Noynoy to review looming increase in SLEX toll

MANILA, Philippines - President-elect Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III said he would look into the imminent increase in toll fees at the Alabang to Calamba segment of the South Luzon Expressway that many are opposing.

“They already made increases before. I have not studied it yet, to be honest. But if there would be, according to the papers, a 250-percent increase, one has to wonder why. Were the rates before not enough that will justify massive changes? These are the questions I am asking as a private citizen,” Aquino told reporters Thursday.

Aquino said the toll at the North Luzon Expressway was more reasonable as he is a frequent user of the highway.

Various groups have called for hearings on the proposed increase, which, according to reports, could be as high as 300 percent. This, they said, would affect economic development in the nearby areas.

Reports said starting June 30, motorists would have to pay P2.70 per kilometer, or roughly 320 percent more than the prevailing rate of 82 centavos for the entire 30-kilometer stretch from Alabang in Muntinlupa City to Calamba City in Laguna.

Hence, Class 1 vehicles would have to pay P77 from the previous P22. Class 2 vehicles or light trucks and buses would now pay P155 from P43. On the other hand, Class 3 vehicles or the heavy, multi-wheeler trucks would now pay P232 instead of P65.

The Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) and the South Luzon Tollway Corp. have repeatedly defended the increase, saying it was due to the major rehabilitation work finished last year. The portion from Filinvest in Alabang to Calamba in Laguna, which now has eight lanes, was also finished in 2009.

The SLEX rehabilitation, which began in 2006, expanded the 1.2-kilometer Alabang Viaduct and the 27.3-kilometer road from Alabang to Calamba. This is connected with the 7.6-kilometer extension from Calamba to Santo Tomas in Batangas province, which links SLEX with the Southern Tagalog Arterial Road (STAR).