DoTr postpones penalties for motorists without RFID to 2025

THE DEPARTMENT of Transportation (DoTr) has deferred the implementation of new tollway rules, which impose fines on motorists with no radio frequency identification (RFID) tags or insufficient funds on their accounts, to 2025.

“The DoTr has pushed back to 2025 the imposition of fines on motorists violating rules in expressways in NCR (National Capital Region) and neighboring areas, including the installation and proper loading of RFID,” the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) said in a Facebook post in Filipino on Sunday.

The PCO said the implementation of penalties under Joint Memorandum Circular No. 2024-001 has been postponed “in accordance with President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.’s goal to solve the traffic problem.”

The circular signed by Transportation Secretary Jaime J. Bautista, Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) Executive Director Alvin A. Carullo and Transport Assistant Secretary Vigor D. Mendoza, was initially set for implementation on Aug. 31.

The implementation was later moved to Oct. 1 to give time for tollway operators and concerned agencies to fine-tune their operations and to conduct a public information campaign.

Nigel Paul C. Villarete, senior adviser on public-private partnership at Libra Konsult, Inc. said postponing the implementation of the new tollway guidelines is valid as long as the agencies are fine-tuning the policy.

“Postponing the execution of a valid and legitimate policy action is okay if there are some adjustments to be made. But to keep on postponing it repeatedly speaks of a lapse in operational management and execution,” Mr. Villarete said in a Viber message.

Under the rules, all motorists passing through expressways without RFID tags or having insufficient balance on their accounts will face penalties.

Motorists entering an access highway without RFID tags or electronic toll collection (ETC) device will incur a fine of P1,000 for the first offense, P2,000 for the second offense and P5,000 for subsequent offenses, the TRB said.

Motorists exiting toll expressways with insufficient account balance will be fined P500 for the first offense, P1,000 for the second offense and P2,500 for subsequent offenses.

Mr. Villarete said all concerned agencies and tollway operators should not implement these new rules unless they are “completely certain of their applicability and operability.”

“Cashless, barrier-less tolling should be the norm in the future, as this makes travel more efficient, and brings out toll roads at par to global standards,” Terry L. Ridon, a public investment analyst and convenor of think tank InfraWatch PH, said in a Viber message.

BusinessWorld sought comments from toll road operators Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. (MPTC) and San Miguel Corp. but had not received a response as of the deadline.

MPTC President and Chief Executive Officer Rogelio L. Singson has said the imposition of fines would ensure the full implementation of a cashless collection system.

The implementation of a cashless toll collection is a prerequisite for the eventual shift to electronic toll collection interoperability by October, MPTC said

The TRB is targeting to introduce a unified RFID wallet system or interoperability between Easytrip and Autosweep by October.

Easytrip is used on MPTC’s North Luzon Expressway, Subic–Clark–Tarlac Expressway, Manila-Cavite Expressway and Cavite-Laguna Expressway.

Meanwhile, Autosweep is used on the San Miguel group’s Skyway, South Luzon Expressway, NAIA Expressway, Southern Tagalog Arterial Road Tollway, and Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway.

MPTC is the tollways unit of Metro Pacific Investments Corp., one of three key Philippine units of Hong Kong-based First Pacific Co. Ltd., the others being Philex Mining Corp. and PLDT Inc.

Hastings Holdings, Inc., a unit of PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund subsidiary MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., has a majority stake in BusinessWorld through the Philippine Star Group, which it controls. — Ashley Erika O. Jose