By Rainier Allan Ronda and Rhodina Villanueva
Updated July 24, 2009 12:00 AM [ philstar.com ]
MANILA, Philippines - Officials of the Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) continue to remain silent yesterday on an impending 60 percent toll hike for a five to seven-kilometer stretch of the Manila-Cavite Toll Expressway, popularly known as the Coastal Road.
TRB spokesman Julius Corpuz said they have no official statement clarifying the toll increase covering the section of the Coastal Road from Kabihasnan to Roxas Boulevard. Starting Aug. 1, the toll to pass this section would increase from P5 to P8, an increase of P3 or 60 percent.
“I was not able to get a statement from our officials. I do not have the details as of this time,” he told The STAR.
The Coastal Road toll had been increased last Jan. 1 by as much as 22 percent: from P18 to P22 (P4 or 22 percent) for Class 1 vehicles or light cars; P36 to P43 (P7 or 19 percent) for Class 2 or light trucks and buses; and P54 to P65 (P11 or 20 percent) for Class 3 or heavy trucks.
‘Reconsider toll hike’
Both the Parañaque and Las Piñas City governments said the impending increase in toll rates for the Kabihasnan-Baclaran stretch of Coastal Road should be reconsidered.
Nelson Lacambra, spokesperson of Parañaque Mayor Florencio Bernabe, said the increase will be an additional burden to motorists passing through the area.
He said that apart from residents in the area, there are also a number of vehicles going back and forth, doing business in the city or nearby cities.
“Concerned officials should rethink the plan of increasing toll fee rates especially that the cost of fuel has been fluctuating,” Lacambra added.
Las Piñas Mayor Vergel Aguilar said it would be better if the toll increase is postponed so officials will have time to rethink the plan.
Aguilar said these are hard times and a few pesos do matter. He added the TRB officials can come up with a better plan that will benefit both government and the public.
Earlier, an official of the Philippine Estates Authority (PEA)-Tollway office said though they welcome comments and reactions from affected motorists, the suspension of the toll increase will depend on the Toll Regulatory Board.
Rene Mauricio, manager of the Traffic Safety and Regulatory Unit of the PEA-Tollway, said their office is just the implementing body and the increase in toll rates was based on a resolution passed by the TRB.
“This will just however, apply to Class 1 motorists, basically private vehicles such as cars traversing Kabihasnan Road going to the Baclaran area,” he said.
Increase ‘unjustified’
Public transport sector party-list group 1-UTAK (United Transport Koalisyon) questioned the TRB for approving seemingly unjustified toll increases at the Coastal Road.
1-UTAK party-list Rep. Vigor Mendoza said he has written TRB executive director Manuel Imperial yesterday to ask for the board’s records concerning its deliberations for the grant of toll hikes at the Coastal Road last Jan. 1.
“We want to study the basis for the TRB’s grant of the toll hikes. We also want to find out the toll fee cost per kilometer at the toll road,” Mendoza told The STAR.
Mendoza said they will compare the toll fees in other countries’ toll roads “that are also of the same condition as Coastal Road because we want to determine if the fees are justified considering the condition of the (Coastal Road) now.”
Earlier reports said the TRB approved the 60 percent increase last July 1.
“The service is not good and we think they do not deserve to collect such a high toll fee from motorists who go through their toll road,” Mendoza said.
He said that from the information his group had gathered, the TRB approved the toll fees on the basis that revenues to be collected will be used to expand and improve the tollway.
“If the service is not yet there, they have no basis to collect higher toll fees,” Mendoza said.
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