DOTr open to further deferment of new toll fines

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Transportation (DOTr) may further extend the enforcement date of new fines on tollway users, cracking under pressure by the House of Representatives as they rethink the set of penalties it intends to impose on motorists without electronic toll collection (ETC) devices.

In a hearing led by the House committee on transportation, Transportation Undersecretary Jesus Ferdinand Ortega said the DOTr is amenable to further postponing the implementation of Joint Memorandum Circular 2024-01.

Ortega said the DOTr deferred the enforcement of the JMC to Oct. 1, initially from Aug. 31, to give toll operators and users more time to familiarize themselves with the new rules.

“The Oct. 1 deadline is movable... If it is needed, we will not have second thoughts about (further) extending it,” Ortega said.

However, legislators led by committee chairman Rep. Romeo Acop want the DOTr to withdraw the circular altogether for various reasons.

The lawmaker slammed the DOTr for signing the JMC without considering whether expressway operators are ready to go full cashless, pointing out that several toll plazas fail to read radio frequency identification devices (RFID) as reported by motorists.

He then questioned why the DOTr is prioritizing the penalties on the traveling public when toll systems are far from being reliable.

Toll Regulatory Board executive director Alvin Carullo disclosed that his office has failed to conduct a study on whether motorists have the financial capacity to load up their RFID on a consistent basis.

Given this, Acop said he will initiate a motu proprio investigation on the DOTr if it pushes through with the enforcement of the JMC on Oct. 1.

He further demanded the agency to ensure first that RFID readers in toll plazas are reliable before imposing fines on motorists.

The JMC penalizes motorists who enter a tollway without an ETC device. The order sets fines of P1,000 for the first offense, P2,000 for the second offense and P5,000 for subsequent offenses.

The circular also punishes motorists who exit an expressway with insufficient load balance in their RFID: P500 for the initial offense, P1,000 for the second offense and P2,500 for proceeding offenses.

The JMC is supposed to compel motorists to go cashless in using the tollways. It aims to remove the build-up at toll gates caused by cash booths, which the DOTr blames as a cause of heavy traffic.