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MANILA, Philippines – Rather than withdraw funds from the Toll Regulatory Board (TRB), Senator Sherwin Gatchalian said Monday that it would be better to replace his head with a “qualified” one.
Gatchalian reiterated his call for the removal of TRB’s executive director following the warning from the chairman of the House of Representatives transportation committee that he would request a veto of the board’s budget for 2021 if he does not address the problems with the toll system without cash.
“This is really out of sheer frustration and I have spoken to some congressmen in Central Luzon, in Bulacan, our neighboring province, and they are very frustrated by TRB. This is a statement of sheer frustration, ”Gatchalian said in an interview on ABS-CBN News Channel.
But the senator stressed the need for a regulator to supervise toll operators in the country.
“We definitely need a regulator. Either in the form of TRB or in another government agency. We need a regulator to oversee and regulate that monopoly. If you ask me, it’s better to just get a qualified CEO, ”he said.
“Sorry to say this, but with all due respect, the CEO is not doing his job. And this could be avoided if you have been vigilant, monitoring and making sure operators are performing up to standard, ”Gatchalian added.
Last week, the city of Valenzuela suspended NLEx Corp.’s business permit for failing to serve the heavy traffic that its cashless toll collection has been causing in the city.
The suspension order means that motorists will be able to go through the NLEx system without paying tolls.
READ: What the NLEX operator will do to ease traffic
NLEx Corp. said it is reopening cash lines to prevent congestion from building up along NLEx.
Meanwhile, the TRB had previously said that the board was dealing with problems caused by the switch to a cashless toll collection.
The TRB added that it had directed the toll road operators to replace worn and faulty sensors, tags, and radio frequency identification (RFID) equipment, and to relocate the RFID facility and reload lanes to avoid the congestion on freeways.
JE
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