Sunday, October 19, 2008 [ sunstar.com.ph ]
TRADERS and truckers from Northern Luzon transporting their goods to Central Luzon and Metro Manila must already avail of the use of the 94-kilometer Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX) to ensure faster delivery of goods and commodities to their respective points of destination.
Robert Gervacio, program manager for operation and special services of the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA), said the faster transport of goods would translate to fresher products, particularly agricultural crops, would be in the market.
At the same time, Gervacio pointed out that passing through the P27.1 billion road project linking Northern and Central Luzon would help truckers and traders evade the extortion activities of law enforcers along the busy national road leading to the various markets.
According to him, the toll fees, which is P2 per kilometer, being collected by the Tollways Management Corporation (TMC) from the motorists passing through SCTEX, is far more cost-saving on the part of the truckers and traders rather than paying extortion money to unscrupulous members of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Land Transportation Office (LTO).
The BCDA plans to hold a dialogue and consultation with various business groups in this mountain resort city and the nearby Benguet Province to rally truckers and traders into using SCTEX regularly for convenience.
SCTEX is considered to be a high quality road, which has significantly reduced travel time from Metro Manila to Northern Luzon and from Central Luzon to Northern Luzon and Metro Manila and vice versa.
BCDA operations manager Gervacio explained the TMC is observing the enforcement of international and national traffic rules and regulations along the stretch of SCTEX especially on overloading to prevent the rapid deterioration of the highway's pavement.
The Anti-Overloading Law allows six-wheeler vehicles to pass through national roads and bridges if it has an axial load of not more than 13.5 tons with 20 percent of its load in the front axle the remaining 80 percent must be equally distributed in the rear axle.
Aside from reduced travel time, the full commercial operation of SCTEX means saving on fuel for the motorists, reduced maintenance cost, and improved delivery of goods and commodities to the potential markets.
SCTEX is a major flagship of the National Government through the BCDA to improve accessibility in the Northern and Central Luzon area which has already resulted in a tourism, agriculture and economic development in key development areas such as the Subic Bay Freeport zone in Zambales, Morong economic zone in Bataan, Clarkfield economic zone in Pampanga, Tarlac industrial park in Tarlac, Poro Point Freeport zone in La Union, and Camp John Hay special economic zone in Baguio City.
One of the major thrust of the BCDA is to convert former American bases in the country into productive use for the benefit of the country's economic growth. (DAS)
