Toll increases baseless, questionable – lawmaker

A LAWMAKER has slammed the Toll Regulatory Board ( TRB) for the provisional toll increases recently granted to toll operators of the North Luzon Expressway ( NLEX) and Star, describing them as “baseless” and “questionable.”

Bayan Muna party-list Rep. Carlos Zarate in a statement on Wednesday said the toll hikes are just a way for the toll operators to make more money at the expense of the public.

“We believe that there is no basis for such proposed hikes. In the last four years, these expressway companies have been earning P2.3 billion to P2.99 billion in income. These companies are hardly at the losing end of the deal, they just want to rake in more profits,” Zarate added.

He pointed out that planned implementation of the toll increases on November 6 was hastily set as there have been no hearings held to discuss the matter.

“These proposed hikes are very questionable because of lack of transparency. Up till now, these expressway operators are yet to give us a copy of their Supplemental Toll Operations Agreement [STOA] that we have requested since more than three years ago,” Zarate said in the statement.

“The refusal of the parties involved in the STOA to disclose the contents of the said contract arouses suspicions of over- collection and over- compensation in favor of these companies,” he added.

Zarate said he is still thinking of possible moves against the toll hikes, adding that Bayan Muna may intervene before the TRB on the planned toll increases.

He said a congressional probe may also be in order to look into the toll hikes.