Toll operators slammed for expressway traffic. Inquirer Newsletter. December 7, 2020

No images? Click here   CROSSING BOUNDARIES A woman and her dog cross the rainbow-colored pedestrian lane along Roxas Boulevard in Manila that has been repainted to show support for the LGBTQ community. MARIANNE BERMUDEZ     News Top plastic waste polluters still the same, says audit report Multinational companies, particularly those producing fast-moving consumer goods, have had “very little” to zero progress in their efforts to reduce their plastic footprint despite their commitment to do so in the past few years, according to an international movement against plastic waste. —STORY BY Jhesset O. Enano Read more: newsinfo.inquirer.net    Business PAL woes peril Tan’s Sangley Airport bid The ongoing financial problems of taipan Lucio Tan’s Philippine Airlines (PAL) could weigh on the group’s bid to build a P500-billion international airport in Sangley Point, Cavite Gov. Jonvic Remulla said. —STORY BY Miguel R. Camus Read more: business.inquirer.net   Newsletter / Join us Has this been forwarded by a friend? Subscribe now to the Philippine Daily Inquirer Newsletter and get your latest news and important updates on COVID-19 and the enhanced community quarantine. Subscribe   Get here     Banner story Toll operators slammed for expressway traffic Toll operators may lose their concession contract with the government unless they fix glitches in the implementation of mandatory cashless payment on expressways, which have resulted in massive traffic jams over the past week, a senator warned on Sunday. Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian called for a review of the agreement between the government and Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. and San Miguel Corp. Tollways, urging the operators of the North Luzon Expressway (NLEx) and the South Luzon Expressway (SLEx) to get their act together. In a statement, Gatchalian said he would file a proposed resolution within the week calling for a Senate inquiry into “issues of nonperformance and other possible violations” in the implementation of the Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) program. Gatchalian criticized the two toll operators for failing to repair malfunctioning RFID sensors at toll plazas before the Dec. 1 deadline for cash transactions, which had contributed to bottlenecks on the expressways. The senator cited several complaints of defective sensors that could not detect RFID tags on vehicles using the NLEx interchange going to Valenzuela City. “It’s obviously the [responsibility] of the toll operators to ensure that the RFID sensors are working and should be able to read each and every car sticker that passes through it because otherwise, what’s the use of this kind of technology if it does not serve its purpose?” he said. Regulator Gatchalian also assailed the Toll Regulatory Board (TRB), which regulates the operation and maintenance of toll facilities, for “failing to lift a finger in the wake of numerous complaints from motorists of long queues and traffic congestion.” Under the implementing rules signed by the TRB, toll operators are required to “ensure at all times the efficient operation and maintenance of the toll collection facility,” according to the senator. —DJ YAP INQ Read more: newsinfo.inquirer.net   Editorial Slow recovery The Philippines has been tagged as one of the few countries where recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic will be markedly slow despite having enforced the strictest lockdown in the region earlier this year. The reason cited for this somber projection is the insufficient amount earmarked by the government to contain the health crisis and resuscitate the depressed economy. Read full story: opinion.inquirer.net       Copyright © 2020 PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: P.O. Box 2353, Makati Central Post Office, 1263 Makati City, Philippines.   Share    Tweet    Share    Forward  Preferences  |  Unsubscribe