The tollway unit of Metro Pacific Investments Corp. said it may defer the filing of an arbitration case against the government, after the Toll Regulatory Board requested a 30-day extension to decide on its petition for a toll increase.
“They asked for another 30 days extension. It’s a request, but I’m not saying that we are agreeing to grant the request. Anytime we can implement, as far as we are concerned, we are ready to file our arbitration case, but we are just waiting,” said Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. and Manila North Tollways Corp. president and chief executive Rodrigo Franco,
“In fairness to them, they are working on reviewing it and they said they need more days to sort out the issue,” Franco said, adding the Commission on Audit was reviewing the toll increase rates.
TRB consultant for traffic management and safety Albert Suansing confirmed that CoA was reviewing the petition of MNTC and Cavitex Infrastructure Corp. for toll increases.
Suansing, however, said the current administration was unlikely to complete the review process and “probably the next administration” would act on the toll hike petition.
MNTC, a unit of MPTC which operates North Luzon Expressway, filed a petition with TRB in September 2014 for the bi-annual toll adjustment that was supposed to start on Jan. 1, 2015, as stipulated under its concession.
The new petition is on top of the one the company filed in 2012 for a toll increase scheduled in January 2013. This would bring the cumulative toll adjustment to 15 percent, of which 12 percent was long overdue.
Tolls at NLEx from Mindanao Avenue to Sta. Ines currently amount to P218 for Class 1 vehicles (cars, jeepneys, pickup trucks and vans), P544 for Class 2 vehicles (two-axle trucks, buses and vans) and P652 for Class 3 vehicles (trucks and trailers with three or more axles).
MNTC has asked for a P3.5-billion compensation claim as of January for failure to increase the toll in the last three years, while Cavitex requested for P800 million.
Cavitex also proposed a toll hike for Class 1 vehicles to P27 from P22; Class 2 vehicles to P54 from P44; and Class 3 vehicles to P81 from P66.
The two companies said the periodic toll rate adjustment was a contractual right the toll operators were entitled to under the toll operation agreement.
Operators of South Luzon Expressway and the Southern Tagalog Arterial Road also filed a doubt-digit increase in toll.
TRB executive director Edmund Reyes earlier said extending the concession period was an option being considered as a compromise with the operators of NLEx, South Luzon Expressway, Cavitex and Southern Tagalog Arterial Road, after the government failed to approve their petition for higher charges.
“There are options available, so we have to study. The most important is the legal basis. Hopefully, we’ll decide how to move forward and provide as many options as possible,” Reyes said.