MANILA, Philippines – Hindi matatawaran ang ginhawang idudulot ng libreng toll fee sa lahat ng sasakyan na naghahatid ng pagkain sa iba’t-ibang sulok ng Luzon at iba pang lugar na may tool road sa magsasaka at food security, ayon kay Senador Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan.
Sa pahayag, ibinahagi ni Pangilinan, chairman ng Senate committee on agriculture, foods and agrarian reform na pansamantalang exempted sa pagbabayad ng toll fees sa lahat ng expressways ang trak na nagdadala ng produltong agrikultural at pagkain na magsisimula sa Lunes, Abril 20.
“Salamat sa pagtutulungan ng Department of Transportation, Toll Regulatory Board, Department of Agriculture, at ng mga tollway concessionaires at operators, maiibsan nang bahagya ang problema ng mataas na gastos sa pagbyahe ng mga pagkain,” aniya.
Pinasalamatan din ni Pangilinan ang lahat ng tollway concessionaires at operators San Miguel Corp. chief Ramon S. Ang at Metro Pacific head Manuel V. Pangilinan sa pagpayag sa kanyang panukala na magtayo ng food lane.
“Sa panahon ng krisis, walang ibang magtutulungan kundi tayo-tayo rin,” ani ng chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Food and Agrarian Reform.
“Marami pang kailangang gawin para masiguro ang sapat, abot-kaya, at abot-kamay na masustansyang pagkain para sa lahat ng Pilipino, pero malaking bagay na ito,” dagdag niya.
Unang ipinalutang ni Pangilinan ang panukala sa ginanap na pagdinig nitong Abril 8 ng Committee on Agriculture, Food, and Agrarian Reform na sinundan ng liham na may petsang April 13 kay Transportation Secretary Giovanni Z. Lopez.
“Secretary Lopez, in his April 16 reply, said that the toll-free measure for food logistics will initially run for one month and may be extended “subject to review, assessment, and further discussions,” ayon kay Pangilinan.
Ayon kay Pangilinan: “To qualify for the toll exemption, trucks carrying agricultural goods must comply with existing requirements implemented for availing toll discounts for Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) registered, accredited by the Department of Agriculture (DA), and RFID (radio frequency identification)-registered.”
“Complementing the toll holiday, the roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) terminal fees have been temporarily reduced to ₱1 for vehicles transporting raw and unprocessed agricultural products. The reduced fee, effective April 10, will be implemented for six months and is also “subject to review for possible extension, modification, or termination.”
The transportation secretary said the move is meant “to support food supply chain reliability,” particularly for inter-island transport of essential goods,” paliwanag ng mambabatas. Ernie Reyes
