THE TOLL Regulatory Board (TRB) said it approved toll adjustments for Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEx) and Muntinlupa-Cavite Expressway (MCX) this week.
TRB Executive Director Abraham P. Sales told reporters on Thursday the agency is issuing resolutions to SCTEx operator NLEX Corp. and MCX operator Ayala Corp. approving their pending rate adjustments as provided for by their respective concession agreements with the government.
“They’re entitled [to] yearly adjustments actually. The 2011 [adjustment] has been pending for some time]. It’s the first of the petitions to be resolved for SCTEx,” Mr. Sales said.
For MCX, the adjustment covers 2016, which he described as small.
Mr. Sales said after the approval, the toll operators must follow publication requirements before they are allowed to start collection. He did not provide the approved toll increases, but said the operators are expected to publish the adjusted matrix by next week.
In 2011, the operator of SCTEx at the time, the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA), filed an application with the TRB to raise tolls for the 93.77-kilometer expressway. The application was not resolved at the time NLEX Corp. took over SCTEx management in October 2015.
“SCTEx is entitled to apply yearly. For NLEx (North Luzon Expressway), every two years… South Luzon Expressway (is also about) every two years. STAR (Southern Tagalog Arterial Road) and CAVITEx (Manila-Cavite Expressway) are about every three years,” Mr. Sales said.
He noted the remaining petitions in SCTEx for the rest of the years from 2011, and all the other petitions for other toll roads, are still being taken up by the TRB Board.
Earlier this month, the TRB also allowed NLEX Corp. to start collecting higher tolls in NLEx for petitions made in 2013 and 2015.
NLEX Corp. is part of Metro Pacific Tollways Corp., the tollways unit of Metro Pacific Investments Corp. (MPIC).
MPIC is one of three key Philippine units of Hong Kong-based First Pacific Co. Ltd., the others being Philex Mining Corp. and PLDT, Inc. Hastings Holdings, Inc., a unit of PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund subsidiary MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., has a majority stake in BusinessWorld through the Philippine Star Group, which it controls. — Denise A. Valdez
