Velasco urges DOTr to extend RFID installation deadline to March 2021

MANILA, Philippines – House Speaker Lord Allan Velasco on Monday called on the Department of Transportation (DOTr) to further extend the deadline for installing radio-frequency (RFID) tags on vehicles under the cashless payment system amid the coronavirus pandemic.
In a statement, Velasco noted that all 6.1 million registered vehicles in Metro Manila, Central Luzon, and CALABARZON may not be provided with RFID stickers by January 11, 2021 as set by the DOTr.
He said the DOTr should also consider the fact that the pandemic has constrained many vehicle owners from leaving their homes to have these RFID stickers installed.
“It would be more practicable if the deadline is further extended to March 31, 2021 to give all our motorists enough time to secure the stickers for the cashless payment system given that we are still in a pandemic where movement of people is limited,” he said.
Velasco made the call as tollways experienced gridlock upon the implementation of cashless payment last December 1.
The House Speaker also shared the observations made during the hearing of the House Committee on Transportation last November 25 in anticipation of the problems that could arise from the implementation of the cashless payment scheme at tollways.
Velasco said that the committee estimated it would take more than two years for all vehicles using the tollways to be provided with the RFID tags.
Transportation Committee chairman Rep. Edgar Sarmiento also noted that Thailand and Indonesia took a year and a half on average to be fully cashless.
“In comparison, it’s been barely five months from the issuance of the (DOTr’s) Department Order 2020-012 since the implementation of cashless payment,” Sarmiento said.
“The concerned agencies should have ensured first the feasibility of going cashless in the amount of time given to vehicle owners,” Velasco said.
“Instead, the implementation on Dec. 1 looked like a dry-run. This defeats the purpose of having our tollways becoming efficient in going cashless,” he added.
The DOTr earlier urged toll operators to open more off-site installation sites to provide more avenues for people to have their RFIDs installed.