Toll rate increase held indefinitely

The South Luzon Expressway (SLEX), North Luzon Expressway (NLEX), Skyway, Coastal Road and Southern Tagalog Arterial Road (STAR) have all deferred their plans to increase toll rates by Nov. 1.

In a phone interview, Philippine National Construction Corp. (PNCC) spokeswoman Charito Chavez said their agency, which manages the SLEX and the Skyway, has decided to indefinitely postpone the scheduled increase because the Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) has yet to give the agencies the green light to implement the increased rates.

Chavez said that once the TRB has approved the increase, toll operators could start calibrating their machines to reflect the new rates.

"I can only speak for the SLEX and the Skyway. There won’t be any increase yet on Nov. 1," Chavez said.

NLEX, which is also scheduled to increase its toll rates by next month, also announced an indefinite postponement of the increase.

The Coastal Road and the STAR will similarly defer the adjustment.

The toll increase was originally set for implementation once the government begins imposing the expanded value-added tax (EVAT) on goods and services on Nov. 1.

The PNCC denied that the deferral of the scheduled toll increase was due to uncalibrated toll machines.

Should the TRB approve the increase, the new toll rate for motorists using SLEX — which spans Magallanes to Calamba, Laguna — will be P84 for Class 1 vehicles, up from P76; P167 for Class 2, up from P151; and P250 for Class 3, up from P227.

For motorists taking the Skyway, which connects Buendia to Bicutan, the new rates are P94 for Class 1 vehicles, up from P85; P187 for Class 2, up from P170; and P281 for Class 3, up from P255.

The new toll rates for the Coastal Road are P17 for Class 1 vehicles, up from P15; P33 for Class 2, up from P30; and P50 for Class 3, up from P45.

For the STAR, the new toll rates are P16 for Class 1 vehicles, up from P10; P37 for Class 2, up from P33; and P57 for Class 3, up from P50.

As for the NLEX, the new rates will be P223 for Class 1 vehicles, up from P203; P557 for Class 2, up from P507; and P669 for Class 3, up from P609.