TRB: No penalty fee yet on cashless toll; operators to fix issues first

The Toll Regulatory Board said Monday that no penalty would be imposed for violation of the Revised Guidelines for All Vehicles on Toll Expressways until such time that issues of toll operators are ironed out. 

''Totoo po 'yun, 'yun na rin po ay in deference sa pinasang resolusyon ng House of Representatives committee on transportation na huwag magpatupad muna ng paniningil ng multa hangga't di naaayos 'yung operational issues ng ating toll operators,'' TRB executive director Atty. Alvin Carullo said at a Palace press briefing when asked about the penalty imposition. 

(That's right, it's in deference to the resolution passed by the House committee on transportation that we shouldn't impose fees yet until such time that operational issues of toll operators are fixed.)

Carullo admitted that toll operators have to fix the operational issues within their systems.

''Hindi po natin maikakaila, mayroon din tayong problema doon sa mga operational system issues ng ating toll operators, hindi po natin maipagkakaila 'yan... Ngayon po, kaya namin napagkasunduan na i-suspend muna or i-defer 'yung implementation lalo na po 'yung penalties eh nakikita po natin may problema din talaga 'yung sistema so bibigyan natin ng pagkakataon 'yung toll operators na ayusin 'yung sistema nila,'' he said.

(We cannot deny that there are still problems with the operational system of our toll operators. We decided to suspend or defer the implementation because we clearly see that there's a problem within the system. So we give toll operators the time to fix their systems.)

Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista reiterated that the Philippine government is eyeing to implement the penalties for violations of the Revised Guidelines for All Vehicles on Toll Expressways by January of next year.

''On the tollways deferment, we are extending to January next year the implementation of penalties, not the whole program of cashless expressways under the Joint Memorandum Circular No. 2024-001,'' Bautista said in the same briefing.

''We are collating inputs from recent consultation meetings with various tollway stakeholders including information and profile of violators. This information will be used to make any amendments to the joint memorandum circular,'' he added.

Under the Joint Memorandum Circular No. 2024-001, motorists entering toll roads without valid RFID or electronic toll collection (ETC) device, including dilapidated ones, shall be penalized as “No Valid ETC Device” with the following fines:

• First offense - P1,000
• Second offense - P2,000
• Subsequent offenses - P5,000 per offense

Those exiting an expressway with insufficient balance, meanwhile, shall be penalized as “Insufficient Load” with the following penalties:

• First offense - P500
• Second offense - P1,000
• Subsequent offenses - P2,500 per offense

Meanwhile, the use of fraudulent, tampered, or fake RFID device and e-card upon entry and exit on toll expressway shall be penalized as "Fraudulent or Falsified ETC" with a penalty of:

• First offense - P1,000
• Second offense - P2,000
• Subsequent offenses - P5,000 per offense

—AOL, GMA Integrated News