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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider 'Who do you serve?': Acop grills DOTr over new tollway guidelines

'Who do you serve?': Acop grills DOTr over new tollway guidelines

Published Aug 28, 2024 09:44 am

At A Glance

  • Antipolo City 2nd district Rep. Romeo Acop is questioning the intentions of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) with its incoming new tollway guidelines, particularly on the penalties imposed on those with insufficient radio frequency identification device (RFID) load balances.

FB_IMG_1704940624296.jpgAntipolo City 2nd district Rep. Romeo Acop (Facebook)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Antipolo City 2nd district Rep. Romeo Acop is questioning the intentions of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) with its incoming new tollway guidelines, particularly on the penalties imposed on those with insufficient radio frequency identification device (RFID) load balances.

“May I know, sino ba ang boss natin? (who is your boss) ‘Yun bang (Is it) the people we serve o ‘yung mga operators ng (or the operators of the) tollways?" Acop asked during the agency's budget deliberations on Wednesday, Aug. 28.

“Your honor, of course we serve the people not the operators,” answered DOTr Secretary Jaime Bautista.

Acop told the House Committee on Appropriations that when he traveled to Baguio City two weeks ago, he witnessed firsthand how the RFID that the DOTr attached on his car wasn’t being scanned by the system of the tollway operator.

“Now, the question is, why should I be penalized for an inefficient system which cannot even read the RFID that you put into my car?” the veteran lawmaker stressed.

“The way I look at it, you’re protecting the concessionaires, not your bosses [the people that you serve],” said Acop.

“Dapat hindi po kayo i-penalize (You should not be penalized),” said TRB Executive Director Alvin Carullo.

“Dapat nga (It should be), but your circular says, we will be penalized,” Acop said in response.

Under a joint memorandum circular by the DOTr, Land Transportation Office (LTO), and Toll Regulatory Board (TRB), motorists without electronic toll collection (ETC) devices or those with a damaged one will get slapped with a fine of P5,000.

Those with insufficient RFID balances will likewise be penalized, with fines reaching up to P2,500.

Although originally scheduled to take effect by Aug. 31, this new policy has since been postponed to Oct. 31 to give tollway operators the opportunity to “fine-tune” their expressway operations.

Carullo says that if the operator’s system is at fault, then they are the ones who will face the penalties, not the motorist.

Acop requested the submission of a report divulging the amount of penalties that highway operators have supposedly paid to the TRB.

 

Related Tags

RFID Department of Transportation (DOTr) Romeo Acop Tollway operators
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