Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 9) — A lawmaker expressed his disappointment over what he said was the Toll Regulatory Board’s inaction on the RFID mess that worsened traffic on toll expressways.
In a virtual briefing on Thursday, House transportation committee chair Edgar Sarmiento slammed TRB for not acting on numerous issues involving faulty Radio Frequency Identification sensors. The problem prompted Valenzuela City government to suspend the city permit of North Luzon Expressway Corp.
“May sala po ang TRB. Sa akin po, pag ginagawa po ang trabaho ng TRB, matagal na itong natugunan nila,” Sarmiento said.
[Translation: It’s TRB’s fault. To me, if only TRB does its job, they could have responded to this beforehand.]
Sarmiento also raised the possibility of vetoing the TRB’s budget for 2021 and questioning its management problems in the chamber.
“Iyon ang huling alas namin eh (That’s our last card), he said.
Sarmiento is not the only lawmaker who spoke up against TRB’s performance amid RFID glitches.
Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, the brother of Valenzuela City mayor Rex Gatchalian, previously called for the resignation of the head of the TRB, and recommended that he “hand over the post to someone who knows his job.”
Toll fees are currently waived in NLEx toll gates in Valenzuela City after the company failed to meet the local government’s deadline in presenting concrete plans to solve RFID glitches.
TRB head Abraham Sales has not commented on the issue so far, but the agency released a statement Wednesday saying it is poised to impose penalties and even suspend toll operators that do not follow the Implementing Rules and Regulations on cashless transaction on toll expressways.
They recommended the following to all toll operators:
– Immediate replacement of worn out and defective sensors, related RFID equipment and RFID tags
– Relocate/reposition RFID installation and reloading lanes that hamper traffic flow
– Maintain/improve/upgrade systems software
– Enhance traffic management
– Improve customer service assistance, among others
Meanwhile, the agency said that it could not touch on the matter between Valenzuela and the NLEx operator, but noted that the issue “is being given appropriate attention.”
The dialogue between Mayor Gatchalian and NLEx has been postponed after the firm supposedly threatened to file a temporary restraining order against the local government for the suspension of its business permit.
Mayor Gatchalian posted on Wednesday screenshots of the responses of NLEx Corp. senior vice president Romulo Quimbo Jr. in a radio interview, who mentioned the possibility of filing a TRO.
“We are ready to answer, we know what we did is right, we know what we did is legal,” Gatchalian told CNN Philippines.
The mayor added that he will not “venture as far as the revocation” of the business permit, and give time for NLEx to solve the RFID mess.
CNN Philippines Correspondent Tristan Nodalo contributed to this report.
