Cordillera solons scrap toll fees
By J.Lo
Two Cordillera lawmakers are asking for free toll fee for light vehicles. Filed separate bills seeking termination of toll fee collection along portion of Benguet road, popularly known as Kennon Road, from Klondykes Spring to Camp 6, Tuba and along Halsema highway, particularly at Acop, Tublay, House Bill (HB) 1047 authored by Rep. Eric Yap and HB 1048 authored by Mountain Province Rep. Maximo Dalog Jr. stated Baguio-Bontoc-Halsema Highway-Kennon National Toll Road is national toll road comprises three tollgates which are situated in Camp 1, Camp 6 along Kennon Road and Acop, Tublay, Benguet along Halsema highway.
The two lawmakers stipulated in their proposed bills collection of toll fees at Camp 6 was implemented by virtue of Executive Order (EO) 34, as amended, issued by former president Ramon Magsaysay on June 1, 1954.
With passage of Republic Act (RA) 8794 on June 27, 2000 which imposed so-called motor vehicle users charge to all motor vehicle owners, proponents explained motor vehicle users charges are collected and deposited on special trust accounts in the national treasury and trust accounts include Special Road Support Fund and Special Local Road Fund which are used by Department of Public Works and Highways for the maintenance and improvement of primary and secondary roads nationwide.
With the toll fees collected by virtue of EO 34 and motor vehicle users charge by virtue of RA 8794, which are both transmitted to the national treasury, Yap and Dalog argued users of Camp 6 toll road are technically being charged twice or even more when passing through different toll roads in Baguio and Benguet.
The proponents said motor vehicle owners are mostly farmers from Benguet and Mountain Province transporting agricultural produce to La Trinidad vegetable trading post or directly to Metro Manila via said toll roads.
Further, with collection of toll fees, farmers are left with no recourse but to increase farm prices of vegetables and pass on expense to retailers and consumers.
Dalog and Yap pressed for immediate passage of proposed bill to help lessen burden being imposed by government on collection of toll fees and motor vehicle users charge considering it is ordinary Filipino people who will suffer from unnecessary charges that will be passed on to them by farmers being unnecessarily charged of the same by the government.
The proposed bills were referred by House of Representatives to appropriate committee for study and recommendation on whether it will be passed by the Lower House.
Once bills are approved in the House, the same will be transmitted to the Senate for passage of its counterpart measure before sending to the Office of the President for signature to become law.
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