Senators adopted a resolution on Monday urging the Department of Transportation (DOTr) to suspend the implementation of the cashless payment scheme on expressways.
In a statement, Sen. Grace Poe, principal author of Senate resolution 596, said that toll plazas have become “parking lots” due to the “hasty implementation” of DOTr’s Department Order No. 2020-12 and its related issuances requiring cashless transactions in toll expressways.
“Department Order 2020-12 does not seem to take into account the preparedness of our toll expressway service providers to comply with such an order. It is being hounded by various issues concerning its implementation,” Poe said.
“Ang ending, taumbayan na naman ang naperwisyo. Our constituents have suffered enough during this pandemic. Traffic jams and toll booth problems should be the least of their concerns,” she added.
Poe said that although cashless transactions on expressways are ideal especially during the pandemic, “effective policies are not borne out of good intentions alone.”
“Hindi po ito patas para sa mga kababayan natin na handa namang sumunod. Kaya marapat lang na isuspinde muna ang implementasyon ng cashless o contactless transaction system sa mga expressway habang inihahanda ang mas maayos na sistema na totoong makatutulong sa mga motorista,” Poe said.
According to the resolution, “The implementation of the cashless transaction system on toll expressways caused massive traffic jams affecting thousands of stranded motorists due to various complaints like failure of scanners to read RFID stickers; delays in the reloading system of Easytrip accounts, unauthorized transactions, and other glitches that prohibit quick access.”
Apart from Poe, other senators who supported the RFID system suspension are Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri, Senate Pro Tempore Ralph Recto, Richard Gordon, Risa Hontiveros, Joel Villanueva, Ronald dela Rosa, Leila de Lima, Panfilo Lacson, Francis Pangilinan, Ramon Revilla Jr., Imee Marcos, Manny Pacquiao, Nancy Binay, and Sherwin Gatchalian.
“Taking into consideration the mounting complaints from motorists and LGUs alike, and the unsatisfactory response of toll corporations and regulatory agencies on the issue, it is recommended that the implementation of DOTr DO 2020-12 and its IRR, and LTO’s MC 2020-2224 be suspended immediately until the issues in its implementation are resolved,” Poe said.
“The riding public and road users must also be given ample time to comply with the new requirements, through more accessible installation and reloading stations, transparency in fees and charges and their possible options, integrated ID for different toll highways, and enhanced awareness on the use of RFID technology,” Poe added.