MANILA -- After two postponements, the 250-percent increase in the toll rates at the South Luzon Expressway (SLEx) will finally push through on August 16, the toll regulator said Monday.
In an interview with Sun.Star, Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) spokesman Julius Corpuz confirmed the implementation, which has received opposition from various sectors in the past months.
“Yes, the South Luzon Tollways Corp. is set to impose the new SLEx toll fees (Alabang to Calamba) to which they voluntarily deferred last June 30 and July 7. It will be implemented starting August 16,” he said.
The new rates on SLEx are P77 for light vehicles such as cars and vans, P155 for buses, and P232 for heavy trucks and trailers, a far cry from the current P22, P43 and P65, respectively.
SLTC deferred the implementation last June 30 in respect to the inauguration of President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III and the second was last July 7, when it voluntarily deferred the hikes indefinitely to allow more information campaign.
Last July 10, the Star Infrastructure Development Corp. (SIDC) implemented a near 10-percent increase in the Southern Tagalog Arterial Road (STAR) due to road improvements. (Virgil Lopez/Sunnex)