No penalty for motorists who encounter broken RFID machines – officials

The committee on appropriations’ budget deliberation for the 2025 proposed budget of the Department of Transportation on Wednesday, August 28, 2024. (Screenshot from the House of Representative/Youtube)

MANILA, Philippines — Motorists will not be penalized if they chance upon a broken radio frequency identification (RFID) reading machines on tollways, transportation officials said on Wednesday.

In the budget deliberations for the department, Alliance for Concerned Teachers Rep. France Castro said that the resolution to impose monetary fines on motorists with insufficient RFID load balance or no load at all is “excessive.”

She asked the agency what the penalties would be for operators if motorists experience broken RFID reading machines even if they have valid and enough RFID load balance.

READ: Colmenares describes RFID fines as ‘nothing short of highway robbery’

“Madalas din akong nakakakita kapag dumadaan sa toll way, sira ‘yong mga device. So kami naman ‘yong naaabala. So ano naman ‘yong magiging penalty kung sira, and I have sufficient fund for my RFID pero kapag kayo naman yung pumalpak at naharang kami roon, so ano naman yung penalty ng operators?” the lawmaker asked.

(I always see broken devices on tollways, making us inconvenienced. So, what will be the penalty if it is broken and I have sufficient fund for my RFID but it’s your machines that are broken. What will be the penalty of operators?)

Assistant Secretary Vigor Mendoza III, Land Transportation Office (LTO) chief, said that the blame will be on the operators.

“On the part of the operators, kapag sira ‘yong RFID reading machine, hindi po ipepenalize ‘yong motorista. Kasalanan po ng expressway ‘yon,” Mendoza said.

(On the part of the operators, the motorists will not be penalized if the RFID reading machine is broken. It’s the expressway’s fault.)

Alvin Carullo, executive director of Toll Regulatory Board (TRB), added that toll operators will face heavier penalties than the motorists.

“Tungkol naman po sa toll operators, mayroon din po tayong guidelines po dyan… Kinekwenta po yan. 1,500 [pesos]… Mayroon po kasi syang formula sa doon sa ating minimum performance specification standards for toll collection system,” Carullo noted.

(About the toll operators, we have guidelines for that… We compute it. 1,500 [pesos]… We have formula indicated in the minimum specification standards for toll collection system.)

“Gagarintiya ko po sa’yo, mas mabigat ang penalty natin sa toll operators kaysa doon sa motorista,” he added.

(I guarantee you, the penalty for toll operators is heavier than the one for the motorist.)

Castro then asked if the penalties will be brought in the national treasury, in which Carullo confirmed.

READ: Fines await those without RFID, with insufficient load by Aug. 31

The imposition of fines for the said offense is pursuant to the Joint Memorandum Circular No. 2024-001 signed by the DOTr, LTO, and TRB last August 1.

It was originally expected to take effect on August 31, 2024. However, the implementation of the revised guidelines will be moved to October 1, 2024.

According to a statement released by the DOTr on Tuesday, the deferment is done to “finetune expressway operations and further intensify the public information campaign to enable tollway users to comply with the new guidelines.”