy, De Guzman said: “Sinisigurado natin na [We make sure that] we will be fair to the motorists that before we implement the three-strike policy, that we should be able to be convinced that the operators are ready also.”