Probe on NLEX toll hike sought

Rep. Carlos Zarate of Bayan Muna party-list filed yesterday a resolution in the House seeking to investigate the North Luzon Expressway toll increase that was approved by the Toll Regulatory Board.

House Resolution 1435 aims to dig deeper into what Zarate termed as “anomalous provisional approval of the toll fare increase for the NLEX and the Southern Tagalog Arterial Road (STAR).”

He wants the House committee on transportation to conduct an investigation in aid of legislation on the provisional 25 centavos per kilometer toll hike of NLEX and 67 centavos per kilometer rate increase of STAR that took effect yesterday.

He said TRB committed grave abuse of discretion in approving the Supplemental Toll Operations Agreement (STOA) it entered with the owners of the expressways, as it was made without prior notice and public hearing as required in Section 3(d) of Presidential Decree 1112.

The STOA specifies the fixed rate and amount of toll fees for the 25-year contract between the TRB and NLEX and STAR toll. It is also in the STOA where the proposed toll fees are specified.

But Section 3(d) of PD 1112 states that before toll rates may be issued, modified and promulgated, there must be prior notice and public hearing “to approve or disapprove the petitions for the increase.”

“The fixed toll rates are predetermined, thereby negating the legal procedure for toll increases as stipulated in Section 3 of PD 1112,” the resolution stated.

Zarate also noted that the parties involved in the STOA refuse to disclose the contents of the contract, as suspicions of overcollection and over-compensation favoring expressway owners become more apparent.

“The TRB appears to have failed to protect the interest of the Filipino people by entering into a contract which charges exorbitant toll fees,” Zarate said in his resolution.

“This action puts undue economic pressure on the road users, particularly the ordinary commuters, who use these expressways daily, as excessive toll fee increases result in proportional fare hikes,” Zarate added.

The TRB and expressway owners must likewise reveal the pertinent sections of the contract to check if the fixed toll fees are justified and favorable for expressway users, he added.