After being repeatedly postponed, the mandated installation of the Radio Frequency Identification in all vehicles to allow passing through the country’s tollways will definitely be implemented not later than October this year. The full implementation of the RFID is one of the short-term measures agreed upon during the traffic summit convened earlier this month by President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.
Singson admitted the MPTC and the SMC are still discussing how to implement what he termed as “suklian,” or roughly translated, to pay loose change. This is how to go about the transfer of payments between the two tollway concessionaires, he explained. The toll collection interoperability project was launched in 2017 with the signing of a memorandum of agreement between the DOTr; Department of Public Works and Highways ; Land Transportation Office ; TRB, SMC Group, Metro Pacific Group and the Ayala Group.
We recalled our own experience when we were charged with “obstruction of traffic” at C-5 exit in Quezon City. It was then operated by the state-owned Philippine National Construction Corp. that used the old EasyTag reader. Our car had no EasyTag yet when we drove to one booth that had no queue instead of going to the booth for “cash payments” only. The PNCC traffic enforcer, as LTO deputized officers, stopped us and confiscated our driver’s license for that offense.
Equipped with overhead cameras, the “gantry” catches all the details of the vehicles, including its drivers and passengers, Singson warned with naughty wink: “So beware, if you are driving with someone else.”Pioneering innovation in digital bankingThe past few weeks have been understandably dominated by the standoff between the Philippines and China in the West Philippine Sea.