POE WELCOMES INDEFINITE SUSPENSION OF RFID SYSTEM

Sen. Grace Poe welcomed the declaration of Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade to indefinitely suspend full cashless transactions at the toll plazas during the hearing of the Senate public services committee on the radio frequency identification (RFID) system.

At the same time, Poe reiterated that officials responsible for the RFID mess are not yet off the hook.

"This is a welcome development but it's not enough. We must see to it that this will boil down to the convenience and safety of our motorists who shell out their hard-earned money for such fees," Poe said.

Tugade told senators, "Kaya ang ginawa ko, open window for the continued extension of the status quo... In effect, there is a mutual 'pagpapalawig.'"

"I assure you, I listened and I learned, and I promise you, Madam Chair, because I listened and I learned, I will act," Tugade added.

In turn, Poe said, "Magandang pamasko po 'yan para sa ating mga kababayan."

The chairperson of the Senate committee on public services cited the Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) for the traffic problems emanating from the poor implementation of the cashless toll collection system.

"The Toll Regulatory Board, as the primary regulator of toll operators, cannot escape the blame. It seems to me that the TRB has been content to do two things and nothing else: raise toll rates and collect fees," Poe lamented.

In 2019, only 25 to 30 percent of vehicles that regularly pass through NLEX were RFID users. The implementing rules and regulations for cashless transactions in tollways was released by the TRB in October yet toll operators and motorists needed to comply with it just one month after.

"Some policies require urgent implementation especially during a pandemic. However, requiring a shift to 100-percent cashless toll collection system in a matter of three or four months is hasty and unrealistic," Poe said.

Up to now, the TRB has no schedule of penalties for the poor performance of some toll operators and no sanctions have been imposed on NLEX Corp. amid the problems encountered at its toll plazas recently and other complaints that have been going on for years.

"The backlash in this implementation of the electronic toll collection system reminded those in public service about the importance of careful planning and thorough preparation. It also exposed the tendency of some government agencies to yield to what seems like 'trial and error' when it comes to implementing new policies," Poe said.

The senator noted that the TRB not only failed its regulatory function but also failed in its job of collecting toll fees. According to the report of the Commission on Audit, the TRB failed to collect P44.24 million in toll fees in 2017 and P859.94 million in 2019.

"The general sentiment of the public reveals a lack of foresight on the policy and gross mishandling of the situation," Poe said. "Hindi naman tama na sa pagmamadali natin, kapakanan ng ating mga kababayang motorista ang masasakripisyo. We have seen this before. Magmamadali mag-implement ng bagong polisiya, tapos ititigil kapag maraming nagreklamo."