Camarines Sur-based lawmakers are prodding the Department of Agriculture (DA) and Department of Transportation (DOTr) to expand the scope and duration of its month-long toll-free transport of farm produce.

Rep. Migz Villafuerte of the province's 5th district and Rep. Luigi Villafuerte of the 2nd district said such expansion would help stabilize for a longer period both the supply and retail cost of rice and other food items amid elevated global fuel prices

The Villafuertes earlier lauded the one-month exemption from tollway fee payments of truckers hauling food items, under a newly launched project facilitated by the DA and DOTr,

Launched last April 20, this “Agri-Trucks Toll Free Program” was facilitated by the DA, DOTr and the DOTr-attached Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) with toll concessionaires Metro Pacific Tollway Corp. (MPTC) and the SMC Tollway Corp. (SMCTC). It covers 1,162 trucks that were already accredited under the DA’s Food Lane program, which was initiated during the Covid-19 pandemic to ensure the continuous transport of goods amid mobility restrictions.

The DA says that although there are actually 4,000 registered truckers, only 1,162 have valid accreditation at present.

The solon-siblings expressed hopes these agencies could work with toll operators on making this initiative last for longer and cover as many as 4,000 trucks that transport a combined 16,000 metric tons (MT) of farm goods to markets on a daily basis.

“We are appealing to the DA to take extra effort to onboard the rest of the 4,000 registered truckers as a way to expand the scope of this novel initiative by streamlining its registration process, expanding enrollment on-site and/or online, and faster approvals of interested or would-be applicants,” Rep. Luigi said.

“Also, we are calling upon the DA to consider with the DOTr, TRB, MPTC and SMCTC the possibility of extending this toll-free project for more than a month,” he added.

This initiative is part of the Unified Package for Livelihoods, Industry, Food, and Transport (UPLIFT) program of President Marcos for the agricultural sector, to ensure that food items remain accessible and affordable despite surging oil prices arising from the Middle East war and supply disruptions at the Strait of Hormuz.

According to reports, the 1,162 truckers thus far accredited under this project could save P52 million to P152 million in transport expenses. Every trucker can reportedly save P1,500 to P6,000 per trip.  

Earlier, Rep. Migz backed the proposal of the House Legislative Energy Action and Development (LEAD) Council for a two-month suspension on the collection of the value added tax (VAT) on petroleum products.

“I agree with Rep. Miro that a two-month VAT suspension is feasible, in light of the projected P20 billion windfall profits that the government has thus far collected from the outrageously high diesel and gasoline prices at the pump after  the US-Israel joint attack on Iran began nearly two months ago,” Rep. Migz said. 

The LEAD Council is being presided over by Marikina City 2nd district Rep. Miro Quimbo. It is where House members have pitched both short-term and long-term solutions to fuel price crisis.