Tugade: Train fares, tollway fees will not go up

Camille Elemia

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Tugade: Train fares, tollway fees will not go up
Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade also allays fears involving the granting of emergency powers, vowing there will be no 'arbitrariness' or 'whimsical approaches'

MANILA, Philippines – Department of Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade on Wednesday, August 10, promised commuters and motorists that there would be no increase in mass transit fares and tollway fees.

Tugade, during the 1st Senate hearing on the proposed emergency powers to solve the traffic crisis, said any fare hike is “totally not acceptable” to him.

“Bagamat naririnig at walang natanggap na pormal na request, sinabihan ko na po ang aking management (Even if I hear it and have not received any formal request, I already told my management that), any increase on the MRT is totally not acceptable to me,” Tugade said.

The government, Tugade added, would be the laughingstock of the nation if they approve a fare hike for the glitch-plagued Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT3). After all, he said the services they currently offer do not merit a rate increase.

“Any increase must be predicated on quality service. Magmumukha tayong katawa-tawa. Sa paigting nang problema, magtataas ako ng presyo ng pamasahe. Di naman ho tama ‘yun (We would look like a joke if we ask for an increase amid the worsening problem. I don’t think that’s right),” he said.

As for tollway fees, Tugado said it is highly unlikely that there would be rate increases.

Tugade said he is personally against it and is keen on synchronizing the toll system. Under the present scheme, 3 corporations owned by Jaime Zobel de Ayala, Ramon S Ang, and Manuel V Pangilinan have their own mechanisms for collecting fees.

What Tugade wants, he said, is to centralize everything to lessen the waiting time at toll booths by 10 to 15 minutes.

“Meron ho kaming plano isi-synchronize ito para isang electronic systems monitoring na lang at iyon na lang ang maghahati kung kanino babayaran,” Tugade said.

(We plan to synchronize the collection of fees so there would be just one electronic systems monitoring, and that would be the one to handle the distribution of motorists’ payments.)

Do not fear emergency powers

Senator Grace Poe, chair of the committee on public services, set 3 conditions before granting the proposed emergency powers to President Rodrigo Duterte.

Poe said the projects under the special powers should be compliant with the Freedom of Information (FOI) measure, which Duterte himself signed into an executive order.

The senator added programs should be “fiscally responsible,” so the government and taxpayers would not be “shortchanged.”

“The power to expedite projects is not a license to contract an expensive one. There must be no hidden costs, or undeclared conditional debts that will be passed on to several generations,” Poe said.

Ultimately, Poe said plans should have details and deadlines to ensure that there would be real outputs. (READ: Gov’t wants to open up subdivisions to ease traffic)

“We will not go for vague powers, or blank checks. Hindi puwede ang bahala na kami (We can’t just wing it). Everything must be well-defined. The parameters must be set. I assure you there will be elbow room and wide latitude given but not wide enough for thieves to sneak in,” she said.

Tugade, in response, vowed to follow all conditions set, adding accountability and transparency under his term would be strictly ensured.

Tugade also allayed fears involving the proposed emergency powers, saying the senators and the public should not worry at all. 

Some senators earlier proposed that Tugade be the “point person” or “traffic czar” if the emergency powers are granted.

Isipin po natin ang special powers ay ‘di perpetual. (Let us be reminded that special powers is not perpetual.) It is for a given time. Wala hong arbitrariness or whimsical approaches. Ito ho ay kailangan natin. (There will be no arbitrariness or whimsical approaches. We need this.) DOT has a lot of things to do in such a short period of time. Give us the power and we will do everything with the time set,” he said. – Rappler.com

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Camille Elemia

Camille Elemia is a former multimedia reporter for Rappler. She covered media and disinformation, the Senate, the Office of the President, and politics.