By Brian Campued
All vehicles transporting food and agricultural products will be free of toll charges in all expressways starting April 20, the Transportation and Agriculture departments said.
This as President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. directed concerned government agencies to roll out measures to help ease logistics costs, stabilize food prices, and protect farmers’ incomes amid rising fuel costs.
In a news release Saturday, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) Sec. Giovanni Lopez said the Department of Agriculture (DA), Toll Regulatory Board (TRB), and major toll concessionaires have agreed to provide a one-month toll relief to ensure unhampered movement of food and other agricultural goods.
“Ang utos sa atin ng Pangulo, dapat tuloy-tuloy ang pag-transport ng pagkain para matiyak na stable ang presyo ng pangunahing pagkain para masiguro na abot-kaya pa rin ito para sa ating mga kababayan,” Sec. Lopez said.
“Alam naman po natin na lahat ng sektor apektado lalo na ang ating mga magsasaka kaya malaking bagay po itong toll relief na ito para matiyak na stable ang presyo ng pagkain.”
To qualify for the toll exemption, vehicles must be accredited by the DA and equipped with a radio frequency identification (RFID) sticker, as the rebates will be credited to their RFID accounts on a weekly basis.
In a statement on Friday, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said the month-long waiver of toll fees for agricultural trucks will also be subject to review for possible extension.
Sec. Laurel lamented how the rising fuel prices affect the transportation and delivery of produce from farms to markets, noting that some truckers are forced to scale back trips or limit their routes to avoid losses.
The one-month toll relief could generate about P52 million to P105 million in savings, or around P1,500 to P3,000 savings per trip for accredited trucks.
According to the DA, there are 1,162 agricultural trucks accredited under its Food Lane program, which can move up to 7 million kilograms of food daily, supporting about 3,500 farmers.
The agriculture department stressed that the number of participating vehicles can further rise if more than 3,100 previously registered trucks renew their accreditation.
“We thank our tollway concessionaires for embodying the bayanihan spirit. This will help cushion the impact of higher fuel prices on food supply and affordability, and help protect farmers’ incomes during these challenging times,” Laurel said.
Meanwhile, the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) has reduced roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) fees to P1 for vehicles carrying raw and unprocessed agricultural products, further supporting the food supply chain and ensuring price stability.
The P1 terminal fee, which started on April 10, applies to Type 3 vehicles, such as light delivery trucks, vans, and pick-up trucks, as well as Type 4 vehicles, including heavy delivery trucks.
-jpv
