Higher Cavitex toll starts

MANILA, Philippines — Motorists passing though the Manila-Cavite Expressway (CAVITEX) will have to pay higher toll starting today after the government approved the increase to cover the second tranche of a delayed adjustment.

Tollway operator CAVITEX Infrastructure Corp. yesterday said the Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) allowed the CIC to proceed with the second tranche of the toll hike.

As such, motorists passing through CAVITEX R1 Extension will have to pay P103 for Class 1 vehicles, P207 for Class 2 and P310 for Class 3.

The R1 Extension covers a 14-kilometer section of the expressway between Zapote and Kawit in Cavite. It serves about 50,000 motorists daily and eases travel between Metro Manila and Southern Tagalog.

The CIC submitted toll petitions in 2020 and 2023 to collect the scheduled increases for 2021 and 2024, respectively.

The TRB  split the toll hike into two tranches to minimize the impact on motorists.

The first tranche was enforced in October 2025.

The TRB, acting on compliance, approved the collection of the second tranche a year later.

The toll increase for CAVITEX will allow the CIC to recover some of the relief measures it has been providing to public transport companies, which are directly affected  by the spike in fuel prices.

For months, CAVITEX exempted public utility vehicles from toll increases and extended rebates to trucks transporting agricultural produce.

In line with this, CAVITEX is reactivating its Abante Program for at least 60 days to cushion the effect of the toll hike on commuters.

The program provides rebates to public transport vehicles so operators will not pass on to commuters the additional amount that they need to pay for the toll.

The CIC said proceeds from the toll hike would be used to improve the infrastructure network of CAVITEX.

Prior to the toll adjustment, the CIC invested in technological upgrades to ease entry in toll plazas and repaired the pavement along the Kawit and Parañaque stretches of the expressway.

Metro Pacific Tollways Corp., CIC’s parent company, is expecting a five-percent increase in vehicle traffic across tollways such as the North Luzon Expressway and the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway during the All Saints’ and All Souls’ Days break.

San Miguel Corp. is projecting a 10-percent surge in tollway traffic, requiring deployment of additional personnel to manage congestion.