Council proposes collection of toll fees

KIANGAN, Ifugao -- The Municipal Council is mulling to amend its Revenue Code and include imposing the collection of toll fees from all vehicles delivering agricultural products and other goods in the place.

A public hearing on the proposed amendment of the Municipal Revenue Code to incorporate issues and other provisions will be held on May 20.

Barangay Nagacadan already passed an ordinance regulating the collection of toll fees. This cropped up after observing for nearly five years, vegetable dealers and businessmen traversing their roads in going to the vegetable producing town of Tinoc are not paying toll fees. These fees contribute for the improvement and maintenance of the roads.

Roads travelled by heavily laden vehicles coming and going to Tinoc, especially during rainy season, are easily damaged and rendered nearly impassable or not passable at all since it has no adequate maintenance or improvement fund being a provincial road.

The move to impose the collection of toll fees on vehicles passing these roads will help generate additional fund to ultimately benefit the people as stated in the Nagacadan barangay ordinance.

There is a proposal in Congress by Ifugao Representative Teddy Baguilat Jr. to convert the road going to Tinoc into a national road to solve the problem of maintenance and improvement. While this is not yet a reality, the imposition of toll fees is an immediate measure, according Nagacadan Barangay Chairman Marcelino Belingon. (Dan B. Codamon)