Poe: Explain ‘drastic’ toll rate hike

FILE PHOTO: NLEX toll gates. INQUIRER FILES

MANILA, Philippines — The head of the Senate committee on public services is demanding an explanation from the Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) for its planned toll rate increase on North Luzon Expressway (NLEx) this week.

According to Senator Grace Poe, the “drastic hike in toll rates must be explained in detail to the motoring public.”

“If these were periodic adjustments from more than a decade ago, the Toll Regulatory Board must explain why it only approved it now in one big swoop,” Poe said in a statement on Tuesday.

Starting Thursday, June 15, motorists using the major expressway would have to pay an additional P7 to P98, depending on the type of vehicle and distance.

According to TRB, the increase was part of the periodic toll rate adjustment petitions filed by NLEx Corp. in 2012, 2014, 2018 and 2020.

“The new provisionally approved toll rate adjustments have undergone a very thorough, meticulous and lengthy review and were allowed to be implemented only after NLEx complied with all the procedures and requirements of the TRB,” the board explained.

Poe, however, argued that “the question of reasonableness should not just be based on the PPP (Public-Private Partnership) contract but also on traffic data.”

“Is the expressway really providing express service? Is the convenience provided equal to what is being charged?” she asked.

“Maybe it is also high time that the government study dynamic pricing. We should not be charging high rates if customer satisfaction is low or performance benchmarks are not met,” the senator also said.

While fare adjustments are within the PPP contract, Poe reminded the TRB of its duty to ensure that the interests of the commuting public are also protected.

“I urge the Toll Regulatory Board to look into this matter from a different perspective and make considerations for the end-users,” she said.

“We pay tolls for a faster journey – that is exactly why it is called an expressway. We should approve toll fees at the same speeds that the expressway affords its users,” Poe added.

In a separate statement early Tuesday, Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III called on the TRB and the  NLEX management to defer the planned toll hike until the traffic problem is addressed.

JMS/abc