Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 11)—The Marcos administration has to implement the steep increase in the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) toll rate to make up for the authorized periodic adjustments due in previous years, Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno said Sunday.
“The increase piled up because of the inaction of previous administrations. The Ferdinand Marcos Jr. administration had to act on petitions from 2010,” Diokno said in a statement.
“You better ask the previous administrations’ decision makers,” he told CNN Philippines.
Diokno also said the NLEX rate increase is for staggered implementation over several years.
“The petitions were carefully studied and analyzed. They were approved objectively and fairly,” he added. “Government needs to perform its contractual obligations under the STOAs. We’re promoting PPPs. And the government will have no credibility as a partner if it does not comply with its contractual obligations under past PPP contracts.”
“The Toll Regulatory Board allowed NLEX to collect this year the fourth and last tranche of the 2012 and 2014 periodic adjustments and only half of the 2018 and 2020 increases to help ‘curb the existing inflationary situation and cushion their impact on the users of the expressway,'” the NLEX Corporation said.
The firm added that the collected fees will be used in its expansion projects such as the 3rd Candaba Viaduct, which will connect Commonwealth Avenue and Mindanao Avenue via C5 Road, and additional lanes from San Fernando to Sta. Ines in Pampanga.
Motorists traveling within the open system will now have to pay an additional ₱7 for Class 1 vehicles (regular cars and SUVs), ₱17 for Class 2 vehicles (buses and small trucks), and ₱19 for Class 3 vehicles (large trucks).
Those traveling within the close system will pay 36 centavos more per kilometer.
NLEX said those traveling end-to-end between Metro Manila and Mabalacat City will pay an additional ₱33 for Class 1, ₱81 for Class 2, and ₱98 for Class 3 vehicles.
The new toll rates will be implemented starting June 15.
