Drilon imposes deadline on BCDA, MPTC to integrate NLEX, SCTEX

MANILA, Philippines—It had to take the inconvenience to a Philippine Senator for a couple of corporations to act on a long-time problem. To avoid travel dilemmas, Senate President Franklin Drilon on Monday has imposed a deadline on the Bases Conversion Development Authority (BCDA) and the Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation (MPTC) to approve and implement the integration of the North Luzon and Subic-Clark-Tarlac expressways.

Drilon said he met with the officials of the Department of Transportation and Communication, BCDA, MPTC, Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) and Manila North Tollways Corporation (MNTC) early this week to iron out issues concerning the implementation of the integration plan for NLEX (North Luzon Expressway) and SCTEX (Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway), which has been pending for years.

During the meeting, the Senate leader directed the officials to speed up the implementation of the integration plan, starting with the signing of the integration agreement scheduled on February 12 of this year in the Office of the Senate President.

“To expedite the process, the TRB will simultaneously monitor and review the toll collection systems integration agreement to make sure it will be in conformity with the policy of the government,” the Senate leader said in a statement on Monday.

The integration, Drilon said, would simplify toll collection system and lessen the number of toll collection plazas.

“The integration of the NLEX and SCTEX toll systems will benefit commuters, especially in saving travel time and fuel and increasing convenience for those driving through the tollways,” he said.

“The current setup is too complex and stands improvement. We cannot understand why we have to make five stops going to Subic and four stops going to Tarlac only to pay toll fees, when we can make things better and simpler by simply allowing commuters to pay their fares in full in only one toll plaza,” said.

Drilon himself experienced the inconvenience when he spent more than 11 hours on the road to Baguio City during the Christmas season, prompting him to seek a Senate inquiry into what he described as “inefficiences” of the toll collection system at the expressways.

It was only proper, he said that “changes and yet again reforms are put in place, so that the public will not have to endure the same predicament over again.”

He said the BCDA had informed him that the preparation would take seven to nine months to be finished, which will cover, among others, the removal of NLEX-Dau and SCTEX-Mabalacat barriers and deployment and commissioning of NLEX integrated toll collection system in all SCTEX and new NLEX toll plazas.

“With the system integration, motorists will no longer have to make several stops only to pay for fares. That means that everyone will soon only have to stop twice in paying tolls throughout NLEX and the SCTEX, as compared to the current situation where we have to stop five times just to pay our fares,” said Drilon.

At present, he said, motorists have to make five stops just to pay toll fees in a trip to Subic.

To illustrate, he said, a motorist gets a transit ticket at NLEX entry point in Balintawak, and surrenders it and pays toll fees at NLEX Dau, then gets a smart card at SCTEX Mabalacat and surrenders it and pays toll fees at SCTEX Tipo toll plaza, only to again pay new toll fees at Subic Freeport Expressway-Tipo.

The Senate leader then urged the tollway authorities and relevant agencies to “exercise diligence” and hasten the reforms in the toll collection systems, citing the expected surge of motorists and travelers in the Holy Week and summer season.

Drilon was confident that authorities and companies involved in the management of NLEX and SCTEX will be able to introduce and agree on a new collection system to provide commuters seamless travel experience. –With report by Maila Ager