Regulator says toll hikes could take effect at the start of 2011

HIGHER TOLLS could take effect at the start of next year following the Supreme Court’s rejection of a legal challenge, a Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) official yesterday said. 

While the board still has to receive a copy of the high court ruling, TRB spokesperson Julius G. Corpuz told BusinessWorld: "The implementation of the higher toll rates will happen more or less first week of January next year." 

"Our lawyers just have to review the copy of the decision, convene a meeting middle of next week to discuss whether to maintain or increase the existing proposed rates based on the project cost, present and projected traffic volume and operations and maintenance cost," he added. 

"After the meeting, we can have the decision after a day or two. If we will implement the existing proposed rates, we can have the first publication by Dec. 10. We are required to have a once a week publication of the higher toll rates in a national newspaper for the next three weeks." 

Mr. Corpuz said the TRB would also review proposed rates by tollway operator South Luzon Tollway Corp. (SLTC) for the recently completed road 7.5-kilometer link -- known as Toll Road Project 3 (TR3) -- between the South Luzon Expressway (SLEx) and the Southern Tagalog Arterial Road (STAR). 

"SLTC has submitted the new toll rates for TR3. We will include it to the review," he said. 

Isaac S. David, SLTC and Manila Toll Expressway System, Inc. president, yesterday said the submission had been made back in August. 

"We have already sent the TRB a letter for the application of the new toll rates. We followed up our request last Friday through another letter prior to the issuance of the higher court decision," he said. 

Mr. David said that the proposed rate for TR3 was P3.07 per kilometer for class 1 vehicles such as passenger cars, P6.14 per kilometer for class 2 vehicles such as buses and P9.21 per kilometer for class 3 vehicles such as trucks. 

"We have not yet opened TR3 because there are still no approved toll rates. However, if TRB will ask us to open it for the higher volume of traffic expected during the holidays, we will open it," he said. 

"TR3 will let motorists go directly from SLEx to STAR without having to pass through congested national roads, which can take hours depending on traffic." 

In a ten-page decision last week, the Supreme Court cleared the last legal challenge to higher SLEx tolls. Albay Governor Jose M. Clemente S. Salceda questioned planned SLEx toll hikes and the TRB’s authority to set new charges. 

The governor, the court said, failed to raise new points 

"[I]t is clear that the court has already resolved the first four petitions relating to the subject tollways. What remains to be dispensed with is the fifth and last petition of Gov. Salceda relating to SLEx," the court said. 

"Considering, however, that Gov. Salceda has not raised, in this recourse, any new issue which has not been considered and passed upon in the earlier resolved petitions, this court hereby resolves to dismiss the petition." -- A. M. P. Dagcutan