Gatchalian: More loopholes in RFID system bared

More loopholes were uncovered in the implementation of cashless transactions in toll ways, according to Senator Win Gatchalian, which prompted Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Arthur Tugade to accede to the overall impression of failure of leadership and failure of enforcement of regulatory officials manning the expressways.

Senators were told during the recent hearing on radio-frequency identification (RFID) that the mandatory cashless toll collection proceeded even sans any clear-cut policy and sanctions against erring toll operators, plan on the site for installation and reloading lanes, and without ensuring first whether there are still glitches in the system.

Tugade subscribed to ineptness in overseeing the accountability of toll operators due to the absence of any specific sanctions or penalties and key performance indicators.

"Sinong leadership tinutukoy nyo? You said leadership, whose leadership?" Gatchalian, Vice Chairman of the Senate Public Services Committee, asked during the hearing to which Tugade candidly replied with "Yung head po ng TRB (Toll Regulatory Board), yung executive director among others."

Tugade sits as the chairman of the board in the TRB, the executive director of which is Abraham Sales.

Sales told the committee that the matter on the glitches in the RFID system was only discussed in a consultation meeting after the DOTr issued Department Order (DO) No. 2020-012 - the policy mandating cashless transactions in all toll roads in the country beginning December 1, 2020. He admitted that those glitches are still currently being addressed by toll operators.

Gatchalian and committee chairperson Sen. Grace Poe highlighted the lack of existing schedule of penalties in the concession agreement of the TRB with NLEX Corporation, operator of the 101-kilometer North Luzon expressway (NLEx), the gateway of Metro Manila to Central and Northern Luzon, as well as in the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of DOTR's department order.

Three years since the memorandum of agreement (MOA) for toll interoperability and electronic toll collection was inked by the government and toll concessionaires, the basis for the issuance of DO 2020-012, senators noted the lack of any existing sanctions and performance standards which could hold toll operators liable on issues such as the radio frequency identification (RFID) mess.

"Bakit tayo umabot sa ganito? Kung may regulator na itinalaga, pinapasweldo, may opisina at may kapangyarihan sa kanyang charter, bakit umabot sa ganito? Inabgrabyado natin ang mga motorista. Sec. Tugade should crack the whip. The MOA is useless, it's a mere toilet paper," Gatchalian said.

"Kaya tayo nandito. May problema po tayo dahil we cannot measure the performance of NLEX Corp. and kayo mismo, who is the regulator, should be measuring them. Again, kaya tayo pinaiikutan nitong mga concessionaire ay dahil alam nila na hindi sila binabantayan," Gatchalian further lamented.

During the hearing, senators learned that the TRB board convened to address the problem only last December 9.

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Gatchalian: Iba pang mga kapalpakan sa RFID system nabunyag sa Senado

Nabunyag sa pagdinig sa Senado ang iba pang mga kapalpakan sa pagpapatupad ng cashless transaction sa mga toll ways, ayon kay Senador Win Gatchalian. Dahil dito, walang nagawa kundi umamin si Department of Transportation (DOTr) Sec. Arthur Tugade na nagkaroon ng failure of leadership at failure of enforcement ang mga regulatory officials na ngangasiwa sa mga expressways.

Sa pagdinig ng Senado sa issue ng radio frequency identification (RFID) scheme sa mga toll ways kamakailan lamang, napag-alaman ng mga senador na ipinatupad ang mandatory cashless toll collection kahit na walang malinaw na alintuntunin, walang nakalatag na kaparusahan sa mga hindi magpapatupad ng mandato, planong lugar para sa installation at reloading lanes at hindi nasiguro kung gumagana ang lahat ng RFID sensors.

Sumang-ayon si Tugade sa kakulangan sa pangangasiwa ng pananagutan ng mga toll operators bunsod ng kawalan ng kaukulang kaparusahan at key performance indicators ng mga namumuno dito.

Ipinagdiinan ni Tugade na pumalpak ang Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) sa pamumuno ng executive director nito na si Abraham Sales sa gulong nangyayari kaugnay ng isyu ng RFID.

Samantala, si Tugade ang tumatayong chairman of the board sa TRB.

Inamin ni Sales sa komite na napag-usapan lamang ang mga kapalpakan sa RFID system noong nagkaroon ng consultation meeting makaraang maglabas ang DOTr ng department order ukol sa pagpapatupad ng mandatory cashless transactions sa mga toll plazas. Inamin din nya na hanggang sa kasalukuyan ay inaasikaso pa rin ng mga toll operators ang mga palyadong RFID sensors.

Biniyang diin ni Gatchalian at ang chairperson ng Committee on Public Services na si Sen. Grace Poe ang kawalan ng schedule of penalties sa ilalim ng kasunduang nilagdaan ng TRB at ng NLEX Corporation, ang operator ng 101-kilometrong North Luzon expressway (NLEx), ang nagsisilbing gateway ng Metro Manila sa mga karatig probinsya sa Northern Luzon. Nadiskubre din ng mga senador ang kawalan ng nakalatag na kaparusahan sa implementing rules and regulations (IRR) ng naturang department order ng DOTr o DO No. 2020-012, patakarang nag-uutos ng cashless transactions sa mga toll roads sa bansa simula noong December 1, 2020.

Napansin din ng mga senador ang kawalan ng performance standards na dapat maging basehan para mapanagot ang mga toll operators sa mga isyu katulad ng palyadong RFID kahit tatlong taon na ang nakalipas matapos lagdaan ng gobyerno at toll concessionaires ang memorandum of agreement (MOA) para sa toll interoperability at electronic toll collection na naging basehan sa pagpapalabas ng DO 2020-012.

"Bakit tayo umabot sa ganito? Kung may regulator na itinalaga, pinapasweldo, may opisina at may kapangyarihan sa kanyang charter, bakit umabot sa ganito? Inabgrabyado natin ang mga motorista. Sec. Tugade should crack the whip. The MOA is useless, it's a mere toilet paper," ani Gatchalian.

"Kaya tayo nandito. May problema po tayo dahil we cannot measure the performance of NLEX Corp. and kayo mismo, who is the regulator, should be measuring them. Kaya tayo pinaiikutan nitong mga concessionaire ay dahil alam nila na hindi sila binabantayan," sabi ni Gatchalian na pinapatukuyan ang TRB.

Sa nasabing pagdinig, napag-alaman din ng mga senador na nagpatawag ng pagpupulong ang TRB board para talakayin ang mga problema sa RFID system noon lamang December 9.

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